BOSTON — There’s plenty of uncertainty in the Red Sox’ starting rotation going into 2023, with looming departures and spots to fill.
But Brayan Bello is continuing to show that he has the capability of being a fixture in the rotation next season and for years to come — becoming a young, blooming starter that the Red Sox haven’t had in a long time.
The rookie may have had a rough introduction to the majors when he debuted in July out of necessity as the Red Sox were rocked by injuries, but that was to be expected. Two months later, Bello is taking those hard lessons, pitching with confidence and showing how bright his future can be.
Saturday was the best evidence of that yet. The 22-year-old Bello submitted another career performance at Fenway Park as he threw six shutout innings and picked up his first career win to lead the Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Rangers.
The Red Sox, who won their fourth consecutive game, can complete a sweep with Kutter Crawford on the mound for Sunday’s series finale.
Bello impressed two starts ago with five strong innings against the dangerous Blue Jays and looked like he was cruising against the Twins earlier this week when he lost command and ultimately exited the game earlier than expected. And though the lowly Rangers presented an easier challenge, he bounced back by attacking the strike zone.
Sixty of Bello’s career-high 88 pitches were strikes, and the key was getting ahead in the count as he threw 16 first-pitch strikes to the 22 batters he faced. That helped him handle the Rangers’ lineup with his four-pitch mix — which he’s gaining a better understanding of how to use against big-league lineups after dominating the minors. He allowed just three hits and walked one.
After issuing a one-out walk in the fourth to Mark Mathias, Bello didn’t allow another baserunner as he worked into a third time through Texas’ order. He used his 97-mph sinker to record back-to-back strikeouts, getting Kole Calhoun swinging before getting Ezequiel Duran looking at one.
Bello struck out Bubba Thompson swinging at a 97-mph four-seamer as part of a 1-2-3 fifth before finishing his outing strong, dotting the zone with a 97-mph sinker to strike out Nathaniel Lowe looking before retiring Adolis Garcia on a line out to third. Bello, knowing his day was likely over, pumped his fist into his glove twice and screamed something excitedly into his glove as he walked off the field, greeted by plenty of congratulations by his teammates in the dugout.
The Red Sox gave Bello plenty of support as Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts continued to fuel the offense, which benefited from three Rangers errors and other mistakes. Devers and Bogaerts both recorded two hits as Bogaerts made it seven consecutive games with multiple hits.
Leading 1-0 in the fifth, Kiké Hernandez and Alex Verdugo drew walks before advancing on a balk from Brock Burke. Hernandez then scored when Bogaerts hit a grounder to third and Corey Seager’s throw home was dropped by Meibrys Viloria. Devers then scored Verdugo on a fielder’s choice groundout.
The Red Sox added insurance in the seventh when Bogaerts and Devers started a two-run rally with singles. Bogaerts scored on a fielding error by Duran at third on a grounder by J.D. Martinez before Trevor Story hit a double — his 400th career two-bagger — to score Devers as the Sox built a 5-0 lead. But with two runners in scoring position and one out, they couldn’t add more.
It proved to be enough as the bullpen labored trying to put the Rangers away. Garrett Whitlock struggled for a second consecutive outing. He pitched a shutout seventh but gave up two homers in the eighth — including a two-run shot by Marcus Semien that cut the Red Sox’ lead to 5-3. Then, in the ninth, Matt Barnes loaded the bases with one out on three singles (including one infield) before John Schreiber came in and retired Semien and Seager for his sixth save of the season.
