Brayan Bello was knocked around in the first inning of his May 28 outing against the Baltimore Orioles.
Gunnar Henderson got to the pitcher first with a double, then a series of dinks and dunks followed. Base hits, fielder's choices, and hit batters helped the Orioles collect their first three runs of the game.
Those three runs were also their last of the night.
Bello faced Jorge Mateo to begin the second inning. After he fired one strike down the middle and grazed the left edge of the strike zone with his second, a perfectly executed throw. Home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski didn't agree and called it a ball.
The pitcher's jaw dropped and his demeanor instantly changed. His expression stiffened, and he got to work. Bello fanned Mateo, Henderson and Adley Rutschman to get out of the inning unscathed. He struck out the first two batters in the next inning, too.
Brayan Bello's outing in the books:
— Chris Henrique (@ChrisHenrique) May 29, 2024
5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K - 90 pitches, 59 strikes. pic.twitter.com/Tw0xc2s211
Angry Bello turned up the heat on the Orioles, and they couldn't match his energy. He and Brennan Bernardino carried the Boston Red Sox to an 8-3 win, their first over Baltimore this season.
Bello got off to a rough start, but his frustration forced him to settle in and do what he does best. His emotions were a far cry from Boston's "good vibes" motto from the beginning of the season, but recent games have suggested the Red Sox are done being nice — Chris Martin's benches-clearing comments against the Brewers on May 26 riled them up enough to secure a win and stave off a sweep. Bello's ferocity acted the same.
Brayan Bello's emotional turnaround helped Red Sox collect first win of over Orioles
The 25-year-old righty pitched five innings and Baltimore scored three runs on five hits. Bello tossed seven strikeouts, his second-most of any of his nine starts on the season. His ERA rose a few ticks due to the early runs allowed, but his emotions and recovery were one of the game's highlights.
Bernardino's performance was the best of the night on the mound — he got himself out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning without allowing a run, and 16 of his last 17 appearances have been scoreless. But Bello's turnaround was stark, and it showed progress for the young pitcher.
Usually, when Bello gets flustered, he loses grip, but he was on point against Baltimore. Angry Bello could be Boston's secret weapon if he can continue to use his emotions in the right places.