G7: Red Sox 9, Nationals 4

Nationals - 000 020 110 - 4  4  1
Red Sox   - 134 001 00x - 9 13  2

Mookie Betts owned the first inning. First, he robbed Bryce Harper of a two-run homer when he sprinted to deep right-center and reached over the short wall in front of the Red Sox bullpen, pulling the ball back.

Then, after walking to begin the home half, he stole two bases on one pitch. David Ortiz was batting and the infield had been shifted over to the right side. Betts slid into second safely, popped up and immediately raced to third, making it safely. Washington challenged the safe calls, but they stood. Then Ortiz singled over Jayson Werth's head in left to bring Betts home.

I guess Betts owned the second inning, as well, since his three-run homer into the Monster Seats gave Boston a 4-0 lead. With one out, Xander Bogaerts reached on an infield error and Sandy Leon singled, setting the table for the Magnificent Mookie. (MookieVision)

The Red Sox batted around in the third. Zimmermann (2.1-9-8-1-0, 70) hit both Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. Neither batter was amused. Mike Napoli lifted a fly ball to the track in left-center, but center fielder Michael Taylor lost track of the ball and it dropped cleanly to the dirt. The runners could only advance one base, so the sacks were loaded. Shane Victorino popped to second, but Bogaerts squibbed a single into right field, and one run scored. Then Leon hit a routine fly ball to right-center than fell between Taylor and Harper for an RBI-single. Betts followed with a ground ball that shortstop Ian Desmond couldn't handle. Yet another run scored, and Boston led 7-0. That was the end of the afternoon for Zimmermann, who, while he certainly did not pitch well, must have been pissed off at his fielders (giving the Red Sox three additional outs). Facing Tanner Roark, Dustin Pedroia hit a sac fly for the inning's final run.

Boston's remaining run came on an Ortiz dong in the sixth, which a young kid made a nice catch on in the left-center Monster Seats. ... Leon finished the day with three hits; Betts, Ortiz, Sandoval, and Bogaerts each had two. ... Betts and Bogaerts scored two runs apiece. ... Mike Napoli had a great game at first base, digging several low throws out of the dirt.

Porcello (8-4-3-1-6, 112) allowed only one hit through the first four innings. He hit a rough patch in the fifth, throwing 30 pitches and giving up a home run to Ryan Zimmerman and a triple to Clint Robinson (who later scored). Porcello rebounded in the sixth and gave up a couple of meaningless runs in the later innings. ... Junichi Tazawa pitched the ninth, walking one and striking out three.

Jordan Zimmermann / Rick Porcello

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, LF
Sandoval, 3B
Napoli, 1B
Victorino, RF
Bogaerts, SS
Leon, C

Red Sox home opener!

Koji Uehara is expected to be activated from the disabled list today.