Bello brilliant after reset, paces Boston's big win

MIAMI -- The Red Sox fans cluttered behind the first-base dugout at loanDepot park rose to their feet in the seventh inning, not to watch a ball soar over the fence, but to applaud their starting pitcher.

If you had asked Brayan Bello a week ago, it’s unlikely he could have predicted the standing ovation he received when he exited Boston’s 7-2 win over Miami on Wednesday. Just over a week prior, the 25-year-old -- who signed a six-year extension with the Red Sox in March -- had his worst start of the season, allowing seven runs over 2 1/3 innings vs. the Blue Jays.

That outing led Boston’s staff to take a step back and reevaluate. As a result, manager Alex Cora decided to push Bello back from his scheduled start on Sunday. Instead, Bello got the nod against the Marlins on seven days of rest, rather than the typical four days. The extra time gave Bello and the Red Sox’s staff time to nurture his approach -- and his confidence.

The reset worked like a charm.

Bello turned in one of his best performances of the year, striking out seven while delivering a season-high 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits and one walk.

“He's a really good young pitcher in the game,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “I know he struggled last outing, but that was a really good performance by him.”

“His stuff is really good,” Cora said. “It's really good. He throws hard, he has a changeup and the slider. You can see the confidence on the mound -- [there was] no hesitation of him going out for the seventh.”

Bello’s boosted confidence was on full display early in the game. The Marlins jumped on him right away with a pair of singles to lead off the bottom of the first. After Bello induced a flyout, Jesús Sánchez hit an RBI single to get Miami on the board first.

But Bello didn’t let it change his approach. He knew he needed to keep attacking the zone and attacking hitters -- that’s when he’s at his best, after all. Rafael Devers knew that, too. So the veteran third baseman sought out Bello after the righty escaped the first inning having allowed just the one run.

“I went to talk to him because he was a little bit timid,” Devers said via interpreter Carlos Villoria. “I felt like he was just throwing the ball instead of pitching the way that he does. So for me to be able to go to talk to him, I say, 'Come on, let's go. You got this.' It was -- I think it was a good support for him, and after that he did very well.”

Bello did very well indeed. After the first inning, Bello allowed just four hits (and the one walk) over the next 5 2/3 scoreless frames. He even introduced his four-seam fastball back into the mix -- something the extra three days off gave him time to work on with the staff.

“There's chapters to everybody's development, and we all develop differently,” pitching coach Andrew Bailey said. “Adding the four-seam back was something that we were looking to do at some point in time, and Brayan brought it up to us and spoke about how it can help him free up some of the other pitches a little bit. So we thought there was a good opportunity to get some extra work in and some bullpens and then feature it tonight.”

Bello won’t use the four-seamer all the time; whether his arsenal any given start includes the offering will depend greatly on what team he’s facing, and what each situation calls for.

But on Wednesday, everything worked just like it was supposed to. And it helped that the offense had Bello’s back. They didn’t let Miami’s one-run first inning go unanswered for more than an inning, stringing together hits in the top of the third to give Bello a 2-1 lead. More runs came later as the Red Sox padded their lead in the later innings -- punctuated with Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-out bases-clearing double in the ninth. For the second consecutive night, Boston delivered double-digit hits: 13 on Tuesday night and 12 on Wednesday.

Between the lead swinging in his favor and that pep talk from Devers after the first inning, Bello was able to get back to what he does best: Attack, attack, attack.

“I think that was the biggest adjustment, attacking the batters,” Bello said via Villoria. “I think that's one of the things that I haven't done since the beginning of the year until today. …

“Starting today for me, it's a new season. And of course I'm gonna build on today for my next start.”

Does that mean he’s 1-0? When asked, Bello just smiled and laughed.