Brian Johnson pitches six strong inning, while Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez homer to lift Boston to its fourth straight win.
MIAMI — Brian Johnson gave the Boston Red Sox their fifth solid start in five games, allowing one run in six innings in a 7-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday night.
All five Boston starters have allowed less than two runs, a franchise first to begin a season.
Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts each hit their first home run of the season for the Red Sox, who doubled their season total. They scored 10 runs in their first four games but are 4-1 because they have allowed only 12 runs.
Johnson (1-0) gave up rookie Brian Anderson’s first career homer but stranded six runners. The Red Sox improved to 6-0 in Johnson’s starts over the past two seasons.
Boston starters have allowed three earned runs in 30 innings with 28 strikeouts.
The Marlins could have used some help from their owners’ box, where CEO Derek Jeter watched his new team struggle against his old rivals. Joining him as spectators were former Yankees teammate Jorge Posada and ex-Red Sox slugger David Ortiz.
Trevor Richards (0-1), the Marlins’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2017, retired the first seven batters in his major league debut but then allowed five runs in 41/3 innings.
A two-out swinging bunt single by Xander Bogaerts sparked the Red Sox in the fourth. Eduardo Nunez followed with an RBI double, and Christian Vazquez hit a two-run double.
Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the fifth. As he approached first base, he pointed at the large throng of cheering Red Sox fans behind their dugout.
Rafael Devers doubled home a run in the ninth and has at least one RBI in each of his four games.
The Marlins’ Starlin Castro had three hits.
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