LOS ANGELES — Brayan Bello has spent his entire professional life on a five-day routine. That was the case in each of the last three seasons, in which he made at least 28 starts for the Red Sox, and even in a tough first three months of this season despite sometimes pitching behind an opener.
The past few weeks, though, have brought something new for Bello: long layoffs and randomly placed outings along the way. After making his fourth start at Triple-A Worcester on July 1, he was held out of pitching until July 12, when he returned to the majors with a 4 ⅓ inning relief outing at Citi Field. Ten days later, he relieved Eduardo Rivera at Fenway and gave the Red Sox a 5 ⅓ inning appearance in a loss to Baltimore. On Friday — after a nine-day layoff — he returned to the mound again and pitched the final four innings of a 9-4 win over the Dodgers.
It's not a conventional role for a former rotation stalwart who signed a $55 million extension two years ago and just last fall started Game 2 of a playoff series at Yankee Stadium. But it's one that has worked for Bello, who owns a 0.66 ERA in 13 ⅔ innings since returning to the big leagues, allowing one earned run on nine hits in that span while posting a 13-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
"He's thrown great in the outings he's had since he has been back," said interim manager Chad Tracy.
After yet another disastrous first inning on June 4 against the Orioles, the Red Sox sent Bello (and his 6.34 ERA) to the minors for an optional ******* ignment that would have been unthinkable during a breakout 2025 season. The goal was to get him in a rhythm and work on getting right away from the pressure of the major leagues.
#bello #inning #july
The past few weeks, though, have brought something new for Bello: long layoffs and randomly placed outings along the way. After making his fourth start at Triple-A Worcester on July 1, he was held out of pitching until July 12, when he returned to the majors with a 4 ⅓ inning relief outing at Citi Field. Ten days later, he relieved Eduardo Rivera at Fenway and gave the Red Sox a 5 ⅓ inning appearance in a loss to Baltimore. On Friday — after a nine-day layoff — he returned to the mound again and pitched the final four innings of a 9-4 win over the Dodgers.
It's not a conventional role for a former rotation stalwart who signed a $55 million extension two years ago and just last fall started Game 2 of a playoff series at Yankee Stadium. But it's one that has worked for Bello, who owns a 0.66 ERA in 13 ⅔ innings since returning to the big leagues, allowing one earned run on nine hits in that span while posting a 13-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
"He's thrown great in the outings he's had since he has been back," said interim manager Chad Tracy.
After yet another disastrous first inning on June 4 against the Orioles, the Red Sox sent Bello (and his 6.34 ERA) to the minors for an optional ******* ignment that would have been unthinkable during a breakout 2025 season. The goal was to get him in a rhythm and work on getting right away from the pressure of the major leagues.
#bello #inning #july
6 days ago
