Anyone who thought Rafael Devers wouldn\u2019t homer against the Red Sox this weekend wasn\u2019t familiar with the slugger\u2019s game.<\/b>
\nAnyone who thought Rafael Devers wouldn\u2019t homer against the Red Sox this weekend wasn\u2019t familiar with the slugger\u2019s game.
Likewise for anyone who thought Devers wouldn\u2019t eventually find a Red Sox fastball he could clobber.
Devers\u2019 first home run in a Giants uniform, combined with yet another Red Sox error, proved the difference in his new team\u2019s 3-2 victory over his former ball club.
Brayan Bello was largely effective in his 12th start of the season, striking out six and issuing one walk. It was his fourth consecutive start of at least six innings, his longest streak since he made seven such starts between June and July \u201823.
\u201cHe threw the ball well,\u201d manager Alex Cora told reporters. \u201cOverall, gave us enough\u2026 We cannot complain.\u201d
Bello allowed three runs on four hits, including a pair of homers by Heliot Ramos (solo) and Devers, but only one of the runs was earned; David Hamilton\u2019s second error in as many games prolonged the bottom of the third and ensured there was a runner on base when Devers went yard.
\u201cWe expect him to be an elite defender,\u201d Cora said of Hamilton. \u201cUsually he\u2019s able to handle it.\u201d
The Boston bats did even less against Giants starter Landen Roupp, who yielded just three hits, three walks, and struck out seven in six shutout innings.
\u201cWe knew going into it he had good stuff, likes to mix different shapes, different pitch types,\u201d rookie Roman Anthony told reporters of Roupp.
The Boston bullpen turned in yet another strong effort, with newcomer Jorge Alcala and Luis Guerrero contributing a perfect inning apiece. Red Sox relievers have been lights-out of late, combining for 19.2 scoreless innings over their last six games.
After making mincemeat of several San Francisco relievers on Friday night, however, the Red Sox couldn\u2019t manage a baserunner against Randy Rodr\u00edguez and Tyler Rogers, who pitched the seventh and eighth, respectively. Boston didn\u2019t have an extra-base hit before the ninth inning.
Facing Camilo Doval in the ninth, the Red Sox finally threatened. Anthony\u2019s leadoff double was the lineup\u2019s first extra-base hit of the afternoon. Trevor Story and Wilyer Abreu followed with back-to-back singles, the latter getting Boston on the board at the eleventh hour.
\u201cWhen you\u2019re in a situation like that you\u2019re just trying to do anything,\u201d Anthony said.
When Nate Eaton came in to pinch-run for Abreu, the Giants gifted the Red Sox another run; as Eaton stole second, Story came home on a throwing error by catcher Andrew Knizner.
Marcelo Mayer\u2019s ground-out advanced Eaton to third, but Romy Gonzalez didn\u2019t have his usual pinch-hit magic and ground out to let the Giants off the hook.
The Red Sox are 40-38 overall, including 8-2 in their last 10 games. Yet they\u2019re also 14-29 when opponents score first, 12-25 when they score less than four runs, 6-20 when they don\u2019t homer, and 1-29 when they trail after the eighth inning. In one-run games, they\u2019re 9-18.
In other words, whatever fight this team has, it\u2019s usually not enough.
The series in San Francisco concludes Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n