After the first couple months of the 2024 season when the Boston Red Sox had the best rotation in the league, the group crashed back down to earth.
However, over the last two months, Brayan Bello has been exactly who the Red Sox needed him to be.
Before the year, Boston locked the 25-year-old in on a six-year extension worth $55 million, and he started off shaky, posting a 5.55 ERA through the end of June.
Before his first start in July, the Red Sox pushed him back in the rotation and allowed him some extra time to work on things and rest.
Since then, he's been much better. In his last 11 starts, he's posted a 3.70 ERA and struck out 67 batters over 65 2/3 innings, lowering his season ERA from 5.55 down to 4.66.
His most recent outing earlier this week may have been the best of his career, as he tossed eight scoreless innings to the Toronto Blue Jays in a pivotal game while allowing just two hits and a walk and striking out nine batters.
Manager Alex Cora had some great things to say about his starter after the game.
"That was fun to watch," Cora said. "(He was) under control. Pitch-by-pitch, he didn't (let them) get ahead. The sinker was good. The four-seamer was great. Changeup. Slider. It was his best outing in the big leagues against a team that has given him trouble. He was able to keep them off balance and use the fastball enough to keep them honest. He was outstanding."
Cora went on to say that Bello's fastball got hit hard last year, and they'll use it in certain spots because his sinker and changeup are his best pitches and the slider is improving.
"He's working his ass off in between starts," Cora said. "He cares. Physically, he's a beast. He puts the work in. He's stronger than in the past... They've been talking about using the inside part of the plate against lefties, using the four-seamer in certain spots. The mental part of it is paying off now. It's a total team effort
If Bello can continue this streak, he'll definitely help the Red Sox down the stretch, as they push to make the playoffs with less than 30 games left in the regular season. A string of solid performances will also set him up for a strong 2025, which is crucial.
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