Wilyer Abreu’s two-run blast, Connelly Early’s bounce-back lift Red Sox over Mariners, 5-1

One night after Ranger Suarez dazzled with a one-hit gem in the series opener, the Red Sox turned to fellow left-hander Connelly Early on Saturday. While he wasn’t as overpowering, Early delivered a strong outing, earning his third quality start of the season as Boston defeated the Mariners, 5-1, in Seattle.

It was an unconventional but ultimately effective outing for Early, who battled inconsistent command while dominating stretches of the game. The rookie left-hander struck out seven and generated 13 swings and misses over six innings, allowing just one run on two hits to earn his sixth win of the season.

Early’s biggest challenge was his control. He walked two batters and hit three more, including two in the sixth inning, creating plenty of traffic despite limiting Seattle’s offense. After issuing two walks and plunking a batter over the first three innings, he settled in and retired nine consecutive hitters before navigating another jam in the sixth.

Saturday also marked his first start without allowing a home run since May 27 and just the third time in his last 13 outings dating back to April 10 that he kept the ball in the yard.

The 24-year-old threw a career-high 98 pitches and showcased noticeably improved velocity. His four-seam fastball averaged 94.8 mph, a full tick above his 93.8 mph season average, and consistently sat in the 95-96 mph range before tapering off late in the outing as fatigue set in.

It wasn’t the cleanest performance, but after posting a 7.36 ERA over his first three starts of June, Early delivered an encouraging bounce-back and his best outing of the month.

Interim manager Chad Tracy shook up his lineup Saturday, tabbing Anthony Seigler as his leadoff hitter after the catcher was recalled from Triple-A Worcester following Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s placement on the injured list with left forearm inflammation. Kiner-Falefa underwent an MRI in Seattle.

Seigler led off the fourth inning with a single and later scored as the Red Sox grabbed the lead for good. Moments later, Wilyer Abreu crushed a 414-foot, two-run homer off Mariners starter Emerson Hancock for his ninth home run of the season. It was a welcome sign for Abreu, who entered the night batting just .237 with a .672 OPS in June.

Boston broke the game open with a chaotic three-run sixth inning that showcased aggressive baserunning and Seattle’s inability to throw strikes.

The inning featured two walks, two wild pitches, two RBI infield singles and even a stolen base from Masataka Yoshida. He is now 15-for-15 in his career on stolen base attempts. 

Hancock and reliever José A. Ferrer repeatedly struggled with their command, allowing the Red Sox to manufacture runs without much hard contact. Abreu scored on a Ferrer wild pitch that skipped to the backstop before Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer each produced RBI infield singles.

Durbin’s at-bat was particularly impressive. With two outs and the bases loaded, Ferrer jumped ahead 0-2 before Durbin fouled off three pitches and patiently worked the count full. A 2-2 changeup skipped away from catcher Cal Raleigh, allowing a run to score, and on the 10th pitch of the at-bat Durbin chopped a 99 mph sinker sharply to shortstop for an RBI infield hit that was struck too hard to convert into an out.

Durbin continued his recent hot streak by finishing with two hits and two stolen bases. He even attempted to steal home during the hectic sixth inning but was thrown out after Josh Naylor caught Ferrer’s pickoff attempt at first and fired home.

Overall, Boston collected four walks but also struck out 11 times, finished 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded five runners. 

Hancock was saddled with the loss, tossing 5 1/3 innings allowing five earned runs off four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. 

Willson Contreras remained mired in a rare slump, going 0-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a strikeout. He has gone just 2-for-18 over his last several games while striking out nine times, though he still owns an outstanding .916 OPS as the season approaches its midpoint.

The Sox bullpen was effective in the victory. 

Tyron Guerrero fired a scoreless seventh inning while averaging 100 mph on his fastball and touching 101.6 mph, continuing an impressive stretch since his promotion. 

Garrett Whitlock, pitching for only the second time since returning from the injured list on June 9 and his first appearance in a week, worked a clean eighth inning with one strikeout and threw 10 of his 15 pitches for strikes. Danny Coulombe closed out the victory.

The Red Sox will look to complete the series sweep Sunday when rookie left-hander Payton Tolle (3-4, 2.93 ERA) faces Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (5-4, 3.43 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

Following the game, Boston will travel to Denver to open a three-game series against the Rockies at Coors Field beginning Monday night.