BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 6, Royals 2 - Pablo Reyes grand slam and Bryan Bello start power win

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 6-2 win over the Royals, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Pablo Reyes walks it off: Pablo Reyes hit a walk-off grand slam off the Fisk pole on a 1-0 fastball in on his hands that hooked foul fast, but at 104 miles per hour found steel in time for his first home run of the season, his last coming on Sept. 5, 2021 with the Brewers. Reyes came to the plate with two outs in a 2-2 game with the bases loaded after Rafael Devers swung out of his shoes into a ground-rule double, Kansas City intentionally walked Triston Casas and Luis Urías barely held up his swing to walk on a high 3-2 pitch from Carlos Hernández, who reached 101 miles per hour, but only 98 on Reyes' blast that ended Boston's four-game losing streak. 

"Hitting coach (Peter Fatse) told me to be ready for the fastball," Reyes said. "He throws 100, so be on time with the fastball, and that's what I did."

Bullpen spoils a solid Bello outing: Bryan Bello nearly cruised the Sox to a shutout victory through six shutout innings until Alex Cora tried to extend him to the seventh. Boston led 2-0 when Bello forced Drew Waters and Dairon Blanco to hit into outs, but he quickly approached 100 pitches as Kyle Isbel sliced what should've been a single to right field. Adam Duvall held the ball, thinking it was foul, as Isbel extended the play to second. Josh Wincowski relieved Bello and allowed RBI hits to Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. that tied the game and stole a ninth win from Bello. 

THREE UP

Bryan Bello: Improved to 4-4 with a 3.04 ERA at Fenway Park in 11 starts, putting runners on, but working around damage through 6.2 innings, six hits and two walks. Isbel's hit fell on Duvall and Wincowski more than him, as Bello pitched well enough for a stronger offensive effort to easily beat the Royals anyway. Bello threw 65-of-99 pitches (66%) for strikes and downed seven straight Royals early around two strikeouts and a double play with Kansas City runners in scoring position. He escaped the fifth with a runner on third by forcing Isbel to foul out behind the plate, and Garcia to ground into another double play. Then, he downed two Royals with a pair of baserunners on in the sixth inning. Bello last recorded an out after the sixth inning before the all-star break.

"The first inning was kind of slow, my body wasn't feeling great," Bello said. "But after the first inning, my body got into a rhythm and I got almost seven (innings), so it was a good outing." 

Pablo Reyes: Reyes hit the walk-off grand slam after scoring both runs to take a 2-0 lead early. He hit 1-7 in his first five appearances since returning from the injured list, but singled on Cole Ragans in the third inning, stole second and took third on the throwing error by Royals catcher Freddy Fermin. Masataka Yoshida then drove Reyes home on a sacrifice fly to left field. In the fifth inning, he doubled on a 3-2 Ragans pitch before Connor Wong drove him in with another double. Luis Urías and Reyes also turned a pair of double plays to support Bello in the field. Reyes should remain when the Red Sox activate Trevor Story tomorrow, and should play both second base and shortstop while Story eases his way in. 

"He's a good kid. There's a reason he's here. We like his versatility. We like his at-bats against lefties ... he's a really good player," Cora said.

Chris Martin: Gave the Sox another rock-solid eighth inning after the Wincowski debacle in the seventh. Martin needed 13 pitches and only threw three balls while downing three Kansas City hitters. Martin's ERA improved to 1.53 and only one team, the Giants last week, scored a run on him over his last 21 appearances. 

THREE DOWN

Josh Wincowski: Posted a 2.82 ERA entering Monday and pitched six times over the last two weeks, more than in the three weeks prior. This bullpen remains taxed, so it's not a massive surprise Wincowski yielded the game-tying runs in the seventh after working solidly throughout July. Cora only asked him to record one out against Garcia. Once he allowed Bobby Witt Jr. to reach the plate, the lead stood in real trouble and disappeared, putting what should've been a walkthrough game in some doubt late. Boston needs to hope Wincowski doesn't slip with a bullpen continuing to churn through names after designating Richard Bleier to call up Dinelson Lamet. 

Adam Duvall: Struck out four times for the ninth time in his career, and oddly held the ball on a Kyle Isbel double that knocked Bello out of the game with two outs in the seventh inning. Isbel later scored as the Royals rallied to tie the game 2-2 on Wincowski. In the ninth, he struck out with Devers in scoring position with one out, nearly setting up a Urías strikeout and extra innings. Umpires ejected Royals manager Matt Quatraro, arguing that Urías swung on the walk that set up Reyes' walk-off. Duvall entered Monday 2-15 (.133) in August, playing over Alex Verdugo in right field.

Alex Cora: Honorable mention here with the microscope on his performance. With the asterisk remaining that Chaim Bloom deals him a problematic hand each night, Cora probably overthought the opposing left-handed starter, benching Jarren Duran, hitting Rob Refsnyder leadoff and sitting Verdugo again when he badly needs to reintegrate after the drama over the weekend. Keeping Bello in for the seventh inning nearly worked, then he took him out midway through the frame and lost the lead. Not Cora's best game as manager, again.  

NOTABLE

The Red Sox will activate IF Trevor Story tomorrow to begin playing approximately every other day after 13 games with Worcester and Double-A Portland, making 9 starts at SS and 4 as the DH (.300 AVG, 12-for-40, 4 2B, 4 HR, 8 R, 9 RBI, 7 BB, HBP, SB). Story initially intended to continue his rehab with Worcester through Wednesday, his last day contractually, before returning Thursday. 

Boston will activate LHP Chris Sale on Friday to start against the Tigers. Sale tossed made his 2nd rehab start yesterday at Syracuse, striking out 7 batters over 4.1 scoreless innings (3 H, 53 pitches)...He also tossed 2.0 scoreless innings on Tuesday at Syracuse (H, 2 BB, 3 SO, 40 pitches).

RHP Garrett Whitlock will pitch one more minor league game before the Red Sox activate him as a reliever. 

The Red Sox recalled RHP Dinelson Lamet and designated LHP Richard Bleier. Lamet is active tonight. Boston moved on from Bleier (5.28 ERA) after acquiring him in a January trade from the Marlins for RHP Matt Barnes. Colorado released Lamet after he posted an 11.57 in 25 2/3 innings. He emerged as a Cy Young candidate in the shortened 2020 season for San Diego after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. The Padres traded him to the Brewers, who waived him last season before Colorado acquired him and did the same this year, leading to his arrival in Worcester. He posted a 3.72 ERA in 19.1 innings with 16 strikeouts and 7 walks. 

UP NEXT 

Tuesday vs. Kansas City at 7:10 p.m., RHP Brady Singer (7-8, 5.10) vs. RHP Kutter Crawford (5-5, 3.62)