All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 9-5 win over the Nationals, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Dalbec has a day to remember: Red Sox infield prospect Bobby Dalbec was getting ready for practice at the alternate training site in Pawtucket Sunday morning when he was pulled off the field and told he was being promoted to the big leagues. Dalbec rushed back to his hotel, packed some belongings and drove to Fenway. Along the way, he called his parents and some close friends to inform them of the news. He then arrived to find that he was in the starting lineup. After striking out in his first at-bats, Dalbec, a right-handed hitter, came up in the second and muscled a ball the other way, into the empty seats in right field for his first major league hit and first major league homer. "I felt weightless,'' Dalbec said of his trip around the bases. Dalbec later chipped in a bloop single to center and handled all of his chances at first base without incident. With Mitch Moreland traded to San Diego and Michael Chavis averaging a strikeout every two at-bats this season, Dalbec will get a chance over the next four weeks to show the Red Sox what he can do and perhaps cement first base for himself for next season. That projection can wait for now, however. For now, Dalbec can savor a special debut.
Bullpen comes through again: Ten days ago, the Sox traded Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree to the Phillies and it seemed the move would decimate the back end of the bullpen. But you wouldn't know it from the last two days at Fenway. On Saturday, the Sox used six relievers to get 6.2 innings of scoreless relief and on Sunday, it was again time for the relievers to carry the day. After Zack Godley ran out of steam in the fifth inning, the Sox got another 4.1 innings of relief from four different pitchers, during which time they allowed just one run. In the last two games, the Sox have gotten 11 innings from the pen, which has allowed just one run on eight hits. Sunday featured the best outing from Josh Taylor since he joined the team earlier this month -- one inning, one walk and two strikeouts -- and also featured another strong appearance from Ryan Brasier, who is unscored upon in his last outings. It doesn't hurt that lefty Josh Osich, the subject of trade interest in the last week, combined to throw two scoreless innings over the last two days.
Tough playing conditions: It may have been a nice day to be at the beach or other outside activities, but it wasn't much fun being an infielder or outfielder at Fenway Park. Both teams struggled mightily, battling a very strong sun, along with winds that played havoc with the flight of fair and foul balls. Washington center fielder Victor Robles lost a routine flyball in the sun and others had a tough time tracking balls, too. Adam Eaton, who raced toward the foul line on Dalbec's homer, appeared to never pick up the flight of the ball. Even routine flyballs in the field were hard to judge. Manager Ron Roenicke, now in his third season with the Red Sox, said he couldn't recall another day in which both elements -- wind and sun -- were such challenges to the players.
TURNING POINT
In the second inning, with the Sox already in possession of a 3-0 lead, a two-out double by Alex Verdugo was followed by a two-run homer by Devers, breaking the game open for the Red Sox.
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Devers had a four-hit afternoon, including two homers, and reached base a total of five times. He has seven RBIs in his last five games and fifth career multi-homer game.
Xander Bogaerts: For the second game in a row, Bogaerts smoked a multi-run homer in the first inning. He later added a single and a walk.
ONE DOWN
Zack Godley: Godley got plenty of run support early, but couldn't hang around long enough to qualify for the win, allowing eight his and five runs in just 4.2 innings.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I think about all the tough times -- playing minor leagues, college, all that stuff. Everything's kind of led up to this moment. The day overall was kind of a fire drill.'' -- Bobby Dalbec on his debut.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Dalbec became the first Red Sox player to homer in his major league debut since Daniel Nava in 2010.
- Trea Turner collected three more hits and became the first opponent to record 11 hits in a three-game series against the Sox since 1930.
- Zack Godley became the third Red Sox starter to record an out in the fifth inning. Only Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez have previously done so.