Wilyer Abreu hits go-ahead single as Red Sox beat Reds in rain-suspended game

Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald on Jul 2, 2025

Published in Baseball

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BOSTON — It took nearly 21 hours, but the Red Sox eventually got it done.

The Red Sox won Wednesday afternoon’s rain-suspended contest, 5-3, rallying for two runs in the bottom of the eighth to clinch the midweek series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Wilyer Abreu delivered the go-ahead RBI single, and Brayan Bello allowed two runs over five innings after taking the mound when play resumed.

Before the game was suspended due to inclement weather on Tuesday night, the Red Sox led 2-1 thanks to an RBI double by Roman Anthony, a run-scoring single by Carlos Narvaez and a strong effort by Richard Fitts, who allowed one run over three innings before severe thunderstorms moved into the area.

Rather than go right to the bullpen as the Reds did when play resumed, the Red Sox opted to have Bello take the mound in hopes of having him pitch as much of the remaining game as possible.

Initially things didn’t go well for the Red Sox right-hander. Bello allowed a walk and then a two-run home run to Spencer Steer in the bottom of the fourth, allowing the Reds to take a 3-2 lead, but from there he settled down and retired the next eight batters he faced.

Bello faced the minimum 14 from the point he gave up the home run through the end of the eighth. During that stretch Cincinnati only got two baserunners — both on hit batsmen — and each runner was subsequently erased by a double play.

The Red Sox tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Narvaez, who scored Abraham Toro after the first baseman hit a bloop double and took third on a wild pitch.

Toro came up big his next at bat in the eighth with a single, and pinch runner Nate Eaton subsequently stole second and advanced to third on a ground out to move into scoring position. That set the table for Abreu, who gave Boston the lead with his RBI knock, and Trevor Story provided some insurance with an RBI double to deep center field.

Story wound up being thrown out at second after he rounded the bag too far and slipped trying to get back, but the gaffe didn’t prove costly, as closer Aroldis Chapman came on for the top of the ninth and sent the Reds down 1-2-3 for the save.