The Red Sox keep stacking wins, and Brayan Bello has quietly turned into one of the biggest reasons why.
Boston has won seven straight, a run that includes two victories before the trade deadline against the Athletics, a sweep of the Dodgers, and two more wins over the Chicago White Sox. They’re trying to complete another sweep tonight, and the bullpen has been a major driver behind the surge. But tucked inside that relief corps is a surprising edge: Bello, once a starter who couldn’t get through innings cleanly, has become a weapon out of the bullpen.
That’s a pretty dramatic turn for a pitcher Boston expected to rely on in the rotation. Bello opened the year as the club’s fourth starter, with the Red Sox hoping for something close to the 11-9, 3.35 ERA version they had the season before.
Instead, things went sideways fast. His ERA as a starter climbed above 10, and the damage usually showed up right away, often in the first inning, before Boston could even settle in.
After too many rough outings, the Red Sox sent him down to AAA, where the starting pitching prospects in the system were simply outperforming him.
The shift back to the majors changed everything.
Since returning as a long reliever, Bello has looked nothing like the pitcher Boston had to stash away earlier in the year. In games where he’s been used as a long man or as a “starter” behind an opening pitcher, he’s been dominant. Over 42 innings in relief, Bello has put up a 0.64 ERA with 30 strikeouts, which is the lowest ERA by any pitcher with 35 or more innings in relief this season.
That matters because Boston’s bullpen is built around high-leverage arms who need to be managed carefully. Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten and the rest can be leaned on heavily, but only so much.
They need days off, and pushing them too hard can lead to reduced velocity or injury. Bello gives the Red Sox a way around that problem.
With the workload of a starter, he can absorb multiple innings in a single outing and cover the stretch after the starter exits. That lets Boston protect its premium relievers while still keeping the game in control, especially when a starter only gets through five or six innings. Add in the fact that Bello has been nearly untouchable in relief, and the Red Sox suddenly have a useful answer for the back end of games.
If this keeps up, Boston will have another option to lean on deep into October.
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