Red Sox 6, Nationals 4: A Sunday slog leads to a series sweep

This was an exhausting game to watch. A 17 minute rain delay seemed to change the complexion of this one. The rain put some rust on the Red Sox, making defense look sloppy, pitching look inconsistent and the offense cooled off for the most part until late.

Still, this is a massive win for the Red Sox and a big sweep heading into a seven-game home stand that should be winnable. The amount of bullpen usage isn’t completely ideal given tomorrow’s starter but it was necessary considering the jams the Sox worked themselves into in multiple innings.

Thankfully, a quick 4-0 lead never devolved into a tie, as the Sox seemed to have an answer for every Nationals threat. A successful trip to DC should give the club a confident flight back home in the last week before the All Star break. The dog days of summer are coming!

Three Studs

Ceddanne Rafaela (3-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR)

Bob wrote a great piece on Ceddy earlier in the week and he continues to prove that his well-roundedness is more consistent than just a month. Three hits including a solo shot in the 9th that made me exhale a small sigh of relief. Nuff Cedd is a bright spot in the last month-plus without a doubt.

Trevor Story (1-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 HR)

An eight-game hitting streak for Story again speaks to the theme that the Red Sox go as Trevor Story goes. An average of .469 is insane over that stretch, including 4 doubles, 3 HRs, 12 RBI and a 1.375 OPS. His only hit today was a two-run shot but that’s crazy numbers.

Garrett Crochet (5.0 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K)

Another sloppy outing from Crochet but sometimes pigs need some mud in the sty to survive. He still looked good enough; if he had worked himself into less jams, he probably would have gotten the 6th inning. Still, he becomes the first pitcher to 150 strikeouts this season; his second year in a row, and the fourth Red Sox pitcher in general before the All Star break. The only others on that list? Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Chris Sale. Insane company.

Three Duds

The 7th Inning (Greg Weissert/Justin Wilson)

Justin Wilson got himself into a pretty pickle in the 7th inning and Greg Weissert’s arm is straight up going to fall off with his usage and it’s leading to extremely rough outings. Only one run given up feels extremely lucky considering they had the bases loaded.

Connor Wong (0-for-3, 1 K)

…why is he here still? It’s like having a black hole singularity on the roster, he just flat out sucks everything right now.

Jarren Duran (1-for-4)

He grabbed a single but his bat was pretty cold today. His defense was even sloppier, mis-timing a leap and slipping on the warning track in the third inning leading to a Nationals run.

Play of the Game

The Red Sox now lead the Majors in runs scored in the first inning and Trevor Story’s two-run blast was such a difference maker in the early goings.