Xander Bogaerts is sending a warning shot with his red hot start to August

Xander Bogaerts sure knows when to get hot. With the vaunted Boston Red Sox set to battle the Padres on Friday, the table is set for an interleague dogfight. And oh yeah, remember that proposed deal for outfielder Jarren Duran where the Red Sox went out of their way to deliver an emphatic "no" to the Padres while news sites around the world exaggerated Boston's rejection as some kind of flex? Bogaerts welcomes his former team with a hot hand.

We understand why the shortstop's play has been overshadowed by his newly acquired teammates recently. Friars fans want these pieces to work and work fast. The end game Gatorade toss always finds the heroes. In their recent series against the Diamondbacks, it was Arráez starting the rally in Game 2, then O'Hearn and Iglesias in Game 3. Still, there was a lone firestarter in both of those contests. When the Padres faced early deficits, Bogaerts reclaimed his power.

Red-hot Xander Bogaerts is reminding everyone what he can do

Xander Bogaerts lifted his team with the crack of his bat. It was a mental lift. Just hours before, the Padres had a knee-jerk reaction to their Game 1 loss by shipping pitcher J.P. Sears to the minors. And yet, when the Friars were down 0-2 on Tuesday and needed a spark, Xander thrashed a ball that felt like it would burst through Chase Field's dome ceiling. He didn't stop there, down 0-2 again on Wednesday evening, he bombed another. Padres lifted.

There are pieces that fill holes. Then there's the glue. Bogaerts, regularly batting mid-lineup, is that glue. After witnessing his heaves the team responded. No Gatorade buckets needed, just glue. And at this point, mentioning their rivals again is redundant. Instead, let's just say the Friars are only two games back in the division and teaming.

As for Boston and their arrival to Petco on Friday, this interleague bout will be a gauge for both teams. It's East versus West. Hot team versus hot team. August baseball with no love lost. And Xander Bogaerts will be in the thick of it, doing what he does, being the glue.

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