On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox welcomed the Oakland Athletics to Fenway Park for the first of three games, and they earned a 12-9 victory.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello had one of the most confusing starts you'll see this year. He allowed five runs on nine hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings while striking out a career-high 11 batters.
Greg Weissert followed in relief, tossing 1 2/3 innings of one-run ball on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Zack Kelly came in for an inning, keeping Oakland off of the scoreboard and the bases. Recently acquired reliever Trey Wingenter made his Red Sox debut in the ninth inning. He promptly gave up a three-run shot but got them out with the win.
Boston's offense was the real reason for the win, as they recorded 13 total hits and scored 12 runs despite striking out 10 times. Wilyer Abreu (1-for-3, four RBIs) and Dom Smith (1-for-4) hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning while the rest of the runs were driven in by Jarren Duran (1-for-4), David Hamilton (2-for-4), Rafael Devers (2-for-4, three RBIs), Masataka Yoshida (2-for-3) and Ceddanne Rafaela (2-for-5).
This win improves Boston's record to 50-40 on the season and 21-23 at home. They're 10 games over .500 for the first time this season, and they'll have a chance to push it to 11 and win the series as the two teams meet again on Wednesday.
