One reason for confidence heading into Game 2 of the American League wild-card round between the Yankees and Red Sox was the way that starter Brayan Bello had handled pitching against the Bombers in his career.
Bello has been outstanding this season, going 11-9 with a 3.35 ERA, and was especially good against the Yankees. This year, he was 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts against New York, and thrived pitching at Yankee Stadium, where he was 3-1 with a 1.44 ERA in his career.
But on Wednesday, manager Alex Cora had a remarkably short hook on Bello, who was touched for a single and a homer in the first inning, gave up a walk in the second (erased by a double play), then was pulled in the third after allowing a pair of singles with the game tied, 2-2. It was clear that Cora was playing to end the series in Game 2, but his aggressiveness backfired as the Red Sox rolled through six relief pitchers and eventually lost, 4-3.
Alex Cora Explains Bello Decision
Cora explained his decision after the game. As he saw it, the Yankees‘ lineup was stuffed with lefties, and the Red Sox’s advantage from a pitching standpoint is the many quality lefties in the bullpen. So Cora decided to yank Bello, a righty, to play to his advantage.
Said Cora: “It was a tough lineup. A lot of lefties. The bats were getting better with the lefties, and we had a bunch of them in the bullpen. Felt like at that point kind of like we have to do this. It doesn’t feel good, you know, because you want the kid to go out there and get his experience and pitch deep into the game. I felt that moment we needed to.”
Cora conceded that the decision was not well-received by Bello.
“In the moment frustrated him, I bet. Talked to him, you just got to be ready for the next one. It’s October baseball. It is different,” Cora said.
Red Sox ‘All In’ With Pitching
The Red Sox need to beat the Yankees now in the decisive Game 3 to move forward to the division series against Toronto, but the decision to pull Bello opens questions on a number of fronts.
The most immediate is what, exactly, using a fleet of relief pitchers on Wednesday will mean for Thursday’s game. Of most interest in the arm of Garrett Whitlock, who has been one of the best relief pitchers in the game this season. Whitlock has been a reliable one-inning guy, but Cora asked him to go two innings on Wednesday, and it did not go well.
“We are all in,” Cora said. “He is one of the best pitchers. Got up there. We were doing everything possible to get to, you know, the top of the ninth with a tie game.”
Red Sox Facing a Long List of Pitching Questions
Whitlock gave up three hits and two walks in 1.2 innings, throwing a season-high 47 pitches and yielding the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. It’s not clear whether he will be available in Game 3.
“We will check with Whit, get a lot of treatment, see where we are at tomorrow. But the rest, they are in good shape,” Cora said.
There’s also the broader picture, if the Red Sox should somehow win Game 3, which will be started by rookie Connelly Early. With Lucas Giolito out and Bello on such a short leash, do the Red Sox have any credible starting pitching behind ace Garrett Crochet? Can the staff withstand the possibility of multiple bullpen games?
Game 3 comes first, of course. Survive that, though, and it’s just not clear what’s next.
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