Bello getting back on track as Sox stay hot with sweep

TORONTO -- Maybe this was the grind Brayan Bello needed to get his season headed back in the right direction.

There was plenty of bend to the talented righty Wednesday night at Rogers Centre, but no break, as a resilient Bello helped the Red Sox complete a three-game sweep with a 7-3 victory over the Jays.

Bello threw his only 1-2-3 inning on just 10 pitches in his final frame, the sixth. It was a nice way for the 25-year-old to complete his first quality start since May 22 and just his second since his return from the injured list on May 12.

In an 88-pitch outing, Bello threw 60 strikes. Bello scattered seven hits while allowing two runs and two walks while striking out six.

For Bello, Wednesday’s mission was all about throwing strikes.

“I think for me the key was to try to get ahead of the hitters,” Bello said. “I tried to be aggressive and attack the zone.”

Give the Blue Jays credit for their persistence.

They made it a bit of a bumpy ride for Bello on a night he improved to 7-4 and lowered his ERA to 4.83.

Even when the Jays scored two runs in the fourth, Bello prevented the inning from getting out of hand. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Bello got Justin Turner to ground into a 6-4-3 double play and Vlad Guerrero Jr. on a scorching lineout (110.1 mph exit velocity) to center.

The DP off the bat of Turner on a 95 mph sinker was easily the biggest pitch of the night for Bello.

“That was my goal,” said Bello. “My goal there was to try to get two outs.”

While Bello’s performance was the most welcome development of the night for the Red Sox, this was a good night on multiple facets. Here are a few:

No letup
After taking four out of six last week against two of the top teams in baseball in the Phillies and Yankees, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was determined for his team not to have a letdown north of the border.

He got his wish, as the Sox pushed their winning streak to five while getting to five games above .500 (40-35) for the first time since May 1.

“We had a little bit of a talk just to make sure,” said Jarren Duran. “It was like, ‘Hey, man, I know we played two tough teams, but we just gotta keep rolling. Our season doesn't end because we played two good teams and won.’ I was really proud of the way we played.”

Duran does it again
Speaking of Duran, he continued his push to try to become an All-Star for the first time, mashing a solo shot to center in the fifth to snap a 2-2 tie as part of a 2-for-5 night in which he stole two more bases to give him 19 for the season.

Duran’s sixth homer of the season was a missile, traveling a projected distance of 433 feet. It was the second longest homer of his career, per Statcast, trailing a 434-foot shot he hit also against the Blue Jays on May 1, 2023.

At some point, Duran has to develop a home run trot. For now, his teammates are getting a kick out of him sprinting out of the box every time he goes deep.

“For a second I thought I didn't get it, so I started to sprint, just because I don't hit enough [home runs] to know,” said Duran.

Martin’s return
When the Red Sox opened up a four-run lead on a night closer Kenley Jansen was getting a rest, it was the perfect time to get Chris Martin back into action in the bottom of the ninth. The veteran righty was activated Tuesday after going on the 15-day injured list for symptoms related to anxiety.

Martin made an acrobatic -- if somewhat awkward -- play on defense: while losing his balance on a 77.5 mph chopper off the bat of Guerrero, Martin somehow snared the ball barehanded while he was falling down behind the mound. From a prone position, he fired to first for the out. It was the latest in a series of adventurous comebackers for Martin this season.

“I felt like maybe I got in a car wreck,” said Martin. “I’d like to stay on my feet a couple of games in a row. That would be nice, but I got the out and it was a good win.”