Brayan Bello allows four runs in loss to Yankees

Bello also walked two and struck out seven while throwing 60 percent of his pitches for strikes and posting a 12 percent swinging strike rate. Bello threw just 60 percent of his sinkers for strikes, and getting ahead with his fastballs has been a continuous issue for him. However, Bello’s sweeper was electric in this one, posting a 26 percent swinging strike rate and a 44 percent CSW. He’s never had marks that high while also throwing his sweeper over 20 percent of the time. It was a nice start for Bello, who could work in some relief capacity over the weekend as well.

It’ll be Bello’s first start since he was recalled just before the All-Star break. He since has a 2.95 ERA over 36 2/3 innings in 10 relief appearances, though eight of the 12 earned runs he’s allowed have come in his last two outings.

Bello gave up two walks and didn’t strike anyone out. He threw 94 pitches on Saturday, so the turnaround might’ve been a little quick. Until recently, he had one of the best ERAs among all relievers, but he’s now been hit hard twice in a row. He wasn’t that efficient in the outing before those either. Bello won’t pitch again until Sunday at the earliest, but fantasy managers might not want to rely on streaming him for ratios.

Bello gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. He improved to 5-6 with the win. Bello was the bulk pitcher for Boston behind opener Alec Gamboa, who pitch 1 1/3 innings. Bello hasn’t technically started a game since June 4 against the Orioles, but he threw 76 pitches Monday, showing he’s still stretched out for a starter’s workload. He has a 4.69 ERA and isn’t lined up for another appearance currently.

Bello has been excelling out of the pen, so the Red Sox won’t mess with what’s working by having him start. Given that the bulk role makes him a better bet for a win, Bello is a streaming option tomorrow. Unfortunately, he probably won’t get a second bulk appearance, with the Red Sox having Thursday off, but maybe he’ll make another lengthy relief appearance next weekend if Patrick Sandoval is shaky again.

The Red Sox termed this a bullpen game, but Erik Miller essentially functioned as an opener before Bello came in to start the second. Bello struck out four and walked none before leaving in line for the win. That didn’t hold up, though. Bello probably won’t be available to pitch again until Thursday.

Bello needed just 28 pitches to get nine outs to finish off a 14-2 game. He’s certainly making a case for getting more work in close games while having allowed only one run in 16 2/3 innings over four appearances since returning to the majors on July 12. But at least he’s taking some pressure off Boston’s bullpen as is.

Bello took over with the Red Sox down 4-3 in the sixth and then finished the game while the offense added six runs against Cole Irvin. He’s allowed just one run in 13 2/3 innings in his three appearances since being recalled July 12. That’s not consistent enough work to make him useful in mixed leagues, but if he does get his rotation spot back at some point, he’ll be more interesting than he was in April and May.

Bello was almost certainly going to pitch tonight, but it wasn’t supposed to happen in the first, as the Red Sox were surely counting on two or three innings from Rivera before things got messy. Bello stepped in and did a great job of cleaning up, but Boston never did get back into the game. Bello has allowed one run over 9 2/3 innings in his two appearances since being recalled just before the break. It’s still possible that he’ll return to Triple-A at some point, but he’s certainly making a case for sticking around.

Bello hadn’t pitched in 11 days and wasn’t particularly effective during his stint in Triple-A, but one would never know it from his performance today. After taking over from Payton Tolle in the fourth, he faced 14 batters and got 13 outs. A solo shot from Francisco Lindor accounted for the only damage. Bello seemed likely to return to Triple-A after pitching today, but following such a nice showing, we’ll have to wait and see. He could start the fifth game after the break if Ranger Suarez isn’t ready to come off the IL.