BOSTON (Interstat) — Ranger Suarez took the mound at Fenway Park on Monday night and delivered the kind of performance the Boston Red Sox had been seeking all season, a six-inning, five-hit, three-earned-run effort with eight strikeouts that carried his team to a 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals before 32,000 fans.

The Red Sox, who entered the game at 36-46, had won four straight entering the contest and were looking to build momentum against a Washington team that had gone 7-3 in its previous 10 games. The Nationals, at 43-42 before the first pitch, had just taken two of three from the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. But Suarez, who improved to 4-3 on the season, did not let them find their footing after the first inning.

The game started with a jolt. Washington’s James Wood led off the top of the first with a solo home run to right field, his 21st of the year, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead. The blast came on a 1-1 pitch and landed deep into the Boston bullpen. Suarez recovered quickly, striking out Curtis Mead and CJ Abrams around a flyout from Andrés Chaparro, and the Nationals held a one-run advantage as the game moved to the bottom of the first.

Boston answered with force. Masataka Yoshida led off with a flyout to left, but Ceddanne Rafaela singled to shortstop and Wilyer Abreu followed with a line-drive single to center that sent Rafaela to third. That brought up Willson Contreras, who crushed a three-run homer to left-center field, his 18th of the season, scoring Rafaela and Abreu and knotting the game at 3-3. Jarren Duran struck out, but Caleb Durbin stepped in and drove the next pitch over the left-field wall for a solo homer, his seventh, giving Boston a 4-3 lead. Anthony Seigler singled sharply to center, and Carlos Narváez struck out to end the inning.

Washington’s starter, Miles Mikolas, was already laboring. He had allowed four runs on five hits in the first frame, and his pitch count was climbing. The Nationals threatened to respond in the top of the second, but Suarez worked around a leadoff groundout from Dylan Crews and a strikeout of Jacob Young after a challenge overturned the call on the field. Luis García Jr. grounded out to end the inning.

Boston added to its lead in the bottom of the second. Tsung-Che Cheng singled to lead off, and Yoshida singled sharply to center, moving Cheng to second. Rafaela then singled to right field to load the bases. Wilyer Abreu came to the plate and lofted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Cheng and making it 5-3. Contreras struck out, and Duran lined out to second baseman Nasim Nuñez to end the threat.

The Red Sox extended their advantage in the third. Anthony Seigler led off with a double to center field, his fourth of the season. Narváez followed with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Seigler and stretching the lead to 6-3. Cheng grounded out to second, and the inning ended with Boston in control.

From that point, Suarez settled into a rhythm. He retired the Nationals in order in the top of the third, with Nasim Nuñez striking out, Keibert Ruiz grounding out and Wood grounding out softly to the catcher. In the fourth, Suarez worked around a leadoff walk to Andrés Chaparro by striking out Mead, then getting Abrams swinging and Crews on a groundout to third. The fifth inning was his most efficient: Jacob Young struck out, García grounded out to first and Nuñez grounded out to third.

Meanwhile, Mikolas found his groove after a rocky start. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the fourth, with Yoshida popping out, Rafaela lining out to right and Abreu grounding out to second. The fifth inning was similarly clean: Andruw Monasterio grounded out to short, Duran grounded out to first and Durbin grounded out to short.

The Nationals mounted their last serious threat in the top of the sixth. Keibert Ruiz singled to left to open the inning. Wood was called out on strikes after a challenge overturned the original call. Chaparro singled to center, moving Ruiz to second. Curtis Mead then singled to center, loading the bases for CJ Abrams. Abrams doubled to right field, clearing the bases and scoring Ruiz and Chaparro, pulling Washington to 6-5 with Mead moving to third. But the rally stalled. Dylan Crews lined out to second baseman Anthony Seigler, and Jacob Young grounded out softly to Suarez.

The score remained 6-5, and Suarez exited after six innings with the lead intact. He was relieved by Danny Coulombe, who tossed a perfect seventh inning, striking out two. Tyron Guerrero pitched the eighth, allowing one hit but striking out two. Garrett Whitlock entered for the ninth and allowed a single to Luis García Jr. but struck out the side, earning his first save of the season.

Mikolas took the loss, falling to 2-7. He allowed nine hits and six earned runs over seven innings while striking out three. Zak Kent pitched a scoreless eighth for Washington, striking out one and picking off Caleb Durbin at first base.

Key offensive contributions for Boston included Contreras, who finished 1 for 2 with a home run and three RBIs; Durbin, who went 1 for 3 with a home run and an RBI; and Seigler, who went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. For Washington, Wood went 1 for 4 with a home run and an RBI, and Abrams doubled and drove in two runs.

The game was decided in the first inning, when Boston’s four-run outburst turned a one-run deficit into a three-run lead that Suarez and the bullpen made stand. Washington’s two-run sixth was too little, too late.

Both teams will meet again Tuesday night at Fenway Park. The Nationals will send a right-hander to the mound, while the Red Sox have not announced a starter.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Boston Red Sox 5, Washington Nationals 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Boston with a 59.20 percent probability to win. Boston had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 9 went under the over/under line of 8.5.