The Boston Red Sox will send Brayan Bello to the mound Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, and they will do it without an opener. Interim manager Chad Tracy said after Saturday’s 3-2 win that Bello will start the series finale, with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m. ET.
That is a notable turn for Bello, who has worked in a different role in his last two outings and has looked sharper there. In his two games out of the bullpen as a bulk reliever, he allowed one run over 7 innings against Detroit and one run over 6.1 innings against the Phillies. He has a 1.29 ERA in 13.1 innings since moving to the bullpen, with 12 strikeouts and two walks.
The assignment also puts a spotlight on how uneven Bello’s season has been. He is 2-4 with a 6.46 ERA in 8 games and has made only two starts. In his first six starts, he went 1-4 with a 9.12 ERA, issued 15 walks and struck out 17 batters in 25 2/3 innings. Boston has been trying to stabilize him while still leaning on the pitching setup that had been working recently.
The Red Sox had been using an opener in recent games, and the approach had brought results. On Saturday, they beat the Braves 3-2, then chose a different look for Sunday’s finale. Tracy’s call leaves Bello to handle the game from the start, a chance to see whether the bullpen success carries over when he is back in a traditional starting role.
For Boston, the decision is less about surprise than about whether Bello’s recent form is real enough to trust in a start. He has shown better command and more strikeouts since the move, and the Red Sox are asking him to turn that into five or more innings against Atlanta. If he does, the club may have found a way to get value from a pitcher whose early starts did not hold up. If he does not, the bullpen plan that worked before Sunday will likely be back in the conversation.
