Winners of four consecutive games, the Boston Red Sox picked up their third straight victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday, 5-3, at Fenway Park.
Aside from a ninth-inning hiccup, it was smooth sailing for the Red Sox from the offense, who counted on three errors from the Rangers leading to three unearned runs, to go along with a phenomenal start on the mound from rookie Brayan Bello. The 23-year-old, who’s endured four losses and three no-decisions in his seven previous outings for the Red Sox, took home his first major league win.
“He was really good,” Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “The last inning was electric. That was fun. … I was joking with him like, ‘We gotta get six (innings),’ before the game. … He’s been ready. He’s been working hard and I’m glad that he got his first win.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora vocalized the noticeable difference — from Bello’s debut start — that the right-hander displayed in his latest outing.
“From the guy that threw sinkers and changeups the first outing against Tampa (Bay Rays) to this guy, you see it,” Cora said. “We’re very proud of him.”
Bello delivered the longest outing of his young big-league career on Saturday, shutting the Rangers out through six innings while allowing just three hits and a walk with five strikeouts — the fewest hits Bello has ever allowed in an appearance with the Red Sox.
“Yeah, I feel very happy,” Bello said through a translator and seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “That shows all the hard work that I’ve done in between starts. … And I’m really happy for the results. I felt very good with all my pitches and everything was working — fastball, changeup, slider, my sinker too — and you see the result right there.”
Here are more notes from Saturday’s Red Sox-Rangers game:
— Bello, now 1-4 in his career, has allowed three or fewer runs in five consecutive appearances for the Red Sox — posting a 3.15 ERA while allowing seven earned runs in a combined 20 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts over that span.
— Trevor Story, who finished 2-for-4 at the plate, contributed a pair of doubles to record his 200th career double and his 400th career extra-base hit. The 29-year-old is batting .417 (10-for-24) in his last six games since being reinstated from the injured list on Aug. 27.
— Xander Bogaerts became the first Red Sox player to record multiple hits in seven consecutive games since former first baseman Adrián González in 2011.
— Boston improved to 24-8 in games when the starting pitcher lasts at least six innings — winning seven of the last eight contests on such occasions.
— The Red Sox will go for a four-game sweep on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, along with an hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
