Brayan Bello has been the definition of hit or miss this season. The talented but inconsistent right-hander has often struggled to channel his impressive arsenal, but when he’s on form, you can understand why the Red Sox gave him a six-year contract extension and named him their Opening Day starter earlier this year.
This enormous potential became clear on Wednesday evening.
Bello delivered a sensational performance in the Red Sox’s 3-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, throwing a career-high eight scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and one walk, and striking out nine players.
It was the longest appearance of Bello’s career and, in manager Alex Cora’s opinion, his best.
“That was incredible. It was fun to watch him,” Cora said. “He had it under control pitch after pitch, but he didn’t get the lead. The sinker was good, the four-seamer was great, the changeup and slider were outstanding, that was his best performance in the major leagues.”
“I think that was definitely one of my better starts in the major leagues,” Bello said through translator Daveson Perez. “In all phases, it was one of the best.”
After Bello started a scoreless first inning, the Red Sox quickly took a lead when Jarren Duran led off with a single and scored on an RBI single by Wilyer Abreu.
Boston then loaded all bases but was unable to do any more damage. After that, Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt calmed down and turned the game into an old-fashioned duel between two pitchers.
From the bottom of the first inning to the bottom of the sixth, Bassitt struck out 17 of the Red Sox’s 18 batters, ultimately allowing one run on five hits, one walk and one hit batsman with nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
“Your husband did a great job too, I love the way he throws, I love it,” Cora said. “He changed the pace, the thought process, using the sinker to the outside and the cutter to the top and the breaking ball, he did a masterful job too, Bassitt. After we put pressure on him, he made some throws, so every throw mattered tonight until the end.”
Bello had an answer to every question.
The 25-year-old sent the Blue Jays trailing 1-2-3 in five of his eight innings and didn’t allow more than one baserunner in any of the other innings. He allowed 15 whiffs and 18 strikes, 14 of which came from his sinker alone. No Blue Jays runners got past second base while he was on the mound, and the only real damage he allowed was a double in the second inning that had no consequences.
“He played a great game tonight, man,” said outfielder Tyler O’Neill. “Eight innings, he kept the ball on the ground, got outs early, put pressure on our defense, it was great to see.”
Despite Bello’s brilliant performance, the Red Sox still held on to a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the eighth inning. With Bassitt out of the game, the bats finally came to life against Blue Jays relief pitcher Brendon Little, and after David Hamilton got on base on a catcher’s error, O’Neill gave Boston some breathing room with a massive two-run home run against the Green Monster.
This set the stage for the closer and Kenley Jansen finished things off with a dominant top of the ninth inning, earning his 25th save of the season.
Even though the game ended in a clear victory, it was so close the whole time that one misstep could have sent everything spiraling out of control. Bello handled the pressure masterfully, but did he enjoy walking that tightrope in that moment?
“I love these games, especially because you have to stay focused when the score is like that,” Bello said. “You have to focus on making every shot and I really enjoyed that.”
Cora noted that Bello has struggled against the Blue Jays in the past, and the numbers bear that out. Before Wednesday, Bello had faced Toronto seven times and posted a 6.96 ERA in 32.1 innings, his worst against an opponent he has pitched 15 or more innings against.
Now that number is 5.85, more than one run better, and he’s also lowered his ERA for the season to 4.66.
Overall, the Red Sox have won two games in a row after losing five games in four days between Friday and Monday. Combined with the Atlanta Braves’ win over the Minnesota Twins, the Red Sox (69-64) are now just three games back of the American League’s final wild card spot.
Boston will try to score its third straight win against Toronto (65-70) on Thursday. Kutter Crawford (8-11, 4.19) will face Toronto’s Bowden Francis (7-3, 4.02) in the series finale.
Hamilton injured
In the second half of the eighth inning, David Hamilton was hit in the hands while attempting to hit the ball. He made it safely to the finish line on an error, but after the game Cora admitted he was in pain.
“He hit his fingers while playing bunt, so he’s in a lot of pain. So we’ll see what happens,” said Cora.
Cora said he wasn’t sure if Hamilton needed X-rays, but they would know more by Thursday.
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