Brayan Bello is starting to put a rough start to the season in the rearview mirror
For Brayan Bello, the first few months of the 2025 campaign were full of frustration and disappointment. Since the calendar flipped to June, that has not been the case. As the Red Sox have started to turn their season around due to good starting pitching, Bello has been at the center of their success.
In three starts this month, the 26-year-old has posted a 2.79 ERA and struck out 16 batters. He has not allowed more than three runs in a start and has worked out of trouble when baserunners reach. The most significant improvement has been his ability to pitch deeper into games.
Whenever Bello took the mound in May, the bullpen was in for a busy day. He made six starts during that month and only completed five innings once. In that stretch, he also struggled with control, walking 16 batters.
So far this month, that has not been the case. The Dominican native has completed six innings in every start, which included a seven-inning gem against the Yankees last week. His strikeout total for the season so far in a start also came against New York. That is the player the Red Sox have been waiting for Bello to become.
Due to his recent success, Bello's ERA on the season is down to 3.49. While it is only a small sample size, it is no coincidence that the Red Sox' improved play has come when Bello and his fellow starters have been at their best. That will be going forward as the offense no longer has Rafael Devers's bat to rely on.
As Bello looks to build on his recent performance, he will have to continue to trust his off-seed stuff. During his recent run, he has shown a renewed trust in his cutter, which opponents have had difficulty hitting. If Bello can continue to be the pitcher he has been in June, the Red Sox will be hard to beat when he is on the mound.
Have you noticed that the Red Sox starters' performance and output has improved as their Fastball and Sinker usage has increased over the last couple of weeks? In reality, until Bello finds the feel for lowering the velocity on his formerly nasty changeup, his best pitch is his sinker at around 97 mph. Using this more has had him getting ahead in counts and getting more outs. His first pitch strike rate has gone up as his ERA has gone down. Also, getting into the 6th and 7th inning has meant less stress on the Red Sox bullpen. It really does appear that the old adage "you're only as good as the next day's starting pitcher" has merit and truth to it. I hope Bello continues pitching with a "screw you" attitude and challenges hitters with his Sinker and hopefully, the devastating changeup returns sooner rather than later.