Ceddanne Rafaela goes deep twice as Red Sox beat Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto for eighth consecutive series win

LOS ANGELES — The Red Sox have another new candidate for their best win of the year.

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Against the two-time defending World Series champions, facing one of the best pitchers in the world, they pulled out a 3-2 victory over the Dodgers on Saturday night.

Ceddanne Rafaela hit two home runs off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, lefthander Payton Tolle gutted through six innings, right fielder Wilyer Abreu threw out two runners at second base, the bottom of the lineup produced a run when the Sox most needed it, and the back end of the bullpen was practically perfect — all in a win so tight that each of the above was critical to the eventual outcome.

Aroldis Chapman tossed a perfect ninth inning, stranding Shohei Ohtani in the on-deck circle.

On Sunday, the Red Sox will go for the sweep at Dodger Stadium. Already, they have won eight consecutive series for the first time since 2013.

The Sox also have won four games in a row and 22 of their past 25 to improve to 59-51.

Prior to the eighth inning, the Sox had two hits all night — Rafaela’s long balls.

They doubled that total in a blink in the eighth. Andruw Monasterio’s line drive to deep left field took one hop into the stands for an automatic double. Jarren Duran bunted toward first base for a single.

On Connor Wong’s double-play grounder, Monasterio scored, putting the Sox ahead.

Yamamoto finished eight innings having allowed three runs and four hits. He struck out three and walked one.

All of the Red Sox’ early action centered around Rafaela, who homered in each of his first two at-bats against Yamamoto.

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The first came in the first inning, when Yamamoto threw a splitter that didn’t split. It stayed up in the zone, and Rafaela hit it higher, an estimated 389 feet to left-center field.

In the third, with the Sox down a run, Rafaela did it again — on another splitter, this one inside. Rafaela pulled his hands in and managed to not just pull it, but pull it hard. It flew ever farther, an estimated 402 feet, again to left-center to tie it, 2-2.

When Rafaela stepped to the plate for a shot at No. 3, Yamamoto started him off with a fastball. He hit it well, lining it to deep right field, but right fielder Teoscar Hernandez reeled it in.

A fun footnote to Yamamoto’s outing: It was the first time he and Masataka Yoshida faced each other. They were teammates in Japan with the Orix Buffaloes (2017-22) and in the World Baseball Classic (2023 and 2026).

Tolle navigated six innings and held the Dodgers to two runs, settling in after initial trouble. He scattered nine hits and two walks and struck out seven.

For the first two innings, almost everything the Dodgers hit was hit hard. The only one that hurt, though, was Hernandez’s opposite-field two-run home run that eked over the right-field wall.

Tolle’s great escape came later in the second, when the Dodgers had runners on second and third with one out. After Dalton Rushing’s harmless flyout to center, the Sox intentionally walked Ohtani to load the bases. Then Tolle induced a groundout — hard, but an out nonetheless — from Andy Pages.

After one last jam, a two-on, one-out spot in the sixth, Tolle, seemingly pleased, screamed into his glove on his way off the mound. When interim manager Chad Tracy reached out, signaling that his job was done for the night, Tolle gave him an enthusiastic handshake.

Tolle held the Dodgers to 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position with six runners left on base.

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