BALTIMORE — The Red Sox had doubts about whether a sick Brayan Bello would be able to make his start against the Orioles on Tuesday.
“He actually wasn’t feeling great,” manager Alex Cora said. “And at one point last night (Monday), we were like, ‘He’s not going to pitch.’ But somehow, someway, he felt better.”
Bello pitched 5-plus innings and allowed three runs, five hits and two walks while striking out seven in Boston’s 8-3 win over Baltimore here at Camden Yards.
“He was feeling sick throughout the day,” Cora said. “So we sent him to the hotel and he grinded through it. And just to go out there and pitch like that was good to see. That’s a good baseball team, a really good baseball team. But his stuff (any) given night can get the best lineups out. He was relentless today.”
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Bello said he felt “a little sick” even back in Boston before the Red Sox traveled here to Baltimore.
“But that wasn’t going to stop me from giving 100% today,” Bello said through translator Daveson Pérez.
Bello threw 29 pitches in the first inning. He allowed two singles, one double, a walk (after getting ahead 0-2 in the count to Adley Rutschman) and hit by pitch.
But the 25-year-old righty allowed just two base runners (walk and single) while keeping the O’s scoreless over the next three innings. He struck out the side in the second inning and the first two batters of the third inning.
“I think in that first inning my body wasn’t really all the way warmed up yet,” Bello said. “But after we got past that, I was able to do what I do.”
Bello allowed the first two batters to reach in the sixth (single, hit by pitch) before manager Alex Cora replaced him with reliever Brennan Bernardino.
Bernardino walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, then got to work.
Bernardino struck out Austin Hays on a foul tip for the first out. He got Jorge Mateo to ground into a force-out at home for the second out. The lefty then struck out 2023 AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson on three pitches to escape without allowing a run. Boston maintained its 4-3 lead.
“The whole time I was yelling at him from the dugout because he was doing such a great job,” Bello said. “I had to give him his hug and his kiss for the incredible job that he did out there.”
