Brayan Bello pitched seven innings against the New York Yankees for the second time in as many starts, leading the host Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 win on Sunday night.
The win capped sweeps of a day-night doubleheader and the three-game series for Boston, which is 5-1 against the rival Yankees this season.
Bello (4-4) struck out a career-high eight batters and allowed just one run on four hits and three walks across his seven-inning outing.
Alex Verdugo went 2-for-4 and Triston Casas hit a two-run double to lead the Red Sox offense.
After Josh Winckowski pitched a scoreless eighth inning, Kenley Jansen struck out two and worked around a single in the ninth to post his 15th save.
Gleyber Torres had a pair of doubles to account for two of New York’s five hits. Anthony Rizzo had the Yankees’ lone RBI.
Bello danced out of the first allowing only one run after Jake Bauers walked, Torres lined a double to right and Rizzo had an RBI groundout. Bello retired the next two Yankees to limit the damage.
A two-out run allowed the Red Sox to even the score in the second. After a Rafael Devers leadoff single and Rob Refsnyder’s sacrifice bunt, Enrique Hernandez ripped an RBI double down into the left field corner.
The Red Sox defense made several strong plays to keep the visitors to one run. Center fielder Jarren Duran’s running catch into the triangle in center was a definite highlight, robbing Rizzo of an extra-base hit to end the third.
In the fourth, Reese McGuire reached on catcher’s interference to score Verdugo for Boston’s go-ahead run.
Two runs in the fifth allowed the Red Sox to extend their lead to 4-1. Duran drew a leadoff walk and stole second base with one out. Shortly after Verdugo’s fly ball to shallow center landed for a base hit, Casas stepped up with the bases loaded and hit a two-out, two-run double that bounced into the right field stands.
Luis Severino (0-2) was the New York starter, and he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in five innings. He fanned six.
Bello stranded two Yankees in both the sixth and seventh innings, striking out Bauers swinging on his final pitch of the game.
–Field Level Media
