The Red Sox played just six innings Friday night, but it ended up being all they'd need.
Boston beat Miami 5-2 a shortened, rain-soaked game at Fenway Park. The grounds crew brought the tarp onto the field in the middle of the sixth and decided to call the game with the rain looking like it would not move out of the area until Saturday.
Martín Pérez lasted just five innings, presumably due to the weather conditions, but did enough to earn his third win of the season. Alex Verdugo provided the game-winning home run.
With the win, the Red Sox moved to 31-20, while the Marlins fell to 24-27.
Here's how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Wet.
The two teams battled through less-than-ideal conditions throughout the night.
ON THE BUMP
-- Pérez didn't allow the Marlins to strike early. He worked around a one-out double and ended the inning with a strikeout in the first.
But the same could not be said for the second after a Corey Dickerson single led to a home run by Jorge Alfaro, which made it a 2-0 game in favor of the visitors.
Boston's starter settled down afterward and tossed a scoreless third, fourth and fifth. Pérez's night was over after just 79 pitches.
-- Adam Ottavino came in for the sixth and gave up three consecutive two-out walks to load the bases. He appeared to struggle keeping the baseball dry, but responded by getting Isan Diaz to strikeout swinging.
The tarp came on the field for the second rain delay this week.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
-- The Red Sox tied things up at 2-2 in the third after J.D. Martinez hit a wall-ball double to score Hunter Renfroe and Kiké Hernández.
Xander Bogaerts grounded out to end the frame.
-- Boston had something going in the fifth after a leadoff walk and Renfroe's second double of the night put runners in scoring position with nobody out.
Verdugo made Cody Poteet pay with a three-run shot into Miami's bullpen to give the Red Sox a 5-2 lead.
-- That proved to be the difference-maker after the game was called due to the rain after the top half of the sixth inning.
-- Renfroe led the way with two hits, while Hernández, Verdugo and Marwin González all had one.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Even in the rain this team is having fun.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox continue their series with the Marlins on Saturday. Nathan Eovaldi is slated to take the hill for Boston opposite Trevor Rogers. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 4:10 p.m. ET.
