Red Sox' Brayan Bello explains what would be ‘very disappointing' — and what matters to him

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6 days ago

CHICAGO — Brayan Bello was considered the potential future ace of the Red Sox when he signed a $55 million extension and then started on Opening Day 2024.
Fifteen months later, Garrett Crochet clearly holds the title.
Bello, however, is quietly developing into a second top of the rotation starter for Boston. He's 4-2 with a 2.61 ERA in his past eight outings (51 ⅔ innings).
Bello made it clear he's not concerned with titles when asked if he'd eventually like to be considered a second ace with Crochet.
'It doesn't matter for me if I'm the No. 1 or No. 2 pitcher,' Bello said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. 'As long as I'm in their rotation in the World Series, I'm good. It would be very disappointing for me to go to the World Series and I'm not starting a game in the rotation.'
Bello will make his first start of the second half against the Cubs here at Wrigley Field on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m., eastern.
'My main goal is to help the team win a World Series,' he said.
The 26-year-old righty failed to complete five innings in any of his five starts from May 8-28. But he has pitched six or more innings in seven of his past eight games. That includes tossing his first career complete game July 8 against the Rockies.
'I think the biggest change for me and the key for my success has been throwing strikes,' Bello said. 'I've been able to throw, most of the starts, about 60-65% strikes.'
Bello's strike percentage has steadily improved from 58% in his first eight starts to 65% in his past eight outings, peaking at 69% in three July appearances.
'So for me, that's one of the keys,' Bello said. 'And also I'm not pitching from the windup anymore. I'm pitching from the stretch so that gives me a better opportunity to throw more strikes.'
It was Bello's own decision to ditch the windup.
'I felt like from the stretch I was able to command my pitches in a better way,' he said. 'But that doesn't mean I'm going to pitch from the stretch my whole career. That's something I'm going to have to work on in the offseason.'
Bello has gotten surprisingly few swings and misses in several starts this season despite his nasty stuff, that includes both a sinker and four-seamer that average 95 mph. He recorded only three swings and misses May 8 against Texas and just four each in starts vs. Atlanta (May 18) and Milwaukee (May 28).
However, he has generated a combined 26 in his past two starts.
'Of course (it was frustrating),' he said about the early lack of whiffs. 'I feel also I wasn't throwing strikes. That's why I didn't have the swings and misses. But now that I'm throwing more strikes, and now that I'm in the zone, I get those.'
Bello's sinker and sweeper are his two most used pitches this season. He's used his sinker to post a 51.8% groundball rate, which is in the 87th percentile among major league pitchers.
Opponents, meanwhile, are batting just .184 against his four-seam fastball, his third most used pitch.
His changeup has always been considered his best secondary pitch. But it has taken a backseat to his sweeper this year.
He's using his changeup only 14.9% of the time compared to 26.9% last year. Opponents are batting .246 against it, a significant increase from last year (.177).
If he gets this pitch back to form, he certainly can become a top of the rotation caliber starter.
'I don't think it's as good as it was last year,' Bello said. 'But I feel like it's getting better and better (going out of the stretch) and I'm able to command it more and throw it in a lot of situations.'
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Read the original article on MassLive.