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Red Sox’ Brayan Bello (6.75 ERA in 4 starts) offers simple fix for early-season struggles
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- Red Sox’ Brayan Bello (6.75 ERA in 4 starts) offers simple fix for early-season struggles
BOSTON — After failing to go five innings for the third time in four starts this season, Red Sox starter Brayan Bello offered a simple fix for his early-season woes.
“With two strikes, I’m not being competitive in the zone,” Bello said (through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez). “Early in the count, I’m not being aggressive enough. That’s something I need to work on.”
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The issues with Bello’s attack plan were evident early and often against the Tigers on Saturday as he took the loss after a laborious four innings in a 4-1 defeat . He needed 35 pitches in a long first inning, then was tagged for three runs in his fourth and final frame. Against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal , that was much too big of a deficit for Boston’s lineup to close.
“It’s the same thing I’ve been saying the past few starts, trying to stay in the zone and trying to throw strikes,” Bello said. “That was the main key today. I wasn’t able to do that.”
The first inning was a microcosm of what has led Bello to have a 6.75 ERA in his first four outings of 2026. A 1-2 count to rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle turned into a leadoff single. Colt Keith then had a two-strike hit with one out. Bello then walked Riley Greene on five pitches, and with two outs, issued a bases-loaded walk to Kerry Carpenter despite being ahead 1-2. Detroit ’s first run of the game seemed like a big one with Skubal on the other side.
“He wasn’t efficient early on,” said manager Alex Cora. “That’s something we’ve been talking about as a pitching staff. It feels like we get ahead but we don’t stay ahead. We let them back in the count. You have to bury guys, especially 0-2 or 1-2. That’s when you get your strikeouts. He wasn’t able to do that today.”
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Bello then retired six straight batters in the second and third as Skubal carved up Boston’s scuffling lineup . The fourth is when Bello hit the wall. With one out, Carpenter stayed on a changeup and made it a 2-0 game with a homer into the Tigers bullpen. Wenceel Pérez walked on five pitches, marking Bello’s third free pass of the game, and Javier Báez doubled on the first pitch of his at-bat. That set the stage for Jake Rogers to make it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to center and McGonigle to rip a cutter into right field to make it a four-run lead.
Bello then departed after four innings at 84 pitches — and just 47 strikes.
“He was falling behind in the count from Pitch 1,” first baseman Willson Contreras said of Bello. “He threw too many of the same pitch, I guess. Any pitcher in the big leagues falling behind in the count, they’re going to get hurt. If you’re playing against a team that has really good plate discipline, they’re going to make you throw strikes. That was the key today.”
Bello’s mix has, at times, been tantalizing this season, as evidenced by the fact he got 17 swings-and-misses against the Brewers two outings ago. Still, issues that have plagued him throughout his career have risen to the surface since his debut on March 31 . Outside of a strong start (2 earned runs in 6 ⅔ innings) Sunday in St. Louis , Bello has struggled with inefficiency in every outing. He needed 92 pitches to go 4 ⅔ innings in a blowout loss to the Astros in his season debut and 86 pitches to get just 10 outs (3 ⅓ innings) in that Milwaukee start, despite continually fooling Brewers hitters. Saturday was more of the same.
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“He’ll be the first one to say he hasn’t been consistent,” said Cora. “We’ve been talking about getting ahead and staying ahead. That’s the most important thing. His pitches are good and he gets pitches out in the zone. We just have to make sure he throws more strikes.”
Bello has found a silver lining in his inconsistency. A year ago, after missing the first few weeks of the season after shoulder issues slowed him in spring training, the righty pitched more than five innings just twice in his first seven starts of the year (through May). In his final 21 after June 1, he averaged a tick more than six innings and logged a 3.13 ERA while emerging as a running mate to ace Garrett Crochet . The 26-year-old hopes history will repeat itself as the weather warms up this season.
“Obviously, not happy, but I think I did the same thing last year,” Bello said. “I didn’t have the best start and I was able to turn it around. That’s something I can do right now. I still have a lot of starts in front of me and I’m capable of turning things around and making the necessary adjustments to get back to the groove and the rhythm of going deep into games.”
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