The Boston Red Sox didn't get off to a strong start to begin a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks in Friday night's 12-2 loss at Fenway Park.
With the loss, the Red Sox fell to 67-60 while the Diamondbacks improved to 73-56.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston returned to Fenway Park for its latest, but no less critical, homestand, which began against the defending National League champion Diamondbacks. But as was the case when the Red Sox left its home turf to embark on the seven-game road trip, pitching woes, again, haunted the American League wild card hopeful.
Brayan Bello took the mound for Boston, fresh off six innings of one-run ball against the division-leading Baltimore Orioles. Yet, the right-hander wasn't on his A-game and it took a toll on the Red Sox after the lineup responded to Arizona's two-run rally in the first inning, dragging Boston's bid at momentum. Bello tossed four consecutive scoreless innings through the second and fifth frames, but failed to add the finishing touch in the sixth inning -- turning a two-run outing into a five-run outing.
The offensive punishment inflicted by the Diamondbacks, however, didn't end once Bello headed to dugout as the Red Sox deferred to their bullpen.
Josh Winckowski took the mound in the seventh inning and just like the last time the right-hander made a relief appearance at Fenway Park, Winckowski was once again stung by the long ball. Arizona's Eugenio Suárez crushed a 349-foot grand slam to widen the Diamondbacks lead from three runs to a cozy seven runs.
When the dust settled, Arizona out-hit the Red Sox, 16-6.
That hefty insurance proved to be too much for Boston's offense to overcome, which direct the Red Sox to their latest sweep-preventing loss -- Boston hasn't swept a team throughout its 32 games played since the MLB All-Star break. More importantly, kicking off the homestand on a losing note didn't help the team's last-minute bid at an AL wild card spot as the Red Sox still trail the Minnesota Twins by 3 1/2 games.
Boston also fell to 29-33 in games played at Fenway Park in 2024.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu logged a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 with a double before being replaced by right-handed hitter Romy González in the bottom of the eighth inning. Abreu is now up to 27 doubles this season.
-- Suárez went 3-for-5 with by far the biggest swing of the night, finishing the series opener with a game-leading five RBIs for the Diamondbacks.
-- Arizona starter Ryne Nelson delivered a quality performance on the mound. The right-hander threw six innings, allowed two earned runs off five hits and two walks while striking out seven batters to improve to 9-6 this season.
ON DECK ON NESN
Boston and Arizona will continue the three-game interleague series Saturday evening. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
