Ceddanne Rafaela hit a go-ahead two-run home run in a five-run seventh inning as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-4 at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
Boston secured its fourth win in five games on the California road trip, improving to 12-3 since the All-Star break.
The Red Sox remain 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the top American League Wild Card spot.
The Red Sox took an early 3-0 lead. Jarren Duran drove in the first run with an RBI single in the second inning.
In the third, Masataka Yoshida hit a two-run grounder after Willson Contreras was struck in the helmet by a 95 mph fastball from Dodgers reliever Will Klein.
Contreras left the game for precautionary reasons.
Los Angeles answered in the fourth when Freddie Freeman delivered a two-out RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 10 games.
In the fifth, Shohei Ohtani hit a 386-foot two-run home run off reliever Jovani Moran, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.
Ohtani finished 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in his return from left knee soreness.
Boston reclaimed the lead in the seventh against reliever Cole Irvin. Nick Sogard singled to lead off, and Rafaela launched a 405-foot homer to left field.
Andruw Monasterio later added a two-run double, and Duran contributed an RBI groundout to complete the five-run frame.
Irvin, promoted from Triple-A earlier in the day, allowed six runs on eight hits over six innings of relief.
Brayan Bello earned the win for Boston with four scoreless innings, yielding three hits.
Starter Ranger Suarez gave up three runs on four hits across 4 2/3 innings in his second start since returning from a groin injury.
Irvin's roster move came as Los Angeles placed reliever Brock Stewart on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder discomfort and designated right-hander Chayce McDermott for assignment.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Stewart's stint should be short-term, noting the team is being proactive to protect him.
Roberts added that the training staff views the placement as largely a formality and expects a quick return.
Discussing his return after elbow surgery, closer Edwin Díaz said he felt a little anxious in his first game back but threw strikes and secured the win.
Roberts noted Díaz's second appearance showed improvement and expressed satisfaction with having him back.
On roster construction, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said having an acute need at the trade deadline is challenging because teams pay premium prices.
Maintaining flexibility puts the organization in a better position to be selective, he explained.
The three-game series continues Saturday with Boston scheduled to start Payton Tolle against Los Angeles right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
