Bello allows 1 hit in 6 innings as Red Sox beat Pirates 8-1

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brayan Bello allowed one hit in six innings, Rob Refsnyder hit his first home run of the season and the Boston Red Sox beat the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1 on Friday night.

Bello (3-1) struck out seven and walked two. The only hit he gave up was a Jack Suwinski double in the bottom of the second. Bello retired the last 11 batters he faced as the Red Sox bounced back from a dismal home game by handing the Pirates their fourth straight loss.

“I went there to compete in every round,” Bello said through a translator. “That’s what I wanted since the offseason, since I started training, to show the kind of pitcher I am.”

Refsnyder, who made his season debut Thursday after coming off the injured list, hit a two-run shot with one out in the fifth that chased Quinn Priester (0-1). Wiyer Abreu, Triston Casas and Ceddanne Rafaela also scored for Boston. Abreu finished 3 of 5, while Refsnyder and Connor Wong each had two hits.

Cam Booser, a 31-year-old left-handed reliever who left baseball to become a carpenter after the 2017 season, allowed a run in the ninth in his major league debut.

Booser’s teammates then showered him with beer, ketchup, water and whatever else was available in the clubhouse.

“I didn’t expect anything like this,” said Booser, who allowed a triple to Alika Williams but also struck out five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen. “It was very special for me. And that shows how special this day was. I will remember every moment of today for the rest of my life.

Priester, a 2019 first-round pick who was recalled Thursday from Triple-A Indianapolis, struggled in his first big league start of the season.

The 22-year-old right-hander gave up solo shots to Abreu and Casas in the first inning and worked from there. Priester, whose return to the majors after a rocky 2023 was fueled by improved command that helped him rack up 20 strikeouts in three starts, struck out just two while allowing five runs, four earned , in 4 1/3 innings.

“I think it comes down to executing in the big leagues,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said of Priester. “If you’re not making pitches and putting yourself in deficits, then balls are going to get hit hard and I think that’s what we saw.”

Pittsburgh has calmed down after a 9-3 start. The Pirates have lost seven of nine since then, with much of the attention focused on 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes. The right-hander struck out eight in 3 1/3 innings for Indianapolis on Thursday, although Pittsburgh insists it is in no rush to move him up.

Boston, like the Pirates, started hot. The Red Sox won seven of 10 to start the season before losing seven of 10 in a 10-game homestand against Baltimore, the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland. Injuries to prominent players have piled up, although the starting rotation has been among the best in the majors despite losing Lucas Giolito for the season to Tommy John surgery in March.

Red Sox starters posted a 1.71 ERA in 21 games, with 114 strikeouts against 27 walks.

TRAINERS ROOM

Red Sox: 3B Rafael Devers (bruised left knee) was held out of the lineup for a second straight game, although manager Alex Cora hopes Devers will not need to be placed on the injured list. … RHP Nick Pivetta (right elbow) is “tending” in the right direction according to Cora. Pivetta will have a bullpen session soon.

Pirates: C Yasmani Grandal (left foot) was the designated hitter for Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday after catching seven innings on Thursday. … LHP Marco Gonzalez (left forearm) is out for at least the next two weeks.

FOLLOWING

The three-game interleague series continues on Saturday. Kutter Crawford (0-0, 0.42 ERA) starts for Boston against Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (2-1, 4.50).