BOSTON– Brayan Bello struck out a career-high 11 batters — getting each of his first 10 strikeouts — and Wilyer Abreu and Dominic Smith hit back-to-back pitches in an eight-run second inning on Tuesday night to help the Boston Red Sox to beat the Oakland Athletics 12-9.
On the day he was eliminated from the All-Star Game due to a sore shoulder, Rafael Devers had two hits and a walk, driving in three runs and scoring two goals as the Red Sox won for the seventh time in eight games and improved for a season . -high 10 games over .500.
Bello (9-5) is the first Red Sox pitcher since at least 1961 — and the first in this year’s majors — to record his first 10 strikeouts. Even though they struggled in the first inning, when the A’s took a 2-0 lead on three hits and a wild pitch, Bello got all three of his outs on K’s.
Bello struck out three more (allowing two baserunners) in the second, and then struck out the side in a 1-2-3 third inning. He fanned Lawrence Butler for the first out in the fourth, and then with runners on first and second he finally induced a groundout, by Max Schuemann.
At that time, the Red Sox led 11-2. Bello was charged with three more runs in the sixth when he gave up a pair of singles and Butler’s 457-foot home run. In all, the Red Sox right-hander allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks.
Oakland scored another run in the seventh and made it 12-9 with two outs in the ninth when Zack Gelof hit a three-run home run — his third hit of the game — off Trey Wingcenter. Wingcenter, who was making his major league debut, got Butler on a pop-up in the infield to end it.
Joey Estes (3-4) gave up hits to the first four batters in the first, as Boston took a 3-2 lead on Devers’ two-run single. But it was in the second inning when the Red Sox chased Estes and opened the game with eight runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit hit.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is the first time since 2011 that every member of a major league lineup had at least one hit and one run in the first two innings. The Red Sox last did this in 2003.
Estes, who hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his last three starts, was charged with eight runs on seven hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings.
Alex Cora earned his 490th win as manager of the Red Sox, surpassing Bill Carrigan for fourth-most wins in club history. It was Cora’s 900th game – more than 100 fewer than Carrigan (1,003).
UP AND DOWN
The Red Sox recalled utilityman Jamie Westbrook from Triple-A Worcester and selected right-hander Trey Wingenter to the roster. Utility player Enmanuel Valdez was optioned to Worcester and right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa was assigned to assignment.
TRAINER’S ROOM
As: LHP Hogan Harris, whose wife is expecting their first child, was placed on the paternity list and RHP Michel Otañez was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to take his place on the roster.
Red Sox: Cora said Devers has a lingering shoulder injury that will benefit from rest during the four-day All-Star break.
NEXT
Game 2 of the three-game series will feature right-hander Nick Pivetta (4-5) against JP Sears (5-7).
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