Snakes slither into Fenway Park for three-game series with Red Sox
The Red Sox will welcome the dangerous Arizona Diamondbacks to Fenway Park for a three-game weekend series.
Arizona is playing a lot like the team that went to the World Series last season. The young and exciting DBacks are playing with a ton of confidence, coming off a series where they swept the Miami Marlins and outscored the fish 22-15.
The reigning National League champions are an MLB best 31-13 since July 1.
The Snakes now head to Fenway Park looking to wrap up a nine-game road series with the Red Sox, who are coming off a series win against the Astros on the road at Minute Maid Park.
Boston will give the ball to Brayan Bello, who is coming off arguably his best outing of the season. Bello flirted with a no-hitter against the Orioles, dominating their deep lineup for six innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out six batters.
“Everything went right from start to finish,” said Bello (through team interpreter Daveson Perez) following the win in Birdland. “Everything was working... Since the beginning, it felt like one of the better outings I’ve thrown this year.”
Over his starts in the month of August, Bello has looked dominant, allowing just two earned runs over 12 frames in his last two outings. Since the All-Star break, he’s posted a 3.44 ERA in six starts with 35 strikeouts in 34 innings.
“He has been throwing the ball well for a while,” Cora said. “The stuff has been there for the last two months. Now, it’s about executing. He did an amazing job.”
Boston is 21-14-6 in series play this season and 5-1-1 in their last seven, including owning a 21-19 record against National League foes.
Arizona will counter with right-handed starter Ryne Nelson, who is 8-6 with a 4.35 ERA in 21 starts this season. He is coming off a six-strikeout performance against the Rays on Aug. 16. The righty tossed 6 1/3 innings, in which he gave up one earned run off five hits while issuing no free passes. He has walked just three hitters in 18 2/3 frames over the month of August, while opposing batters have hit just .206 against him during that span.
Triston Casas enters Friday night with hits in each of his last two games; he’s 3-for-6 with a homer, four RBI, three walks, and a run scored during that stretch.
Since being activated off the injured list, Casas has gone 8-for-23, good for a .348 clip at the plate. He missed 98 games dating back to April 21 with a left rib cage injury.
Another Casas nugget heading into the series with the Snakes is that he owns a .308 batting average with 13 homers and a 1.027 OPS in 46 career interleague games. This includes six doubles and a triple over that span.
Red Sox vs. Nelson: Jansen (1-for-2)
Red Sox (67-59) lineup vs. the Diamondbacks (72-56):
Jarren Duran / CF
Wilyer Abreu / RF
Triston Casas / 1B
Rafael Devers / 3B
Rob Refsnyder / LF
Masataka Yoshida / DH
Danny Jansen / C
David Hamilton / 2B
Ceddanne Rafaela / SS
SP: RHP Brayan Bello (11-5, 4.80 ERA)
Tyler O’Neill was initially in the lineup batting fifth and playing left field. He was a late scratch and Rob Refsnyder is replacing him.
The first pitch is at 7:10 p.m. and can be seen on NESN, FuboTV, or Sling, and it can be heard on WEEI 93.7 FM.
