BOSTON — The Red Sox had won eight of Brayan Bello’s past nine starts entering Friday. The righty looked especially sharp in his previous two starts, allowing two runs in 12 innings.
But the trend didn’t continue Friday. Bello allowed five runs, seven hits and four walks while striking out two in 5 ⅓ innings. The Red Sox lost 12-2 to the Diamondbacks as their Fenway Park woes continued.
Boston had just won two of three games in Houston against the AL West-leading Astros to improve to 38-27 on the road. But Friday’s loss dropped the Sox to 29-33 at home.
The Sox (67-60) have been outscored 328-290 at Fenway.
Eugenio Suárez’s grand slam off reliever Josh Winckowski in the seventh inning put the game away at 9-2.
Bello struggles in the first and sixth innings
Bello allowed back-to-back singles to Corbin Carroll and Jake McCarthy on the game’s first two pitches, then walked No. 3 hitter Joc Pederson to load the bases.
After getting ahead 0-2 in the count against Josh Bell, Bello walked the cleanup hitter to force in a run.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s sac fly made it 2-0 Diamondbacks. Wilyer Abreu’s throw home from right field was on target but McCarthy scored when catcher Danny Jansen dropped the ball.
Bello held the Dbacks the next four innings. But he ran into trouble again in the sixth inning in part because of his own poor fielding.
Bello walked Gurriel with one out. Adrian Del Castillo then hit a soft groundball that Bello fielded but the righty took his time to throw it, allowing Del Castillo to reach on what was ruled a single.
Bello also made an errant throw on the play, allowing Gurriel to go from first base to third base.
The righty allowed an RBI single to Suárez and RBI double to Luis Guillorme before being pulled with Boston down 4-1.
Reliever Joely Rodriguez (promoted before the game) allowed an inherited runner to score on Geraldo Perdomo’s RBI single, making it 5-1 Arizona.
Duran reaches 40 doubles
Jarren Duran led off the bottom of the first inning with his 40th double of the season.
He’s the second major league hitter to reach 40 doubles this season. Phillies’ Alec Bohm (43 doubles) reached 40 on Aug. 7.
Boston cut it to 2-1 in the bottom of the first when Duran and Wilyer Abreu hit back-to-back doubles.
Refsnyder (late addition to the lineup) homers
Rob Refsnyder was not in the initial lineup. He replaced left fielder Tyler O’Neill who was scratched a little more than two hours before first pitch because of left fourth finger inflammation.
Refsnyder homered 395 feet the opposite way to right field against starter Ryne Nelson in the sixth inning, cutting Arizona’s lead to 5-2.
Saturday’s game
The Red Sox and Dbacks will play the second game of their three-game series Saturday. Red Sox righty Kutter Crawford (8-10, 4.25 ERA) will start opposite Arizona righty Zac Gallen (9-6, 3.85 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
