Boston Red Sox skipper Alex Cora didn’t hold back from praising his unit for a well-rounded effort in a blowout victory in the series opener against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Friday night. The Red Sox won the contest 11-2 behind a power-packed hitting display and quality pitching outings.
Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Abraham Toro, Carlos Narvaez, Trevor Story, and Marcelo Mayer all had multi-hit games. Duran registered three RBIs, while Story drove in four crucial runs. Toro, Wilyer Abreu, Mayer, and Ceddanne Rafaela each scored a run as the visitors piled on the misery over the Nationals in the series opener.
The bullpen efficiently backed up the formidable hitting display, as relief pitchers Justin Wilson and Garrett Whitlock complemented a fantastic outing by staple starter Lucas Giolito, who pitched 7 2/3 solid innings, giving up just one earned run on four hits, walking three, and striking out seven batters on his way to his fifth win of the campaign.
Boston Red Sox Skipper Alex Cora Praises His Unit
After the thumping victory in the series opener, the Red Sox manager addressed the media and said, “Now we’re getting into a stretch that you know, it’s conducive to offense, you know, and they’re doing a good job. But we got kids learning. Ar this level, the at-bats of Roman have been amazing. Just keep getting on base. That last one shows you who he is.”
He added, “Just staying humble, taking his pitches, and getting on base. So we’re in a good spot. You know, we face the lefty tomorrow. See how we solve that; offensively, we’re doing a good job.”
Alex Cora after the blowout win vs the Nationals 🎙️
“We’re in a good spot… Offensively we’re doing a good job.” pic.twitter.com/VYM1aRcaxS
— NESN (@NESN) July 4, 2025
Cora ended the interview by praising Giolito for his emphatic start in the series opener. He said, “No, he didn’t want to come out, so I appreciate that. So it’s one of those that you know, he’s a competitor. He feels like the more pitches he throws, the better it is for him, obviously getting reps. But we needed Wilson to pitch today. He pitched; we needed Whitlock to pitch today. He did. So going into tomorrow, we’re in a good spot.”
The Red Sox are now 44-45 for the season, just a game below .500 and 6½ games behind the current AL East division leaders, the Toronto Blue Jays.