Red Sox Wrap: Nathan Eovaldi Tosses Complete Game In 5-3 Win Vs. Orioles
The Red Sox bounced back from Friday’s ugly loss with a 5-3 win against the Orioles on Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park thanks in part to Nathan Eovaldi’s complete game.
Boston now is 22-24 after the victory, while Baltimore fell to 19-28.
You can check out the full box score here:
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The month of May continued to not be kind to Nathan Eovaldi, but he at least ended it on a high note.
Eovaldi tossed Boston’s second complete game of the 2022 season and the first of his career, so it seems silly to have a complaint about the right-hander, but he probably will be happy to put the month of May behind him.
Eovaldi, despite going deep into games for the Red Sox, has been giving up several home runs during his outings. Right-handed batters especially have been taking advantage of Eovaldi’s slider, which just has not worked for him this season. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported that four home runs have come off the bats of right-handed batters when Eovaldi throws his slider. Batters also are hitting over .700 against the slider.
After Eovaldi’s fifth inning, when the O’s tied the game at 3-3 on a home run, Twitter user Red Sox Stats tweeted out just how ugly May has been for the pitcher.
It’s hard to complain about Eovaldi when he’s been going as deep into games as he has been of late. He gave Boston eight innings, tying a career-high. Plus, with the bullpen imploding Friday night, giving the relievers some rest was crucial.
But the home runs surrendered need to get worked out.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Bobby Dalbec was slotted into the lineup in the bottom of the sixth inning when manager Alex Cora pinch-hit the first baseman for Franchy Cordero.
And the move paid off.
Dalbec hit a go-ahead home run into the Red Sox bullpen to give Boston a 4-3 lead.
It was the first homer for Dalbec since April 10 against the New York Yankees.
— Kiké Hernández continued his hot streak Saturday by going 1-for-5 with two RBIs.
The outfielder, like much of the Red Sox lineup, struggled mightily in April but has begun to heat up at the plate. Hernández led two games off with a home run against the Chicago White Sox and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
— J.D. Martinez extended his hit streak to eight games after going 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in the win.
Martinez has been having a really strong season for the Red Sox and has been a bright spot for the team when they were struggling in April. He’s provided consistent offense and leads Major League Baseball in the batting average category.
— Rafael Devers deserves a mention after amassing his 10th four-hit game of his career. The third baseman continues to rack up the hits and now has 69 on the season.
WAGER WATCH
If you bet on the Red Sox’s -190 moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook then you had a good day. Things got dicey for a minute, and bettors who took the +160 Orioles moneyline may have thought the odds were in their favor, but Boston was able to bounce back after Friday’s loss and secure the win.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox have a quick turnaround with Game 2 against the Orioles set for 6:10 p.m. ET. Josh Winckowksi, who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester earlier Saturday, will make his Major League Baseball debut on the mound. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. on NESN.
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