Rafael Devers put together a typically dominant afternoon at the pot while Bobby Dalbec enjoyed a memorable debut. Sprinkle some initial offense through a Xander Bogaerts home run and you’ve got a winning recipe.
BOSTON – Calculate the third win of the season for the Red Sox.
Rafael Devers put together a typically dominant afternoon at the pot while Bobby Dalbec enjoyed a memorable debut. Sprinkle some initial offense through a Xander Bogaerts home run and you’ve got a winning recipe.
Boston jumped into the lead in the opening inning and moved on from there. The quick attack was key on Saturday night and again the following afternoon when the Red Sox scored a 9-5 triumph over the national teams.
Devers finished 4 on 4 with a couple of home runs, the fifth time in his career he scored at least two in one match. Dalbec landed two shots despite arriving at Fenway Park less than two hours before the first pitch, including a two-run homer on the right line. Boston amassed all but one of his runs in the first three innings to bury Washington soon.
Devers made a 10 pitch walk in his first attack, a positive sign of things to come. He chose twice between his pair of round trips and scored three points. That kind of production at the top of the Red Sox lineup would be welcome on any occasion.
The shot started at the bottom of the first. Bogaerts littered the lighthouse tower in left field with a majestic two-run homer and Kevin Plawecki chipped in a single RBI in the middle. Boston was out to his second 3-0 lead in as many games.
The Red Sox added two more in the second thanks to Devers. He sent one a mile high to the right which made Adam Eaton spin and turn as he tried to slide it down. Eaton crashed violently into the wall in front of the visiting bullpen, and Devers had a two-run homer when the ball landed just past Eaton’s glove.
Boston led a 5-2 lead in third place when Dalbec took his turn by stepping into the spotlight for the first time. Plawecki’s RBI doubling up against the green monster made for a four-game play and he lined up Dalbec against Javy Guerra. He blew one over the Pesky Polo and entered the stands, a homer in two races only on his second career appearance.
Devers saved some money for World Series hero Daniel Hudson in eighth place. Another 10-shot bout ended when Devers ran into a fastball and sent a screaming liner to the right. The ball crashed into the empty grandstand to make it a four-run match and saved Matt Barnes closer from working on consecutive days.
The Red Sox pitching staff have withstood a couple of tense moments during the last 18 eliminations. Zack Godley exited before qualifying for a win, chased in the fifth by Eaton’s triple RBI in the right corner. Josh Osich persuaded the choice of a defender from Asdrubal Cabrera as a potential draw in an 8-5 match in the sixth.
