Xander Bogaerts celebrates his two-run homer with third base coach Carlos Febles during the first inning of Boston’s 9-5 win Sunday over the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
BOSTON — Bobby Dalbec hit a two-run homer in his major league debut, Rafael Devers hit a pair of home runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 9-5 on Sunday.
Dalbec, 25, started at first base hours after Boston traded Mitch Moreland to San Diego. He struck out in his first at-bat before taking Javy Guerra deep over Pesky’s Pole in right field in the third inning. He finished 2 for 4.
“I knew I barreled it – I didn’t really know where at first,” Dalbec said. “Then I kind of saw it right over the pole, so I was just hoping that it stayed fair.”
Dalbec didn’t find out he was being called up until late Sunday morning and left the team’s alternate training site in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, at 11 a.m. in a rental car to make the one-hour drive north to Fenway Park.
“It was sweating a lot,” Dalbec said. “I think about all the tough times, you know, 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.”
Devers went 4 for 4, including a two-run blast and a solo shot. Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer and Kevin Plawecki added two RBI for the Red Sox.
Josh Osich (1-1) tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win after starter Zack Godley allowed five runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
“Everybody we bring in seems to be doing the job,” Boston Manager Ron Roenicke said about his bullpen, which has recorded 11 consecutive scoreless innings. “Guys are throwing the ball really well.”
Boston won its second straight game and claimed its first series victory since taking two of three against Toronto on Aug. 7-9.
Trea Turner had three hits to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 15 games, and Josh Harrison and Eric Thames hit solo homers for the Nationals. Austin Voth (0-4) allowed five runs on six hits in two innings.
Washington has dropped five of six. Last year’s World Series champion has the second-worst record in the National League.
Bogaerts’ homer bounced off a light tower above the Green Monster during Boston’s three-run first. Devers homered in the second, and Dalbec’s blast an inning later made it 8-3.
Juan Soto hit an RBI single and Asdrúbal Cabrera had a sacrifice fly in the third. Harrison homered in the fourth and Thames went deep in the fifth before Adam Eaton’s RBI triple made it a three-run game.
Devers added an insurance run with his homer in the eighth.
Turner singled on Godley’s fourth pitch of the game to extend his streak.
STILL OPEN TO TRADES
After trading Moreland for Padres prospects Hudson Potts and Jeisson Rosario, Boston’s chief baseball officer, Chaim Bloom, did not rule out making more deals before Monday’s trade deadline.
“I don’t know,” Bloom said. “We certainly expect to be very active in conversations between now and tomorrow afternoon.”
QUICK COMMUTE
Brock Holt didn’t have to travel far to join his new team. The former Red Sox utilityman still lives in the Boston area. After signing with Washington on Saturday, Holt only had to drive 20 minutes to Fenway Park.
“It happened to work out that they were here, and it just made things that much easier,” Holt said. “I was excited about the opportunity, excited that I didn’t really have to go anywhere.”
A video tribute honoring Holt played before the third inning. Holt, sitting in the stands near the Nationals’ dugout, jumped on the field for a curtain call and jokingly tipped his cap and bowed to thank a nonexistent crowd.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Eaton was slow to get up after running into the wall in right after misplaying Devers’ home run ball. He stayed in the game.
Red Sox: Designated hitter J.D. Martinez left the game in the eighth after being hit by a pitch on his left hand.
OTHER GAMES
YANKEES SWEEP METS: Gary Sanchez delivered the first pinch-hit, extra-innings grand slam in Yankees history, Deivi Garcia made a strong impression in his big league debut and the Yankees completed a doubleheader sweep with a 5-2 win.
The Yankees stormed back in the opener, erasing a five-run lead with two outs in the seventh to win 8-7 in eight innings. Aaron Hicks lined a tying, two-run homer in the seventh, and Gio Urshela hit a game-ending single off Edwin Diaz an inning later.
RAYS 12, MARLINS 7: Willy Adames hit a grand slam and surging Tampa Bay finished a three-game sweep at Miami.
Joey Wendle, Yoshi Tsutsugo and Kevin Kiermaier also went deep for the Rays, who have won 12 of their last 14 and have beaten Miami eight straight times since 2018. Tampa Bay improved to an American League-best 13 games over .500.
Blake Snell (3-0) allowed two runs on four hits in five innings. The 2018 Cy Young Award winner struck out five and walked two.
TIGERS 3, TWINS 2: Jonathan Schoop hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning, and Detroit finished a three-game sweep of visiting Minnesota.
Tyler Alexander (2-1) pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for Detroit, which handed Kenta Maeda (4-1) his first loss of the year.
Detroit has won five straight to pull back to .500. Minnesota has dropped five in a row.
CUBS 10, REDS 1: Chicago’s starting outfield of Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ian Happ each homered twice, and the Cubs earned a split of their four-game series in Cincinnati.
Schwarber hit the first and the last of the Cubs’ season-high six homers, belting a solo drive in the fourth inning against Luis Castillo (0-5) and a grand slam off José De León in the ninth. Heyward connected for solo drives in the fourth and sixth, and Happ hit a two-run shot in the fifth and a solo homer in the seventh.
The NL Central-leading Cubs hit 14 homers in the series.
CARDINALS 7, INDIANS 2: Adam Wainwright turned back the clock with a complete game on his 39th birthday as St. Louis won at home.
Wainwright threw a four-hitter for his 23rd career complete game and first in four years. The Cardinals snapped a four-game skid in which they scored six total runs.
Dexter Fowler homered and had three RBI for St. Louis, which stopped Cleveland’s four-game winning streak. The Indians had won nine in a row on the road.
PIRATES 5, BREWERS 1: Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco homered off to lead Pittsburgh to a win at Milwaukee.
WHITE SOX 5, ROYALS 2: Prized rookie Luis Robert hit his first game-ending homer, a three-run drive in the 10th inning that gave Chicago a win at home.
Dane Dunning threw five no-hit innings before being pulled from his second major league start, and the surging White Sox won for the 11th time in 13 games to move into a first-place tie with Cleveland in the AL Central.
DODGERS 7, RANGERS 2: Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager and Will Smith homered and Los Angeles broke the National League record for home runs in a month as the Dodgers won at Arlington, Texas.
Bellinger’s two-run homer in the third inning, after solo shots from Seager in the first and Smith in the second, gave the Dodgers 57 long balls in August. Atlanta set the previous mark of 56 home runs in June 2019.
BLUE JAYS 6, ORIOLES 5: Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run single with two out in the ninth inning, lifting Toronto to a win in Buffalo, New York.
PADRES 12, ROCKIES 3: Eric Hosmer started San Diego’s power surge with a three-run homer in the first, Chris Paddack threw six efficient innings and the visiting Padres routed Colorado.
GIANTS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 1: Johnny Cueto pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Alex Dickerson homered and had two RBI, and San Francisco won its first road series of the season.
MARINERS 2, ANGELS 1: Pinch hitter Tim Lopes drove in Kyle Lewis with the tiebreaking run in the 10th inning, and Seattle rallied for a victory at Anaheim, California.
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