Bello's post-break dog days continue in loss to Tigers

BOSTON -- Is Brayan Bello hitting a wall?

That wouldn’t be surprising for a 24-year-old who is going through the rigors of his first full Major League season and is now experiencing a time of year that is called the “dog days of August” for a reason.

The challenge for Bello is to get a second wind while also making whatever adjustments are necessary against hitters who now possess deeper scouting reports on him.

On Saturday afternoon, the Tigers attacked Bello the way few teams have this season, tagging him for a season-high nine hits as the Red Sox lost, 6-2.

In his 14 starts before the All-Star break, Bello had a 3.04 ERA. In six starts coming out of the break, he has a 5.67 ERA.

The prevailing theory among the Red Sox is that Bello will figure it out. And at 113 1/3 innings, he is still 40 shy of the number he pitched last year between the Majors and Minors.

“I think for Bello, it's just continuing to go out there and learn,” said designated hitter Justin Turner, who belted a solo shot in his return to the lineup after sitting with a bone bruise in his left heel. “They don’t call it the dog days of August for nothing. I think he’ll be fine.”

Manager Alex Cora doesn’t see much that separates what Bello is doing now from what he was doing earlier in the season.

“I mean, the numbers, they’re very similar to what we've seen the last month, month and a half. Obviously, physically he’s feeling it, but it’s nothing for us to raise a red flag,” Cora said. “Sometimes you’ve got to give credit to the opposition, right?”

One stat that jumps out is Bello’s hard-hit rate, which was 42.3 percent before the break and is 50.5 percent after it. In Saturday’s game, the Tigers put seven balls in play and averaged an exit velocity of 95.2 mph against Bello’s best pitch -- his sinker.

For the year, Bello is 8-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 20 starts. He has shown up throughout the season while other key rotation members (Chris Sale, James Paxton, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock) were down at different times.

“It’s a long season, and for me, it’s a matter of making an adjustment,” said Bello. “For me, I look at the good and bad outings and try to learn from them. I feel good, I feel healthy and I feel strong, so that’s it. Just try to make an adjustment and learn on the go.”

The Red Sox have used gaps in the schedule to consistently give Bello extra rest whenever possible. Saturday marked just his fourth start this season on the standard four days of rest, and Bello has a 5.75 ERA in those outings.

Bello’s next start will be at Yankee Stadium on Friday night, giving him an extra day of rest.

Another interesting difference in Bello’s numbers is the glaring breakdown between how he performs at night (2.71 ERA in 14 starts) and during the day (7.33 ERA in six starts).

“Honestly, for us, we don't take a look at it,” said Cora. “When it’s his turn to pitch, it’s his turn to pitch. Friday is a night game.”

Where is the offense?
It isn’t fair to pin the loss fully on Bello. The Red Sox haven’t looked like themselves offensively in August, and that was again the case on Saturday, as they went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

In 10 of their 11 games in August, the Sox have nine hits or fewer. In six of those 11 games, they’ve scored three runs or less for a 5-6 record.

“I’m not concerned, but offensively, we’re better than this,” said Cora.

Jarren Duran, a spark for so much of the season, has a .600 OPS on the month. He was moved from first to seventh in the order on Thursday and Saturday. Masataka Yoshida, a huge bright spot in the first half, has a .453 OPS with no homers and three RBIs over his past 15 games.

There are a couple of things that could help cure the offense in short order. The first is the presence of Trevor Story, who has played four games since coming off the injured list and will start at short on Sunday after getting Saturday off. The second is Turner’s return from his left heel injury. Saturday was just his fourth start since getting hurt on July 31.