5th-inning fireworks, another Giolito gem give Red Sox July 4 win in D.C.

It looked like Michael Soroka had the Red Sox figured out They took a - lead on a Ceddanne Rafaela RBI double and Jarren Duran RBI single in the second but then the Washington Nationals right-hander set the Sox down in order in the third and worked around David Hamilton s two-out single and th stolen base in the fourth striking out four of seven batters between those frames Then it unraveled Soroka didn t make it out of the fifth He didn t even record an out in the seven-run inning which paved the way to an - Boston success in the series opener It s huge It makes it a lot easier to pitch that s for sure Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito recounted NESN s Jahmai Webster of the ample run assistance of late runs over his last two starts Roman Anthony opened the fifth with his seventh double and Soroka walked Abraham Toro and gave up a single to Carlos Narv ez to load the bases Roman bullet in right-center Toro keeps putting good at-bats and we just kept going manager Alex Cora narrated reporters We were very aggressive on the bases too going first to third that was a good sign there And obviously we talk about the o clock start but they were ready to play Then he walked Wilyer Abreu to force in a run - Trevor Story followed with a two-run single - and so long Soroka But the Nationals starter s departure did nothing to curtail the fifth-inning fireworks Marcelo Mayer greeted Zach Brzykcy with an RBI single to left - Brzykcy then managed at last to record the first two outs of the inning a Rafaela flyout and Hamilton strikeout Not so fast Duran s nd double of the season brought Story and Mayer home - Anthony who d led off the inning with a double returned to the plate and drew a walk and Toro lined a single to center to points Duran - The at-bats of Roman have been amazing Cora explained That last one shows you who he is you know Just staying humble and taking his pitches and getting on base Only then did Brzykcy get Narv ez swinging to at last stem the bleeding Exactly one month prior Giolito exited his June start charged with seven earned runs on eight hits in just innings his ERA up to The turnaround since then has been nothing short of spectacular Over his subsequent four starts in June Giolito yielded just two earned runs ERA His final June outing was a seven-inning gem that lowered his ERA to At pitches after six Giolito wasn t done Not even close His fourth - - inning of the day made Friday his second consecutive start of seven full frames And he just kept going Keibert Ruiz led off the eighth with a single and CJ Abrams drew a one-out walk but Cora didn t come out to the mound until his starter had recorded the second out against the fourth Nats batter Alex Call He didn t want to come out so I appreciate that Cora disclosed He s a competitor He feels like the more pitches he throws the better it is for him As Giolito walked back to the dugout the large contingent of Red Sox fans at Nationals Stadium gave him a standing ovation He d yielded just four hits one earned run three walks and struck out seven At innings it was his longest outing in almost four years Aug and one of the nine longest performances of his career He threw no more than pitches in any frame I like going deep into the tournament It s essential for us to do that and alleviate the bullpen a little bit Giolito revealed Even so he then reported reporters I m like tired as hell after that Friday happened to be the nine-year MLB veteran s first career start against the company that drafted him out of high school in th overall and with whom he debuted in It s so long ago Giolito stated when demanded if there was anything sentimental about the occasion I was definitely excited to come back because it s been so long and I checked off another squad There s two more left before I face every unit in the major leagues but I m not facing any of the same guys It s a different crew now Over five starts since that June implosion Giolito owns a ERA with strikeouts over innings He s nearly halved his season ERA which now sits at Staying consistent that s been my goal pretty much my whole career the righty revealed Too much lack of consistency and so it s good to be in that spot and I just want to keep it going Giolito also stated Webster It s been good but you can t be satisfied ever in this event cause as soon as you re satisfied you get punched in the face I ve been there a million times Story s resurgence has been similarly remarkable The veteran shortstop hit with a OPS over games between Opening Day and the end of May He entered Friday hitting with a OPS since June then extended his hitting streak to six games with a -for- performance three runs and four RBI It was his first four-hit battle since It s been a while that he hasn t struggled Cora explained of Story He s been indeed really good Good defensively hitting the ball hard He s been really good since Milwaukee just like Ceddanne and we need him We challenged him a month ago We need him and he s been coming through We have a chance to control our destiny here explained Story We gotta set the tone and I think we did that in the current era The Red Sox are - in their last July games They re - on the season And all-time it was their th win