BOSTON — In more than three months since his last disastrous start for the Boston Red Sox, Brayan Bello proved himself as an elite bulk-innings reliever.
Called upon to return to the role in which he struggled so immensely in early spring, Bello rose to the challenge in Monday afternoon’s series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. His five innings were a grind and far from efficient, but making pitches at the most crucial moments, the homegrown right-hander compiled his best start of the year by far and helped the Red Sox to a 5-2 Labor Day victory.
The opening frame was an achievement in and of itself, as Bello entered the contest with a 10.35 ERA over eight starts, and a 16.20 ERA in first innings. Working around a two-out walk to left-fielder Wade Meckler, Bello hung a zero on the board in the first inning for the first time since April 29.
It was not quite the “flying through the zone, strike, strike, strike” version of Bello interim manager Chad Tracy described pregame. Bello allowed four hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out seven. Only 62 of his 103 pitches were for strikes.
But Bello gave his team more than enough, helped by Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez, who struggled through a start that was a full frame shorter and far messier. Rodriguez managed to escape a one-out, bases-loaded threat in the bottom of the first, but served up one opportunity after another. He struck out three batters and yielded five earned runs on six hits, including home runs to Jarren Duran and Adley Rutschman, his former Orioles teammate.
After the Red Sox left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, Duran became the third Boston batter to defy FanGraphs’ bleak preseason ZiPS projection that no one on the team would reach 20 home runs. Duran led off the bottom of the second with a first-pitch blast that put the home team up 1-0.
Injured first baseman Willson Contreras, who leads the team with 26 homers, and right-fielder Wilyer Abreu, second with 23, have already exceeded their previous single-season bests. Duran’s 425-footer, scorched 111.7 mph to deep right, also put him one shy of tying his career mark from 2024.
Boston quadrupled its lead moments later by winning the battle of Baltimore first-round picks. Rutschman, drafted No. 1 overall in 2019, clanged a 2-2 four-seamer from his former club’s 2018 first-round selection off the Pesky Pole for a three-run homer.
After squandering their second bases-loaded opportunity, a compilation of back-to-back doubles by Caleb Durbin and Duran and second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s walk in the bottom of the fifth, the home team’s hitters went quiet. Left-hander Mitch Farris navigated his way through that minefield, then he and fellow southpaw Blake Weiman retired the Red Sox in order in the sixth and seventh, respectively.
Eli White’s one-out single off righty Ben Joyce in the bottom of the eighth nearly broke up the sudden monotony, but White was out at second on the throw from Meckler to center fielder Jose Siri to Neto. The sold-out crowd of 36,787 screamed “Safe! Safe! Safe!” as the play went under review, then booed loudly when the league office in New York did not overturn the call.
With veteran closer Aroldis Chapman coming off three appearances in the weekend’s four-game sweep of the Orioles, the longest-tenured member of the Red Sox pitching staff took the mound for the top of the ninth.
The Angels lost twice in the top of the ninth. First, when Garrett Whitlock completed a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout-looking for Neto, and again when Neto unsuccessfully challenged the Strike 3 call.