Red Sox Notes: Even With ‘Erratic’ Pitching, Boston Beats Seattle

The Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to two games by defeating the Seattle Mariners in the final game of the series on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

Brayan Bello took the mound on his 24th birthday, and although he walked five batters, he got his third win of the season by allowing just one run off three hits in five innings.

“It was a tricky situation today,” Bello said on NESN’s postgame coverage via translator Carlos Villoria Benitez. “I was battling every inning to get a feel for my pitches. (My) hands were getting cold very quickly. So it was a good battle with the conditions today.”

Bello added he was happy to keep the Mariners to one run given the weather conditions and took the outing as encouraging.

“I was super happy, very, very happy to be able to have my birthday,” Bello said. “And then a win so it was really nice.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora echoed it not being the young pitcher’s best outing but still sang his praises.

“It was erratic, but his stuff plays. (There were) a lot of swings and misses on his sinker,” Cora said on NESN’s postgame coverage. “He struggled with command, but he gave us five (innings) and a big lead. We did a great job offensively right away, so that was good enough.”

Bello even earned a high compliment from Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez during the first two innings of the game when Martinez appeared on MLB Tonight’s “Clubhouse Edition.”

“I see this kid, I see myself,” Martinez said.

Red Sox Wrap: Offense Propels Boston To Series Win Vs. Seattle

May 17, 2023

Here are more notes from Wednesday’s Red Sox-Mariners game:

— The Red Sox offense was led by Justin Turner, who went 3-for-4 from the plate with a home run and a double while driving in two and scoring three. Turner has appeared in all 44 games for Boston, slashing .280/.368/.427 on the season.

“Just like (Triston) Casas. Just like (Enmanuel) Valdez. They dominate the strike zone and when they feel okay, mechanically good things are gonna happen,” Cora said about Turner and his teammates. “We talk a little bit about this, when we got him, the pull power here at Fenway and well, it wasn’t warm, but it’s gonna get warm and there’s some fly balls that are gonna go out.

“And that’s good for that, you know, and his at-bats are really good, especially with men on. He just grinds at-bats. He fouls off tough pitches and then he gets tough pitches. He doesn’t give them away and kind of like, you know, our mantra — put the ball in play, hit it forward. He’s kind of like the one that sets the table.”

— Alex Verdugo left the game as a precautionary measure with groin tightness. Cora said Verdugo felt good after the game and he should be ready for Friday night’s game in San Diego.

— With a plethora of starting pitchers, the Red Sox announced after the game that Nick Pivetta would be going to the bullpen for the 11-game road trip starting Friday in San Diego.

— The Red Sox head out to the West Coast for a three-game series with the San Diego Padres beginning on Friday. First pitch from Petco Park is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.