Red Sox snake bitten by DBacks in series opener, Mickey Gasper earns first career start in Game 2
The Red Sox stunk up the joint on Friday night, getting blasted by the DBacks 12-2.
After coming off his best outing of the season, Brayan Bello was looking to handle the red-hot Diamondbacks. Instead, the righty was erratic on the mound, working deep into counts and failing to put away the Snakes’ hitters.
Bello gave up five runs on seven hits while allowing four walks in over 5 1/3 innings of work. His four walks tied a season high; he allowed four free passes on May 22 on the road against the Rays. The 25-year-old was tagged for five runs for the sixth time this season.
“Today was kind of blah,” Alex Cora said after the game. “Not much going on, right? So you’ve just got to be ready for tomorrow. It’s not for lack of preparation. It’s not that we’re preparing different on the road. But, like I said, we’ve got to figure it out here and start playing good baseball at home.”
Boston will look to keep the Diamondbacks offense at bay and will counter with Kutter Crawford. Since the All-Star break, the right-hander is 2-3 with an 8.90 ERA, allowing 29 earned runs in 29 1/3 innings. He’s also continued to let the home run bug bite him, allowing 22 blasts in his last 12 starts after only allowing six over his first 13 outings.
Arizona will send Zac Gallen to the mound; he is making his 22nd start of the season and 11th on the road. Since the All-Star break, the righty is 3-1 with a 3.78 ERA, allowing just 14 earned runs over 33 1/3 innings with 26 strikeouts. The DBacks are 5-1 over that span.
Gallen is facing the Red Sox for the first time in his career; his start at Fenway Park will be the 29th different ballpark he’s pitched in since entering the bigs. The only ballpark he’s missing is the Oakland Coliseum.
Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill is out of the lineup on Saturday; he is still dealing with right finger inflammation and is considered day-to-day.
Mickey Gasper will start at second base and bat seventh in the Sox’ lineup. This is Gasper’s first career start, and this will be his fifth game he’s appeared in since his promotion from Triple-A Worcester. He is 0-for-1 with one strikeout and three walks; the strikeout came on Aug. 18 against the Orioles.
The New Hampshire native has seen limited action at second base, logging 20 innings at the position while playing for the WooSox. He has played second base in the Yankees system in the past.
Red Sox vs. Gallen: Danny Jansen 1-2, Tyler O’Neill 1-3; both are out of the lineup.
Diamondbacks vs. Crawford: Josh Bell 1-6, Corbin Carroll 0-1, Randal Grichuk 1-2, Luis Guillorme 0-1, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 1-6, Joc Pederson 0-2, Pavin Smith 0-1, Eugenio Suárez 1-4
Bell went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a walk in the DBacks’ 12-2 win on Friday night. He has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games with 17 hits and nine walks and owns a .360 OBP over that stretch. His three hits tied a season high.
Red Sox (67-60) lineup vs. the Diamondbacks (73-56):
1. Jarren Duran CF
2. Wilyer Abreu RF
3. Triston Casas 1B
4. Rafael Devers 3B
5. Rob Refsnyder LF
6. Masataka Yoshida DH
7. Mickey Gasper 2B
8. Connor Wong C
9. Ceddanne Rafaela SS
SP: RHP Kutter Crawford (8-10, 4.25 ERA)
The first pitch is at 4:10 p.m. and can be seen on NESN, FuboTV, or Sling, and it can be heard on WEEI 93.7 FM.
