BOSTON — Bobby Dalbec needed this.
Coming off the bench to pinch-hit for Franchy Cordero in the sixth inning of a tie game, Dalbec drove an outside fastball into the right-field bullpen for his second homer of the season, and his first since April 10.
The solo shot was the decisive run as the Sox outlasted the Orioles, 5-3, in a back-and-forth game at Fenway Park.
Nathan Eovaldi threw a complete game to preserve the bullpen in the first of two games between the Sox and O’s in a scheduled doubleheader.
The takeaways:
1. Dalbec got his moment.
In the big leagues because of his power, Dalbec entered the weekend with just one home run through the first two months of the season. He lost his starting job at first base to Cordero and has started just 11 games in May.
Saturday was Dalbec’s moment of the season.
With lefty Keegan Akin on the mound, manager Alex Cora removed the left-handed hitting Cordero in favor of Dalbec, who, even at his worst, remains a dangerous threat against lefties. He got ahead in the count and saw a fastball on the upper-outside edge of the plate. And instead of taking a giant hack in an attempt to pull the ball over the Monster, he stayed back and drove it to the opposite field for a sweet solo shot that snapped a 3-3 tie.
It was just his eighth RBI of the year as he’s largely become a bench player in recent weeks. It was particularly needed for Dalbec given Cora has started to turn to Christian Arroyo over him for key pinch-hitting opportunities against lefties. Trevor Story was also available off the bench, as he wasn’t in the lineup and getting some rest in the first of two games on Saturday, but Cora showed faith in Dalbec and he rewarded his manager in the clutch.
“He’s seeing the ball better,” Cora said. “He’s making adjustments. He’s trying to get on time. That’s the whole deal. Last year, early on, this year too. Just be on time with the fastball and react to other stuff. He was a little bit disappointed in the last game in Chicago. He was down. You saw that game, he actually pulled two balls to the dugout and then hit a line drive to right-center. He felt good about himself.
“He knows. He knows how it works. Franchy is doing an outstanding job for us but (Dalbec) is going to be part of the equation. He should be in the lineup tonight.”
Cordero had made a nearly-devastating mistake in the first inning, when he caught what looked like the second out of a double play at first base, but the umpire ruled the runner safe and Cordero immediately turned his back to the play to begin arguing. Meanwhile, Trey Mancini scored from second base as Cordero’s teammates yelled at him to pay attention. Cora challenged the play and it was reversed, negating the run and saving Cordero from embarrassment.
2. Eovaldi went the distance.
Believe it or not, Eovaldi, a 32-year-old Texas native, had never before thrown a complete game in the big leagues until Saturday.
It looked dicey for Eovaldi in the fifth inning, when he left a hanging slider to Robinson Chirinos, who hit a laser over the Monster for a two-run shot that tied the game.
But Eovaldi started getting some quick outs in the later innings. And even though Cora started warming up Matt Strahm for the eighth inning, Eovaldi got through it in just eight pitches, pushing his pitch count to 100 as he entered the ninth.
The Fenway crowd erupted when Eovaldi took the mound for the ninth, and the cheers grew louder as he recorded the final out after an eight-pitch inning. He joined Nick Pivetta as the only Sox starters to throw a complete game this year.
It was much-needed after the Sox bullpen allowed 10 runs and blew a six-run lead entering the seventh inning on Friday night. It was so bad that Hirokazu Sawamura got demoted to Triple-A Worcester on Saturday and Hansel Robles was put on the 15-day injured list with back spasms.
Eovaldi’s efforts preserved the ‘pen for the second game of the doubleheader. Prospect Josh Winckowski will make his big league debut in that one.
3. Devers is on another planet right now.
Sox third baseman Rafael Devers was 4 for 5 to record his 17th multi-hit game in his last 28 tries.
He’s hitting .405 in that stretch and is hitting .354 on the season.
“I do believe that at his best he is driving fastballs to left center and then he hits the off-speed for power,” Cora said. “He has recognized the way teams are pitching to him, which is very important. They’ve been trying to expand up with the fastball, off the plate with the changeup. You saw him swinging hard at some pitches up in the zone but then he controlled the aggression.
“He’s been fun to watch, the growth of this hitter. I think it started in Texas with the changeup he hit opposite field for the home run and little by little with game planning and just watching what guys are doing, he’s been taking it to the plate. It’s really hard right now to get him out.”
