One month since his last MLB start, Garrett Crochet has thrown batting practice and is closing in on his return to the Boston Red Sox's rotation. The club has a few roster decisions to make before adding Crochet back into the mix, and Brayan Bello is the clear odd-man-out among the starters.
Bello has a career-worst season with the Red Sox so far, with a 6.43 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP over 49 innings. He might be out of the rotation already if Boston didn't go through injuries to Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez and Crochet at the same time just a few weeks ago.
Strangely, Bello has had great success pitching after an opener. He's posted a 0.98 ERA following an opener (usually Jovani Morán), a 1.73 FIP and a 23.2 strikeout percentage compared to a 9.68 ERA, 7.92 FIP and 11.3 strikeout percentage as a starter. Bello could take his later-game talents to the bullpen as a reliever, or the Red Sox could look to the Seattle Mariners for pitching management inspiration.
The Mariners have adopted a "piggyback" pitching plan to accommodate their abundance of starters. Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller have become a two-man staff for their days with Seattle — one of the pitchers starts the game, pitches five or so innings, and the other one follows to finish the game without using anyone from the bullpen.
This approach hasn't gone over flawlessly for the Mariners. Castillo and Miller have complained about the piggyback method, citing poor communication and dissatisfaction with hard-outs and swaps.
Red Sox should consider unconventional "piggyback" pitching method for Brayan Bello once rotation is healthy again
Even if the pitchers haven't had the best time, piggybacking Castillo and Miller has worked for Seattle. They've posted a combined 2.12 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 21 strikeouts and five walks across the two games they've pitched together. They've accounted for 17 of the 18 innings in their split games, giving the majority of their bullpen an extra day of rest.
Bello and the Red Sox can admit that he doesn't belong in the rotation when Crochet gets back, and using him as a piggyback starter just might work. Much planning will have to go into his use, however, which could be where the plan falls apart.
Boston's rotation has been one of the best in the league for the last month — Bello has found himself behind an opener, Payton Tolle is electric, Suarez has let up one run or less in four of his last five starts, Connelly Early has stayed solid despite his home run troubles and Gray is throwing more strikes. Bello will have to be rested enough to throw three to five innings after the day's starter, so the Red Sox will have to know who they're planning to pull in advance, a tough decision when the rotation has been so great as of late.
Bello could follow Crochet after his return to the rotation. The Red Sox might be hesitant to throw the ace back into the fire so quickly since his last injury was fatigue-related. Some shorter, five-inning starts with Bello finishing the final four frames could be an answer for the first few weeks of Crochet's return.
Bello could also follow Early. The latter pitcher has appeared 10 times and averages less than 5.2 innings per start (before his stellar, seven-inning outing against the Atlanta Braves), which could make him and Bello an easy combo. Home runs could be a concern there, though, since Bello has given up 10 and Early nine over 10 and 11 appearances, respectively.
Using Bello as a long reliever after Crochet's return would certainly be the more flexible option for Boston, but with an offense as lackluster as it has, the pitching staff can use all the help it can get. If Bello and another pitcher can give the Sox's bullpen an extra day of rest each week, maybe Chad Tracy should consider it.
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