All you need to know, in quickie board, about the Red Sox' win over Texas, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Bello shines with his first win: In what was easily his best start in the big leagues, Brayan Bello picked up his first major league victory with six shutout innings, during which he allowed just three hits. He fanned five and didn't allow a walk. According to Alex Cora, Bello showed a more complete pitch mix this time out, utilizing a four-seamer with his two-seamer, breaking ball and changeup, giving him different looks. He pitched out of trouble in the second when the Rangers strung together two two-out hits, and dealt with a leadoff single in the third. After that, he retired 12 of the last 13 hitters he faced.
Casas gets the call: First baseman Triston Casas, one of the team's top prospects, is being called up for the series finale. Casas' arrival in Boston has been a storyline around the Red Sox for the past few weeks. The team skipped over some chances to promote him, but last week, Cora said there was a good chance that Casas would join the team before the end of the season. Casa was slashing .281/.389/.500 with 12 homers and 41 RBI in 76 games. He was the team's No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, and together with shortstop Marcelo Mayer is considered one of the two top prospects in the organization. To make room for Casas, Bobby Dalbec will be optioned to Worcester. Casas will likely get a significant amount of playing time at first with Eric Hosmer still sidelined with a lower back injury. MassLive.com was the first to report the promotion for Casas.
Sloppy Rangers contribute: Texas contributed three errors on the afternoon -- plus a balk -- which led to two unearned runs for the Red Sox. Catcher Meibrys Viloria dropped a throw home from Corey Seager in the fifth, allowing a run to score and another misplay by third baseman Ezequiel Duran led directly to another Red Sox run scoring in the seventh. The Red Sox didn't exactly pound the ball, collecting 10 hits, but the Rangers play in the field helped them out. A balk by Brock Burke contributed to yet another run in the fifth. The Rangers are bad enough as it is, but they didn't help themselves with all the mistakes they made.
Crawford scratched for Sunday: The Red Sox had planned to start Kutter Crawford in the series finale Sunday, but Crawford reported to Fenway with some soreness in his right shoulder Saturday, a day after some between-start throwing, and as much as a precaution as anything else, the Sox are holding him out of Sunday's scheduled start. The team has a number of possibilities. If it places either Crawford or Nick Pivetta (calf) on the IL, they can activate Josh Winckowski to take the start. Winckowski is with the club as part of a taxi squad. If a move isn't made to create a roster spot, the Sox will have to piece it together with members of their bullpen.
TURNING POINT
The Sox were comfortably ahead in the seventh inning when Trevor Story doubled home the team's fifth run, as Rafael Devers scored from second base. At the time, it looked like window dressing, since the Rangers had been blanked up until then. But when they scored three runs in the eighth and loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, that fifth run proved necessary indeed to give the Sox some late-inning breathing room.
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Devers continues to smoke the ball as part of his turnaround at the plate. He doubled home the first run in the first and added a single in the seventh.
John Schreiber: After Matt Barnes got into trouble in the ninth, loading the bases with one out, Schreiber came to the rescue, getting a strikeout and groundout to close it out and earn his sixth save.
TWO DOWN
Tommy Pham: Pham worked a walk in his first at-bat, but didn't reach base again the rest of the way, going 0-for-4 while stranding three baserunners along the way.
Garrett Whitlock: For the second straight outing, Whitlock was hit hard. After giving up three runs in Minnesota the other night, Whitlock allowed two homers, which Cora attributed to poor execution and location.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"The last inning was electric. That was fun. He's been working hard and I'm glad he got his first one.'' Alex Cora on Brayan Bello.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The Red Sox improved to 5-3 in their last eight series.
* The Sox have hit 14 doubles in their last six games.
* Boston improved to 24-8 vs. teams from the AL West,
* Rafael Devers has reached base in eight of his last 10 plate appearances with six hits and two walks.
* Xander Bogaerts has multiple hits in a career-best seven straight games.
* Trevor Story collected his 200th career double and 400th extra-base hit.
* The Sox are now 29-14 when their starting pitcher goes at least six innings.
UP NEXT: The two teams meet for the final time this season and close out their series at 1:10 p.m. with TBD vs. RHP Dane Dunning (3-7, 4.16)