Brayan Bello picked the right night to show Boston exactly what it had been waiting for.
The Red Sox right-hander drew a loud welcome from the Fenway crowd on Labor Day, but there was plenty of reason for caution. Bello had not made a traditional start since June 4, and after a long stretch that included time in the minor leagues and the bullpen, his return to the rotation came with real questions attached. Earlier this season, he had carried an ERA north of 10 as a starter.
Against the Los Angeles Angels, though, Bello looked nothing like that version of himself. He worked through the first inning cleanly, which was no small thing considering he entered the day with a 14.46 ERA in first innings this season across 10 of them. He allowed some traffic after that, but he still kept the Angels off the board through the second and third innings.
By the time his afternoon ended after the fifth, Bello had turned in his best outing of the season by a wide margin: no runs, four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. For Boston, the timing could hardly have been better.
The rotation has been showing wear lately. Sonny Gray had to have his first start of September pushed back for extra rest, and Ranger Suarez has only recently begun to look like himself again after a few rough outings that followed an injury.
The Red Sox have leaned on pitching all year, especially early on when the offense wasn’t giving them enough. That workload has started to show, and it was on display in a brutal stretch from August 29 through September 2, when Boston gave up eight or more runs in five straight games.
That’s what made Bello’s bounce-back so important. The Red Sox have had a strange and chaotic season in a lot of ways, but their surge in July and August - a 15-game winning streak followed by a 30-5 run - shoved them right into the playoff mix.
Bello’s season, though, has followed a much stranger path than most. Before Labor Day, he was unable to hold down a rotation job, yet he was overpowering in relief.
The numbers tell the story plainly. As a starter, Bello has a 9.07 ERA over 40.2 innings. As a reliever, he’s posted a 2.03 ERA in 62 innings.
If this version of Bello sticks, Boston suddenly has a real decision to make. He could challenge Patrick Sandoval, who is still working his way back from UCL surgery, or Jake Bennett, the rookie who has nearly 100 innings on his arm this season.
And even if the Red Sox keep him in a relief role, there’s still a path for him to be a major weapon there. Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck are expected to join that group soon as long relief options.
For much of the year, Bello has looked like one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. If Boston can get even a portion of that form back in the rotation, it may have found exactly the kind of arm it needs for the postseason push.
In Other News...
Red Sox Prospect From That Grissom Deal Is Suddenly Worth Watching
The final week of the season brought a small but notable shuffle in the Red Sox system, with outfielder Isaiah Jackson moving up to Double-A Portland. Boston also promoted right-handers Griffin Kilander and Aaron Nixon to Portland, while utility player Tyler McDonough went back to Triple-A, a set of moves that gives the organization one more chance to take a look at a few players before the year closes.
Jackson is the name that stands out for Red Sox followers, especially because he came over in the Vaughn Grissom trade and has started to build a case in High-A as a defense-first outfielder who can also drive the ball. For a player taken in the eighth round in 2025, the climb to Portland says plenty about how quickly his stock has risen, and it adds one more interesting layer to a deal Boston has been monitoring since the moment it was made. [Read more 🡒]
Viral Fenway Moment Added To A Frustrating Night For Red Sox Fans
Fenway Park had its share of distractions on a frustrating night for Boston, and one of them came from the stands. A fan was recorded sending a $50 payment through Cash App while the game was still going on, with another spectator capturing the moment on video, including the phone screen and the message exchange that led up to it.
It was the kind of off-field scene that can take on a life of its own online, especially when it comes during a game the home crowd would rather forget. The Red Sox went on to lose 6-1 to the Angels, a result that not only dimmed the mood at Fenway but also snapped Bostons five-game winning streak. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Have A Bigger Lineup Concern In Angels Finale
Adley Rutschman is out of the Red Sox starting lineup for the second straight game because of a hyperextended right elbow, giving Boston another wrinkle to manage as it tries to bounce back from its previous loss in the series against the Angels. Mickey Gasper will handle catching duties and bat second, while Jake Bennett is set to start on the mound as the Red Sox look to steady themselves in the finale.
Rutschmans absence leaves Boston watching a key spot in the order and behind the plate a little longer than expected, and it comes at a moment when every lineup decision feels magnified. The Red Sox have enough to sort out after dropping the last game, and now they have to do it without one of the names they were counting on most. [Read more 🡒]