Red Sox Wrap: Ex-Dodgers Fuel Thrilling Boston Victory

BOSTON — The Red Sox tied their series with the Dodgers on Saturday, grabbing a thrilling 8-5 victory over Los Angeles at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox improved to 69-61 on the season, while the Dodgers fell to 79-49.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox might want to strongly consider keeping a six-man rotation, if not for the lone reason that James Paxton hasn’t been a reliable starter on four days rest.

The troubling trend continued Saturday afternoon, as the Dodgers got Paxton for four runs off four hits in 4 1/3 innings pitched. It was a grind for the 34-year-old, who walked five batters and threw just 48 of his 92 pitches for strikes. The outing pushed his season ERA to 9.39 when pitching on four days rest, a far cry from his 2.95 ERA in all other outings.

That was bad thing about Saturday’s matinee against the Dodgers — the only bad thing.

The Red Sox offense came up in the clutch again, as Adam Duvall parked one into the Green Monster for a three-run home run to give Boston a lead in the sixth inning. It was the third home run of the contest for the Sox, who continued to build on their lead from that point. The bullpen locked things down over the final four-plus innings, with Josh Winckowski, Brennan Bernardino, Garrett Whitlock, Chris Martin and John Schreiber combining for 4 2/3 innings of one-run relief.

In a game without solid starting pitching or their closer, the Red Sox offense and bullpen stepped up big.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Justin Turner bullied his former team, lighting up Dodgers pitchers with a 3-for-4 night from the plate that produced a home run and two RBIs.

— Chris Martin was nails in 1/3 of an inning, striking out Max Muncy for the final out of the eighth with the bases loaded.

— Duvall’s sixth-inning homer flipped the momentum in Boston’s favor. He finished the afternoon with a pair of extra-base hits.

WAGER WATCH
Alex Verdugo once again started things off with a bang for Boston. He hit his third consecutive leadoff home run (+800) Saturday, giving $100 backers a nice $900 payday at DraftKings Sportsbook.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox and Dodgers will wrap up their three-game set on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET and will air live on NESN following an hour of pregame coverage.