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Brayan Bello gets Red Sox ‘killer’ to finish off ‘great team play’
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- Brayan Bello gets Red Sox ‘killer’ to finish off ‘great team play’
BOSTON — Red Sox starter Brayan Bello showed his athleticism while covering first base during the first inning Tuesday. He stretched out fully and kept his foot on the bag to complete a 3-6-1 double play and escape a bases-loaded jam.
He fell to the dirt once the play was completed.
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"Obviously it was a relief to be able to get that ground ball to get those two outs," Bello said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. "I feel it was a great team play."
Bello made big pitches when needed to make them and led the Red Sox to an 8-3 victory over the Mariners here at Fenway Park.
The 25-year-old allowed one run, four hits and three walks while striking out three in 5 innings. He was making his 2025 debut after beginning the regular season on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain.
Jorge Polanco , the second batter of the game, crushed a 407-foot solo homer off Bello. The righty then walked Cal Raleigh and hit both Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley to load the bases with one out.
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"Obviously the first inning, it has to be hard," manager Alex Cora said. "Being on the IL, you're coming back and that's a pretty good baseball team over there. And Polanco hits one out right away. A lot of things going on. He got the ground ball against Rowdy (Tellez) who's been a killer for us."
Tellez grounded it 88.3 mph off the bat to first baseman Triston Casas who turned and made a quick throw to shortstop Trevor Story at second.
Tellez was a career .309/.396/.691/1.087 hitter with 14 homers in 41 games (144 plate appearances) against the Red Sox entering Tuesday. He also entered with a .323/.430/.600/1.030 line and five homers in 79 plate appearances at Fenway Park.
"I feel like this was the first time in my career that I hit two batters in one inning," Bello said. "So after that I just settled down and tried to do my job. And I was glad that I was able to get out of that inning with less damage than it could have been."
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Casas, who belted a three-run homer in the seventh, said he tried to take his time and make a good throw to Story.
"Bello made a really great stretch to complete it," Casas said. "So it was huge to get the momentum back on our side."
Cora and head athletic trainer Brandon Henry visited the mound to check on Bello in the fourth inning after the righty felt some cramping in his calf.
"It's nothing," Bello said. "I'll be ready for the next start."
Bello landed only 51 of his 97 pitches (52.6%) for strikes but he made pitches against the final two batters he faced — even while being cautious pitching on his cramping leg.
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He fell behind 2-0 in the count against Raleigh (who has nine homers) with two runners on base and one out. But he got Raleigh to fly out to left field on a 2-1 changeup for the second out. He fell behind 3-1 in the count to Arozarena but struck him out swinging on a 3-2 slider.
"He got everybody fired up after the strikeout," Alex Bregman said. "Athletic guy as well as you can tell on that double play ball in the first inning."
Bello added, "I kept battling. I kept competing against those two hitters. I was able to win it. I feel like after the fourth inning I was a little bit cautious with my leg. But I was able to get those two outs."
Bello threw 38 sinkers, averaging 95.1 mph and topping out at 97.3 mph, per Statcast . He also mixed in 36 sliders, 17 changeups and six four-seam fastballs. He recorded seven swings and misses: four with his slider, two with his changeup and one with his sinker.
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"The changeup was good. The slider was better I believe from where I was," Cora said. "He was able to use the four-seamer to keep them honest. And for his first one, that was solid."
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Read the original article on MassLive .
