5 takeaways as Red Sox outlast Marlins, continue torrid stretch at home
Brayan Bello bounced back in convincing fashion.
COMMENTARY
Forgive the Red Sox for finishing their recent road trip with a 2-4 record.
They just wanted to remind the Fenway faithful how much of a difference they truly make.
After outlasting the Miami Marlins, 7-5, on Saturday, Boston has now won 16 of its last 18 home games. The Red Sox (68-56) are 41-22 at home on the season, compared to 27-34 on the road.
Long term, they’ll likely have to become more consistent on the road to make a deep playoff run. For now, humming at home should be enough to vault them where they want to go.
Saturday’s game marked the 13th consecutive sellout at Fenway Park — the longest streak since 2018, when they sold out 32 straight. The vibes are back in Boston, as the Red Sox inch closer and closer to their first playoff berth since 2021.
“It’s unbelievable showing up to his park every day, the fans, and how behind us the city is,” said rookie Roman Anthony. “It’s just a special place to come to every day. We feed off that energy.”
Here are five takeaways from yet another win:
Banking on Bello
Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello found a rhythm early and never relented in a strong all-around effort.
Bello (6 1/3 inning, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 strikeouts, 0 walks, 78 pitches, 52 strikes) looked comfortable in a 10-pitch first inning, and appeared to relax even more when the Red Sox gave him plenty of run support. He surrendered two solo home runs later in the game, but managed to minimize the damage each time — with an assist from reliever Justin Wilson in the seventh.
He’s now recorded a quality start in 11 of his last 13 games and has allowed three runs or fewer in 20 of his 22 outings this season.
Red Sox fans shouldn’t take that for granted. Bello’s ERA was 4.71 in 2022, 4.24 in 2023, and 4.49 in 2024. This year, that number has dipped considerably to 3.23.
“I feel like the key has been throwing strikes, trying to get ahead of batters, and getting quick outs,” Bello said through a translator.
One main reason for the improvement is his excellent ground ball rate of 49.6, which put him in Major League Baseball’s 81st percentile entering Saturday. He recorded 10 outs in that fashion against the Marlins.
Bello (9-6) bounced back from a rare poor performance against the Padres and has now surrendered one or zero runs in three of his last four starts. He and Lucas Giolito have complemented Garrett Crochet perfectly, and together they form a dependable 1-2-3 that’s built for October.
Story time
A night after lifting the Red Sox to a 2-1 victory with a walk-off single to right, Trevor Story continued his recent tear with a two-hit day Saturday.
The highlight came in the third inning, when he blasted a three-run shot to left that plated Anthony and Jarren Duran.
Boston is now 17-1 this season when Story homers. That’s enough of a sample size to feel like it’s not a coincidence. The Red Sox feed off his energy and productivity, and that added pop in the middle of the lineup goes a long way.
“To be able to add to the standard that I’ve set for myself over my career, it’s rewarding, for sure, after the last few years,” Story said. “This is how we envisioned it as we signed with Boston. Playing games like this is what it’s all about.”
Story also stole second, extending his franchise record of consecutive steals to 22 (since caught stealing was first tracked in 1920). He made a slick play at shortstop as well, ranging to his right, elevating, and throwing to first for a flashy out.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” said manager Alex Cora. “He’s been amazing for us.”
Double the fun
The Red Sox, who entered the day leading MLB in doubles (251), added three more against Marlins starter Cal Quantrill.
Anthony doubled to center in the third, then Duran plated him and Alex Bregman with a double of his own. Ceddanne Rafaela added a double the next inning and scored on a Bregman single to make it 7-0.
“We try to put pressure on the defense as much as we can, and we put an emphasis on that,” Anthony said. “Pregame, all the time, we’re constantly talking about it, trying to stretch an extra 90 and really put that pressure on other teams. That way, when teams come in here, they know that we’re going to get out of the box.”
Boston also entered the day first in MLB with 420 extra-base hits and added four more Saturday.
The consistency throughout the lineup has been impressive. Six players recorded a hit Saturday, with three providing multiple hits.
Dicey at the end
When Isaiah Campbell entered with a 7-2 lead, it appeared to be just a formality at that point. Instead, the Marlins quickly scored three runs and sent the tying run to the plate with two outs.
Aroldis Chapman entered and finished the job with a grounder to short. The bullpen has been sharp at times and struggled in spurts, and the Red Sox are fortunate to have Chapman as a dominant force when they really need him.
He’s now 22 for 24 in save opportunities this season.
“It happened,” Cora said. “We needed him there. We won the game, we won the series.”
Green and yellow
With Friday’s win, the Red Sox moved to 5-3 in the “Fenway Greens,” with all five victories coming in walk-off fashion.
After Saturday’s win, Boston is now 43-17 all-time in the yellow City Connect jerseys, including 8-3 in 2025.
Make of that what you will, but when they sport green or yellow at home, there’s a strong chance they’re going to win.
“It’s amazing,” Anthony said. “There’s no other type of baseball I’d rather be playing right now, the winning, and the baseball that we’re trying to make the playoffs here and win the division.”
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