Final: Red Sox 6, Nationals 4 - Red Sox sweep Nationals

The Red Sox have swept the Washington Nationals winning the final game of the series 6-4.

Just like in the other two games this series, Boston jumped out to an early lead which became the big difference in the game.

Facing off against left-handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara who made his MLB debut in this game, Alex Cora played a similar right-handed dominant lineup as he did yesterday. 

Nate Eaton was the leadoff hitter for the second consecutive game, and just like yesterday he started off the game getting on base. A couple at-bats later, Roman Anthony drove home Eaton giving Boston the first run of the game.

The Red Sox weren't done. Rob Refsnyder recorded an RBI double driving home Anthony, and Trevor Story mashed a two-run home run the next at-bat. Boston had a 4-0 lead before the Nationals went up to bat.

Garrett Crochet didn't have his best start today, but he still picked up the win. Crochet pitched 5.0 innings, allowing two earned runs and nine hits while also striking out seven batters. The two runs Crochet allowed both came in the 3rd inning.

In the 7th inning, the Red Sox scored another run with an RBI sac fly from Romy Gonzalez. Ceddanne Rafaela started the inning with a leadoff double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch.

After a clean outing from Garrett Whitlock in the 6th inning, Boston's bullpen faced some turbulence in the 7th. Justin Wilson started the inning allowing a walk and a hit only getting two outs. 

The Red Sox then turned to Greg Weissert to finish off the inning, but it was a struggle. Weissert walked back-to-back batters giving the Nationals their third run of the game, and he finally got out of the inning following his two walks. Boston decided to pitch Aroldis Chapman in the 8th inning, and he gave the Red Sox a clean inning shutting down the Nationals.

In the 9th inning, Rafaela extended Boston's lead back to three runs with his second home run in consecutive games. 

Jordan Hicks came out to get the save for Boston. It wasn't a clean outing, but Hicks recorded his first save with the Red Sox completing the sweep for Boston.

This was another game where Boston's lineup against a left-handed starter succeeded. Gonzalez and Refsnyder have dominated against lefty pitchers this season, and their presence in the lineup was significant. Story and Rafaela also stayed hot at the plate contributing to this sweep.

The Red Sox will now head back to Boston starting a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. First pitch will be at 7:10 p.m.

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WHO: Red Sox (45-45) vs Nationals (37-52)
WHEN: 1:35 p.m.
WHERE: Nationals Park, Washington D.C.
SERIES TO DATE: (2-0), (2-0)
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Garrett Crochet (8-4, 2.34 ERA) vs. LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara (0-0, -.-- ERA)
TV/RADIO: NESN, MLB Network, WEEI-FM 93.7

LIVE BOX

LINEUPS

RED SOX

Nate Eaton (R) 3B
Romy Gonzalez (R) 2B
Roman Anthony (L) RF
Rob Refsnyder (R) DH
Trevor Story (R) SS
Jarren Duran (L) LF
Abraham Toro (S) 1B
Connor Wong (R) C
Ceddanne Rafaela (R) CF

SP Garrett Crochet

NATIONALS

Alex Call (R) RF
James Wood (L) LF
Amed Rosario (R) 2B
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Paul DeJong (R) SS
Josh Bell (S) DH
Brady House (R) 3B
Riley Adams (R) C
Jacob Young (R) CF

SP Shinnosuke Ogasawara

WHAT'S UP

The Red Sox look to sweep the Washington Nationals with Garrett Crochet taking the mound.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara is making his MLB debut and the Red Sox will deploy a similar lineup as yesterday. Nate Eaton will bat leadoff in consecutive games.