​Boston experienced a rough night as the Red Sox fell 8-1 to the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. National starter Cade Cavalli dominated after a leadoff double by Anthony Seigler, retiring the final 19 batters he faced and allowing only one other baserunner on an error. The Red Sox offense struggled, and Washington bullpen work helped the Nats pull away with seven unanswered runs.
In the bottom of the fourth, chaos erupted around Willson Contreras. After taking a called third strike, Contreras appeared to respond to something Cavalli said and began walking toward the mound, prompting benches to empty. Contreras reportedly threw his helmet toward Cavalli, but it struck Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro. Contreras, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy, reserve Nate Eaton, and Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas were ejected, with a suspension likely forthcoming for Contreras.
The Red Sox had their streak of quality starts, defined as six or more innings and three or fewer earned runs, end at 12 after starter Connelly Early exited after four innings with left elbow discomfort despite a 61-pitch. The club’s longest such streak since 1988 ended with this outing.
Seigler, hitting leadoff for the third time, produced the game’s first run by driving a double in the bottom of the first, advancing to score on a fielding error by Curtis Mead. Seigler has added energy and solid defense at second while contributing with the bat in recent games.
Offensively, the Red Sox had been making more contact during a recent hot stretch, but Cavalli’s ability to miss bats turned that around. By the end of the fourth, Cavalli had eight strikeouts, finishing with a career-high 13 strikeouts across seven innings.
Reliever Justin Slaten continued to struggle, allowing a run-scoring single and a two-run double in the seventh, marking his fifth multi-run surrender in his last several appearances. On the other hand, Tommy Kahnle, who joined the roster with an opt-out clause, may be in the early stages of a more prominent role as he integrates into the bullpen.