Brayan Bello did everything he’s known for in his return to the big leagues. He faced some early challenges in his first start of the year but handled them well, recording 12 of his 15 outs via ground balls or strikeouts.
The 25-year-old right-hander had a rough first inning against the Seattle Mariners. He hit two batters and gave up a home run to Jorge Polanco. But with the bases loaded and one out, he induced a huge double play on a Rowdy Tellez grounder—a key moment that helped shift the momentum of the game.
«Obviously, the first inning it has to be hard», told manager Alex Cora on NESN after 8-3 win against the Mariners. «Being on the IL. He come back. That’s a pretty good team over there. [Jorge] Polanco hits one out right away. A lot of things going on. He got the groundball against Rowdy [Tellez]. I thought he was agressive in the first inning.»
Brayan Bello finishes up his first outing with one run in five innings, 3 strikeouts and he walked up three. He recorded his first win of the season.
After the first inning, he retired 12 of his next 17 opponents. The bullpen helped preserve the win, as Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock, and Liam Hendriks shut down the Mariners’ offense, allowing just one hit and recording two strikeouts over 3.1 combined innings.
«He did an outstanding job», said Cora. «The changeup was good. The slider was better. For his first one it was solid for us».
READ MORE: Brayan Bello is back: Red Sox make roster move, option Kelly to Triple-A
The Boston Red Sox have won seven of their last eight games. On a positive note, Jarren Duran extended his hitting streak to nine games, while Kristian Campbell has reached base safely in 22 of his 23 games this season.
