Bregman, Sox stay hot at Fenway in huge series win over Dodgers

BOSTON -- On Sunday afternoon, with two of MLB’s most historic franchises facing off in a rubber match, Fenway Park rocked with decibel levels usually reserved for October.

The crowd of 35,465 reached a high-voltage level of electricity when Alex Bregman did what he came to Boston to do -- mash a big two-run homer over the Green Monster to put his team ahead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Then, it got louder in the eighth inning, when second baseman Ceddanne Rafaela snared a liner off the bat of Teoscar Hernández and raced to the bag to double off Hyeseong Kim.

Those were the signature moments of a thrilling 4-3 win for the Red Sox over the Dodgers -- the final home game before Thursday’s Trade Deadline -- creating some added anticipation that there could be plenty more shrills and thrills at Fenway down the stretch.

Protecting their home turf was a challenge for the previous three Boston entries -- a big reason Fenway was shuddered the last three Octobers. But there has been a different vibe of late, as the Sox have rolled off nine wins in their last 10 home games, improving to 34-21 at Fenway this season.

“Honestly, it's super fun to play here in this environment,” said Bregman. “As you saw the last two weeks, this place has been absolutely rocking, and when Ceddanne dove and touched second base, that was probably the craziest I've seen this crowd this year so far -- that or his walk-off homers [against the Angels and Rays].”

The 57-50 Sox nicely weathered a nine-game stretch coming out of the All-Star break, going 4-5 against three top National League teams in the Cubs, Phillies and Dodgers.

Considering the Sox lost the first game of all three sets, and the first two against Chicago and Philadelphia, it showed the team’s ability to come through in some key situations.

“I feel like we believe that we're a good team, we believe that we're a playoff team, and we believe when we play at a high level, that we can play with anybody,” said Bregman.

As the Sox hit the road for a short road trip to Minneapolis, they are in possession of the second American League Wild Card spot and trail the Yankees (57-48) by just one game for the top spot. The sizzling Blue Jays (63-43) lead Boston by 6 1/2 games in the AL East.

To close out the homestand strong, the offense -- quiet for the most part since the All-Star break -- needed a little surge, and it came in a three-run bottom of the fifth.

Roman Anthony, the 21-year-old rookie who continues to impress with his poise, hit a towering RBI triple that took a crazy bounce off the Green Monster to bring the Red Sox within a run.

Up stepped Bregman, who jumped on a first-pitch sweeper by Dustin May that caught far too much of the plate. The right-handed hitter knew what to do with it, sending it out of the yard for his 13th homer of the season.

After missing seven weeks with a right quad injury, Bregman is starting to find his groove.

“Before the game, [assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson] and I talked,” said Bregman. “I was kind of looking out of my left eye to hit, so I kind of opened up my eyes and actually used both eyes. I should probably try that.”

Then there is Rafaela, who has his eyes locked in on every play in the field, no matter which position he is playing. Boston’s primary center fielder for most of the season, Rafaela is now being deployed more often at second base due to the right wrist injury that will keep Marcelo Mayer out indefinitely.

Rafaela’s quick reaction time served him well on that game-turning play on Sunday, which was overturned on replay after the runner was originally ruled safe.

“When I touched the base, I knew I got him, so that’s when I pointed at [manager Alex Cora],” said Rafaela.

The play helped the Red Sox head to Minneapolis -- their last stop before the Trade Deadline -- with some momentum.

“The Dodgers are the reigning champs,” Bregman said. “The Phillies are an incredible team, and so are the Cubs. And to go through that stretch like that, and to be able to win this series here today, it’s big for this ballclub, and we’re looking forward to continuing it.”