Alex Verdugo hit a go ahead and game winning three-run homerun in the bottom of the fifth inning Friday night, as the Boston Red Sox rallied for a six inning 5-2 win in interleague action over the Miami Marlins at a rain soaked Fenway Park.
Miami (24-27) took the lead in the second when Corey Dickerson led off with a single off Boston starter Martin Perez, and then Jorge Alfaro took a 2-1 pitch into the Red Sox bullpen in right for his first homerun of the season to make it 2-0. With one out in the third, Hunter Renfroe doubled and Enrique Hernandez walked. After Verdugo was retired, JD Martinez tied it with a sharp two-run double to left centerfield. Marwin Gonzalez walked to lead off the fifth, and then Renfoe doubled. After Hernandez popped out in foul territory, Verdugo lined the first pitch over the fence into the right field grandstand seats that turned out to be the game winning three-run homer. Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the top of the sixth, and ran into some trouble with three walks but got out of the bases loaded jam. The rains then came and the game was called giving Boston (31-20) the victory.
Perez (3-2) got the pitching win allowing two runs on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Ottavino got his second save. Martinez and Renfoe had two hits each. Cody Poteet (2-1) was the losing pitcher for Miami allowing five runs on four hits with six strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Dickerson had two hits. In what is scheduled to be a rainy weekend at Fenway, game two is tentatively scheduled for 4:10 p.m. Saturday with RHP Nathan Eovaldi (5-2, 4.39) going for the Sox and LHP Trevor Rogers (6-2, 1.75) to take the bump for the Marlins.
