BOSTON (AP) — Jose Barrero hit a grand slam to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a fourth straight win with a 9-8 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.
Will Benson had three hits to back Ben Lively (3-2), who pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings. He struck out six for the Reds, who blew it open with a five-run seventh inning.
The Reds were 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position until Barrero hit a homer off reliever Joely Rodríguez that was headed out of Fenway Park before bouncing off one of the light standards above the Green Monster in left.
Raimel Tapia had three of Boston’s 14 hits and drove in a pair of runs. The Red Sox lost their second straight and have dropped six of eight.
Boston scored all eight of its runs in the final three innings, getting five in the ninth but couldn’t quite catch the Reds, who clinched the win when reliever Alexis Diaz struck out Triston Casas for the final out and his 13th save.
Barrero, who entered the game in the fourth after TJ Friedl left with a tight hamstring, also made a big defensive play with a nice throw from center that helped keep Boston off the board in the fifth.
Tapia hit a two-out double to left-center and Kiké Hernández attempted to come all the way around from first, but came up a few feet short. There was a nice relay from Barrero to Matt McLain then home to catcher Tyler Stephenson, who easily got the tag down on Hernández.
The Red Sox didn’t score until putting up three in the seventh, when Rafael Devers delivered a single for his 500th career RBI. Tapia and Reese McGuire also drove in one run during the eighth and Devers added a second RBI single in the ninth, when Boston scored five but came up a run short.
Brayan Bello (2-2) threw 33 pitches in the first inning and left after the fourth with the Red Sox down 1-0. Bello allowed one run on five hits, struck out four and walked two.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: CF TJ Friedl left the game in the fourth with tightness in his left hamstring. He was replaced in center by Barrero. … RHP Tejay Antone will take some time off from throwing after experiencing pain in his right elbow as he rehabilitates from Tommy John surgery, manager David Bell said. Bell said an MRI revealed “no change” to the elbow, but the Reds will let the arm rest for a week before he throws again. … OF/1B Wil Myers (left-shoulder sprain, kidney stone) may have an MRI on his left shoulder because of some lingering soreness according to Bell.
Red Sox: Placed RHP Corey Kluber on the paternity list and recalled LHP Ryan Sheriff from Triple-A Worcester.
UP NEXT
Cincinnati RHP Luke Weaver (1-2, 5.45 ERA) faces Boston LHP James Paxton (1-1, 5.14) Wednesday night in the second of the three-game interleague series.
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