The Boston Red Sox capped off their fourth win in a row Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park. They took down the Texas Rangers yet again, 5-3, positioning themselves for a potential four-game sweep in the series finale.
The Red Sox improve to 66-68, while the Rangers fell to 58-74.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Brayan Bello shined for six scoreless innings in what was by far his best performance at the major league level to date.
Prior to Saturday’s outing, the longest Bello lasted on the mound was five innings on Aug. 24 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Bello delivered six shutout innings for the Red Sox, allowing three hits and a walk with five strikeouts with 60 strikes in 88 total pitches.
Boston’s offense didn’t replicate their back-to-back nine-run showings in the previous two games of the series. However, that wasn’t necessary thanks to Bello. The Red Sox combined to hit five doubles, two coming from Trevor Story en route to a seven-hit game from the lineup — benefitting from a trio of costly errors on Texas’ end which resulted in three unearned runs added to the scoreboard.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Bello earned his first-career victory in the major leagues. The 23-year-old allowed the fewest hits (3) out of any previous outing in which he’s lasted over one inning on the mound.
— Third baseman Rafael Devers logged a pair of RBIs, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
— Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien came through with one of two homers from Texas’ lineup. The 31-year-old veteran finished 1-for-5 at the plate with his two-run shot serving as his 21st round-tripper of the season.
WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook set Bello’s strikeout total at 3.5 with the Over at -165 odds entering Saturday’s game. The rookie right-hander proceeded to strike out five Rangers hitters in his eighth career start. A $100 bet on the Over would have amounted to $160.61.
ON DECK AT NESN
The series finale between the Red Sox and Rangers will take place on Sunday with Boston seeking a four-game sweep over Texas. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, along with an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN 360.
