All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Reds, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Homers get the job done: The Red Sox have struggled to hit the ball out of the park at times this season and that lack of power has hurt them at times. But playing in cozy Great American Ballpark, not surprisingly, helped in that regard Tuesday night. The Sox had just seven hits, but three left the ballpark. After J.D. Martinez narrowly missed hitting one out with a deep drive to center -- and then nearly had himself an inside-the-park job as the ball rolled along the warning track -- Rob Refsnyder cracked a solo shot in the fourth. Martinez didn't miss on his next try, homering to right-center in the fifth before Rafael Devers drove one out to center in the ninth. At the time, Devers' blast looked like window dressing, but when the Sox bullpen struggled in the bottom of the inning, the homer by Devers proved to be the margin of victory.
Bello earns second win: With each successive start, you can see the potential for Brayan Bello and what he might be capable of in the future. Bello gave the Sox five strong innings, allowing just a solo homer in that stretch. He filled the bases with no outs in the second inning, but worked out of the jam expertly. He walked two and fanned five. Over his last eight appearances -- six of them starts -- Bello is 2-4 with a 2.80 ERA and he's racked up an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio (38-12) in that span. Part of the improvement has been a more aggressive approach within the strike zone, which comes from increased confidence that his stuff plays well there against major league hitters. It also helped that his slider was extra effective Tuesday, pairing with his changeup to give him two plus pitches to throw off his fastball.
Bullpen (mostly) does the job: With Bello lifted after five, the Red Sox got perfect innings from Ryan Brasier (sixth inning), Zack Kelly (seventh) and Matt Barnes (eighth), who combined to mow down the next nine Reds hitters and get the ball to the ninth. Lefty Matt Strahm took over and, after allowing a leadoff single, recorded a strikeout, then completely lost the strike zone, issuing three straight walks and forcing in a run. Alex Cora summoned John Schreiber, who got a flyout for a sac fly for the second out and then a groundout to first to finish things off. All tolled, the Red Sox were 0-for-11 against relievers not named Strahm.
TURNING POINT
In the fifth inning, with the Red Sox leading 3-1, the Reds staged a two-out threat against Bello with consecutive singles from Jake Fraley and Donovan Solano. But Bello didn't buckle, and with the powerful Aristedes Aquino at the plate, Bello bore down and got him to fly out to right, ending the inning. It was Bello's final pitch -- No. 84 -- on the night, and a huge one, too, since it kept the two-run lead intact.
TWO UP
J.D. Martinez: For a time, it looked like Martinez might be in position to hit for the cycle, belting a triple and a homer in his first two trips. He didn't get another hit, but he did knock in two runs with those hits.
Tommy Pham: Returning to the team which traded him to the Red Sox at the deadline, Pham was on base three times and had two hits.
TWO DOWN
Matt Strahm: The Red Sox lefty struggled mightily in the ninth, issuing three straight walks to force in a run, before he had to be lifted.
Connor Wong: It was a tough night at the plate for the catcher, who fanned four times against three different pitchers.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"He's doing a good job. He's getting better and I'm excited about his next one.'' Alex Cora on Brayan Bello.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Rob Refsnyder is hitting .367 against lefties this season.
* The homer by TJ Friedl off Brayan Bello in the third inning was the first homer allowed by Bello in his big league career.
* The Red Sox improved to 9-10 against National League teams this season and have a chance to avoid a losing interleague season with a win in the series finale.
* For the 16th time in 19 outings since coming off the IL in early August, Matt Barnes did not allow a run.
* Triston Casas is without a hit in his last 13 at-bats.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox finish up their interleague play for the season with the final game in Cincinnati. It will be RHP Connor Seabold (0-2, 11.91) vs. RHP Chase Anderson (1-3, 6.43)