BOSTON — Clearly, it is way too early for anyone in the Washington Nationals’ clubhouse to panic over the team’s shaky start.
That said, the Nationals picked up a much-needed victory on Wednesday.
“It’s big considering the way it’s gone on the road trip,” manager Matt Williams said after the 10-5 victory ended a 2-4 trip to Philadelphia and Boston. “Now we get to go home.”
The struggling Nationals, picked by many to go to the World Series, registered six runs in an inning for the second straight game Wednesday. This time, though, they won.
“We just continue to work hard and try to get better every day,” said shortstop Ian Desmond, who shook off his early-season fielding woes with a solo homer that started the big third inning. “It’s just baseball. It’s crazy. It’ll wrack your brain and make your food taste bad.”
Catcher Wilson Ramos drilled a three-run double to key the six-run third inning, and left fielder Tyler Moore also homered as the Nats raised their early-season record to 3-6.
Left-hander Gio Gonzalez gave up five runs (four earned) in six innings but evened his record at 1-1 thanks to the offensive support on Jackie Robinson Day.
“What did I think of my outing? Let’s not kid ourselves: The offense was amazing, with a lot of runs,” Gonzalez said. “I was trying to minimize the damage as much as possible to keep them off the board and give our offense a chance.”
The Nationals chased left-hander Wade Miley (0-1) with the big inning that contained four extra-base hits, two off Miley, who also walked two to load the bases for Ramos.
Miley gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings in his first start, at Yankee Stadium. But he was pounded in his first start in a new uniform. He gave up five hits, four of them crushed for extra bases. There were also three long flyouts — the first a nifty catch by right fielder Shane Victorino.
“Really the whole outing wasn’t very good,” he said. “I never established the strike zone, got behind in a lot of counts and that’s what’s going to happen. … It was a bad day — one to put behind me.”
The Boston rotation, considered a question mark entering the season, started off well but has pitched to a 12.76 ERA over the last four games. In three of those, Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson and Miley have given up 22 hits and 23 runs in 10 1/3 innings.
“We came away with a series win,” manager John Farrell said. “I will say that we have the capability, from a starting standpoint, to keep a game under control, and that needs to be more consistent than this turn through the rotation.”
Left fielder Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer for the Red Sox (6-3), the fourth homer of his second tour with the team.
Gonzalez gave way to right-hander Rafael Martin, who in his major league debut struck out five straight batters for the last two outs of the seventh and all three in the eighth. After the game, Gonzalez called Martin “The Mexican Assassin.”
Closer Drew Storen worked the ninth.
Ramos, 4-for-24 coming in, went 2-for-5 and scored twice. Moore, 0-for-10 coming in, made outs his first two times up and then singled and homered his next two at-bats.
Miley left after Ramos cleared the bases with his double. Right-hander Anthony Varvaro came on and, after a strikeout, yielded back-to-back RBI doubles by second baseman Dan Uggla and center fielder Michael Taylor.
Despite the loss, the Red Sox have won the first three series of a season for the first time since 1952. They were shooting for their first 7-2 start since 1993.
NOTES: The Red Sox stopped the game at 2:49 for a two-minute tribute commemorating the second anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. Victims Jeff Bauman and Patrick Downes threw out first pitches as part of a pregame ceremony. … All players wore No. 42 in honor of the anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s first game in the majors. … The Nationals placed RHP Craig Stammen on the 15-day disabled list with right forearm stiffness. RHP Taylor Jordan was recalled from Triple-A. … Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts, who missed Tuesday night’s game with a knee injury, was cleared to return. 3B Pablo Sandoval, hit on the left foot by a pitch Tuesday, was available but was rested. So was DH David Ortiz. Sandoval is 0-for-12 against LHPs, Ortiz 0-for-7. … The Nationals returned home after the game. RHP Doug Fister opens a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night. … The Red Sox are off Thursday. RHP Joe Kelly opens a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. … Boston RHP Brandon Workman, on the DL with a strained elbow, received a platelet-rich plasma injection from Dr. James Andrews, but there’s no timetable for his return.