The Boston Red Sox and visiting Cincinnati Reds will complete their three-game interleague series with a full Wednesday of action, picking up their suspended game from Tuesday night before playing their regularly scheduled evening contest.
After scoring seven first-inning runs en route to a 13-6 win on Monday in the series opener, the Red Sox led 2-1 through three innings before the Tuesday game was halted due to rain.
Boston’s Wilyer Abreu set the tone in the series opener by hitting an inside-the-park home run and a grand slam. Boston’s offensive surge continued on Tuesday with a two-run first inning that included an RBI double by rookie Roman Anthony, who was 7-for-15 in his previous three games.
As Anthony, 21, continues to produce on offense, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he will look to give him more opportunities in the field as well.
“I don’t want to make him a DH right away,” Cora said. “He needs reps in the outfield. He made a great throw the other day, and here he has made some great plays in right field. Keeping the balance, checking with the other guys with where they’re at physically, we’ll mix it up.”
Cora is slated to hand the ball to right-hander Brayan Bello (3-3, 3.41 ERA) when the suspended game resumes in what will technically be a relief appearance.
Bello is coming off his fifth straight quality start despite scattering eight hits and needing 104 pitches to complete six innings on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays. He wound up allowing three runs in a 9-0 loss.
“Even when I didn’t have my best stuff, I was able to get outs and able to give the team the opportunity to win and keep us in the game,” Bello said after that outing.
Bello has made just two career starts against Cincinnati, going 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA.
The Red Sox had yet to announce their starter for the nightcap.
The Reds likely will use relievers over the final six innings of the suspended game, and right-hander Nick Martinez (5-8, 4.12 ERA) is scheduled for the evening start. He is coming off his best outing of the year, when he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning on Friday against the San Diego Padres. Martinez wound up allowing a leadoff walk in the ninth, then a double by Elias Diaz before he was replaced.
Martinez registered his longest start of the season, and he produced the longest no-hit bid by a Cincinnati pitcher since 2021.
“From the very beginning, his stuff was very crisp and he was in command of all his pitches,” Reds manager Terry Francona said after the 8-1 win. “That’s as nervous as I’ve been in a long, long time.”
It was a great bounce-back effort for Martinez, who allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins in a June 19 start, then was relegated to the bullpen for two outings in which he threw three combined hitless and scoreless innings.
Martinez is 0-3 with a 5.90 ERA against the Red Sox in eight career appearances (four starts).
Three home runs by Spencer Steer — who had an eight-game hit streak snapped in the series opener at Boston — supported Martinez’s effort. Steer is the National League Player of the Week after hitting .522.
“(The swing is) starting to feel normal again,” said Steer, who had a sore shoulder last season. “So, some of the swing mechanics have cleaned up just naturally with the strength coming back. …
“All I’ve been doing lately is just going up there and trying to take a competitive at-bat and be a tough out and let the results be what they are.”
–Field Level Media
