BOSTON -- Staked with a two-run lead 12 outs away from victory, the Red Sox's bullpen could not uphold a strong start from James Paxton as they fell to the Reds, 5-4, on Wednesday at Fenway Park, Boston's second straight defeat to Cincinnati.

“These are tough losses,” said Paxton, who threw 100 pitches (68 strikes) in five innings. “This is going to happen in a season, and we have to keep on taking it one game at a time and come out here and play as hard as we can, and it will turn around.”

Boston jumped out to an early lead on Masataka Yoshida's solo home run in the second inning, then tacked on another run in the bottom of the third before the Reds pulled within one in the top of the fifth inning.

The Sox would get that one right back on one swing thanks to Enmanuel Valdez, who smacked his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to put the Sox up, 3-1.

Meanwhile, Paxton was gassing his fastball up to 98 mph, and his breaking ball was working effectively, and he allowed just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out eight.

“He pitched a great game,” Reds manager David Bell said of Paxton. “We did what we could off him, but he was pretty impressive. I know he’s a good pitcher, but he didn’t miss any spots tonight.”

“I felt good,” said Paxton, making his fourth start of the season after missing time with a right hamstring strain. “Fastball felt really good coming out. I felt the breaking ball took some steps forward. I was throwing some first pitch breaking balls for strikes like I wanted to. … They grinded out at-bats really well. They weren’t easy outs. A testament to them taking good at-bats against me.”

The Reds would continue to grind at-bats, patiently working a run off of reliever Kutter Crawford, who walked two batters and gave up an RBI single in the sixth inning before being pulled.

Josh Winckowski came in and stopped the bleeding with an inning-ending strikeout, but his return trip to the hill in the top of the seventh inning was far less successful after the frame opened with a throwing error on a ground ball to Rafael Devers.

“It’s tough,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s a routine play that we have to make at this level. I always say, if you give the opposition more than 27 outs, most of the time, they’re going to score, they’re going to make you pay. That play, we have to make. We didn’t, and it opened the gates for them.”

Indeed it did, as the Reds followed with two singles and a run-scoring double play. Spencer Steer delivered the final blow, a tiebreaking two-run homer into the Monster Seats in left-center.

“They’re human,” Cora said of the bullpen. “They’ve been doing an amazing job. It’s one of those where it’s a tough one, we lost the series, so tomorrow we’ve got to come here and get one.”

Yoshida would cross the plate once more in the eighth after Jarren Duran drove him in from second with a double, bringing Boston within a run.

Then in the ninth, the Sox made two quick outs before Devers strolled to the plate and took hold of a Buck Farmer offering, sending it high and deep to center field where Nick Senzel wrangled it in against the wall for the final out.

“Honestly, I thought it was going to be a home run and he was going to tie the game,” Valdez said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and we just need to turn the page and come back tomorrow and keep working.”

“I was disappointed, but it’s already finished today,” Yoshida said. “We need to be ready for tomorrow’s game.”