Ranger Suarez, Willson Contreras lead Red Sox to fifth straight win

The Red Sox are on their hottest stretch of the season.

Fresh off a stunning four-game sweep of the Yankees, Boston welcomed the Washington Nationals to Fenway Park on Monday night and picked up right where it left off.

The Red Sox erupted for four runs in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from Willson Contreras and a solo shot from Caleb Durbin, then rode another strong performance from their starting rotation to a 6-3 victory.

With the win, Boston extended its season-best winning streak to five games while continuing the dominant run from its starting pitchers that has fueled the club’s recent turnaround.

Ranger Suarez turned in another quality outing, giving the Red Sox six strong innings.

Washington struck first when James Wood launched Suarez’s third pitch of the game 441 feet into the right-field seats for a leadoff home run, giving the Nationals a quick 1-0 lead.

Boston answered immediately with a four-run bottom of the first.

After the Red Sox loaded the bases, Willson Contreras unloaded on a 94.5 mph fastball from Miles Mikolas, launching a towering three-run homer over the Green Monster seats to put Boston in front for good.

As Contreras rounded first base, he repeatedly slapped his helmet with both hands and yelled, “Venezuela!” toward the Red Sox dugout. By the time he returned to the bench, the emotional first baseman had broken down in tears. 

The moment lasted several minutes as teammates and coaches embraced him, including fellow Venezuelan Wilyer Abreu, in an emotional scene just days after the devastating earthquakes that rocked their home country.

Contreras’ three-run blast gave him his 16th multi-RBI game of the season. It was also his fifth first-inning home run, the most by a Red Sox player this year.

Durbin followed with a solo homer of his own, his seventh of the season, stretching Boston’s lead to 4-1.

The Red Sox continued to tack on runs with sacrifice flies from Abreu in the second inning and Carlos Narváez in the third, building a comfortable cushion behind Suarez.

Contreras was ejected in the fourth inning after striking out on a checked-swing appeal. As he walked back toward the dugout, he repeatedly tapped the top of his helmet, mimicking the signal players use to request an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge.

First-base umpire Nic Lentz interpreted the gesture as showing him up and immediately ejected Contreras, tapping his own helmet to indicate the reason for the dismissal.

The ejection sparked a lengthy discussion between Lentz and interim manager Chad Tracy. Moments later, Contreras emerged from the dugout after realizing he had been thrown out and briefly exchanged words with the umpiring crew before returning to the clubhouse. 

Andruw Monasterio replaced Contreras at first base for the remainder of the game.

Mikolas settled in after Boston’s four-run first inning, retiring the final 14 batters he faced to complete six innings. By then, however, the damage had already been done.

Suarez made sure the early lead held up.

The left-hander kept Washington off the scoreboard after Wood’s leadoff homer until the sixth inning, when CJ Abrams ripped a two-run double into the gap. Suarez finished with three earned runs on five hits over six innings while walking one and striking out eight.

He threw 58 of his 95 pitches for strikes (61%) and generated 12 swings and misses, including six with his curveball and four with his slider, according to Baseball Savant.

His outing extended Boston’s remarkable run on the mound.

The Red Sox have now received 12 consecutive quality starts from their rotation, the club’s longest streak since a franchise-record 14 straight from April 8-25, 1988. During the current stretch, Boston’s starters have posted a sparkling 1.75 ERA across 77 1/3 innings.

Danny Coulombe, Tyron Guerrero and Garrett Whitlock combined to slam the door, tossing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to secure the victory.

Durbin continued his torrid stretch at the plate, finishing 1-for-3 with his seventh home run of the season. Since May 28, he’s hit safely in 21 of 28 games while batting .330 with 16 extra-base hits and a .975 OPS.

Anthony Seigler has also provided a spark since being recalled from Triple-A Worcester. The catcher went 2-for-3, extending his career-high hitting streak to seven games while recording his fourth multi-hit performance during that stretch.

Boston has now won six of its last seven games and eight of its last 11 dating back to June 19.

The victory improved the Red Sox to 37-46 and gave them five straight wins to begin the homestand after returning from Colorado with a 12-25 home record.

Boston will look to clinch its second consecutive series Tuesday night when left-hander Connelly Early (7-5, 3.59 ERA) takes the mound against Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli (4-4, 4.00 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.