The Red Sox were back to looking like the side that can turn a game quickly, and Ceddanne Rafaela led the way in an 11-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night. In the opener of the series, Rafaela hit three doubles and Brayan Bello steadied the game in relief, helping Boston turn a recent offensive wobble into a one-sided rout.
It was a useful response for a Red Sox team that had been riding a hot streak before the offense drifted back toward some of its uglier first-half habits. This time, the lineup found production throughout, and the game was effectively decided before the middle innings had a chance to develop into anything close.
Rafaela sets the tone
Rafaela was the clear offensive catalyst, going 6 for 13 with three doubles after having drawn just one walk since the All-Star break before Monday's game. That matters because his impact was not limited to one swing or one isolated moment. He kept the pressure on the Arizona Diamondbacks and gave the Red Sox repeated traffic on the bases.
Chad Tracy made it clear the team had needed that kind of response. He said the group had been grinding offensively over the previous week and was not at its best on Monday, but added that it was great to see contributions up and down the lineup. That is the point that stands out: Boston did not need a single big inning to separate itself. It just kept building.
Bello gives Boston the platform
Brayan Bello also played a key part after returning from his June demotion and being used in relief since then. He worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run with one walk and three strikeouts, and he has now given up three earned runs over 27 1/3 innings in seven relief appearances. For a pitcher trying to re-establish himself, that is a strong stretch by any standard.
Bello said there are ups and downs in a baseball season and that he had always believed a good stretch was coming, that it was only a matter of time. Chad Tracy was equally direct in his assessment, calling the role hugely important and saying Bello has been very, very good in it for a while now.
How the game opened up
The Red Sox took control early and never really let the Diamondbacks back into it. In the bottom of the second, Caleb Durbin scored on Eli White's RBI single and Nick Sogard followed with an RBI double. Durbin then added an RBI single in the third before Rafaela doubled in the fourth.
Willson Contreras added a solo home run in the fifth as Boston stretched the lead to 7-0. By then, the game had long since tilted, and Bello's ability to limit damage after loading the bases in the sixth, when he allowed only one run, was another sign of control rather than panic.
For the Red Sox, the bigger picture is encouraging. After a spell in which the offense had started to look flat again, the lineup produced from top to bottom and one of its most reliable young hitters drove the game with extra-base contact. If Boston can keep getting that sort of balance, this will look less like a spike and more like the start of another strong run.
