BOSTON — Brayan Bello didn’t pitch well in his final outing Friday against Arizona, allowing five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 12-2 loss. He entered Wednesday’s game with a 6.96 ERA, which he posted in seven career starts against the Blue Jays, including a 9.72 ERA in two games this year. The prospects for a career night weren’t looking good.
But that’s exactly what Bello delivered in the Red Sox’ 3-0 win that brought Boston within three games of a playoff spot while the Twins lost to the Braves. The 25-year-old was absolutely dominant against the Blue Jays, throwing eight scoreless innings, striking out nine batters and allowing two hits – the longest start of his career.
“It was his best major league outing, against a team that has given him trouble,” manager Alex Cora said. “He was able to keep them off balance and use the fastball enough to keep them on their toes. It was outstanding.”
“That was incredible. It was fun to watch. He had everything under control, pitch after pitch. He didn’t get the lead. The sinker was good, the four-seamer was great. Changeup, slider were outstanding.”
Bello needed just 13 pitches in the first, then ran into serious trouble midway through the game after an RBI single by Wilyer Abreu gave him the lead. Facing veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt, Bello left Addison Barger on second base after a one-out double in the second, then allowed just two more baserunners while keeping his pitch count low. Bello seemed focused on every pitch and was more animated than usual on the mound. It was only the second time a Red Sox starter has given them eight innings in 133 games this year.
“He was excited, but not too excited,” Cora said. “He was very poised, stayed in the moment and gave us a much-needed outing where we were in terms of the bullpen.”
Bello needed just 97 pitches to get through eight innings, throwing 66 strikes in the process. He had 15 whiffs, including seven on his slider and five on his prized changeup. He also mixed in seven four-seamers that averaged 95.2 mph. A pitch Bello hadn’t used for the first three months of the season is now back in his arsenal in select spots.
“I feel like it really helped me against lefties, giving them a different look and changing their vision,” Bello said through translator Daveson Perez. “It was a huge throw for me.”
Bello’s rollercoaster first half ended with a 5.32 ERA in 17 starts and included his removal from the rotation in early July. But he’s quietly had a pretty good second half of the season. In eight starts since the All-Star break, he has a 3.42 ERA and struck out 46 batters in 47 ⅓ innings. The Red Sox have won six of their eight games in the second half.
“He understands where we are and what’s at stake,” Cora said. “He’s been throwing well here for some time. It’s not like this just happened suddenly because he was struggling. He’s been throwing the ball well for a month and a half. As far as the material goes, it’s been more than a month and a half. Now it’s about execution.”
For the Red Sox to have a real chance of catching other AL contenders and playing in October, they need to boost their rotation, like Bello did on Wednesday.
“We’re in the middle of a playoff battle right now, so I really wanted to win this game so we can keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Bello said. “I love these games, especially because when the score is like that, you have to stay focused. You have to focus on making every single shot. I really enjoyed it.”
I definitely think that was one of my better starts in the major leagues. In all phases, I think it was one of the best.
