The Boston Red Sox are on pace to finish last in the American League East for the third time in the last four seasons, but young starter Brayan Bello continues to give the franchise reason for optimism moving forward.
Bello pitched fantastic Sunday night in the Red Sox' 3-2 comeback win in 10 innings over the rival New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
He gave up just three hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts and two walks over seven innings. The two runs the Yankees scored on him came from a ground ball that hit second base and went into center field. If not for that bad luck, Bello might have given up zero runs.
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“I think my sinker was very good. The changeup was really good,” Bello told reporters after the win, via The Boston Globe's Julian McWilliams. “The slider I need to work on because I couldn’t command that the way I wanted. But I think everything worked very well for me today.”
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Bello has pitched well on a consistent basis for a while now.
He has pitched at least five innings in seven of his last eight starts. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs seven times during that stretch. His ERA is just 2.80 in those eight starts with 41 strikeouts and 14 walks. Bello also hasn't surrendered a single home run in his last three outings.
After two less-than-stellar starts to begin the season, Bello has given the Red Sox a chance to win every time he has stepped on to the mound.
If the Red Sox are going to turn their season around, they need the starting rotation to keep showing improvement. This weekend featured a strong showing from Bello, Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck.
Despite these three good performances in the Bronx over the weekend, the Red Sox still rank 13th among the 15 AL teams in starters' ERA (5.07) and 11th in starters' batting average against (.259).
From a big picture standpoint, the Red Sox need someone to emerge as a true ace who can lead the rotation long term. Bello, at just 24 years old, could fill that role for many years. If you're looking for a reason to be (cautiously) hopeful about the future of the team, Bello is one example.