All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Orioles, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Bello’s strong start unravels in a frustrating loss
Brayan Bello’s final pitching line on Friday night might not knock people off of their seats (5.1 IP, 3 ER), but the baseline numbers don’t exactly tell the whole story of a rookie hurler who, for extended stretches, dominated on the mound down in Baltimore.
Through the first four innings, Bello carved up the O’s lineup, facing the minimum 12 batters while keeping the opposition flailing at the plate with his deceptive changeup.
After putting forth a very strong outing in his last start against the Rangers, it looked as if the promising righty was finally starting to build some momentum after a rocky first few months up in the majors.
But, in what has been a recurring trend all season for this Sox team, things quickly fell apart in the later innings.
As the contest progressed, Bello’s control started to dip as his pitch count soared — walking two batters on eight straight balls in the fifth before eventually getting out of the jam.
He wasn’t so lucky in the sixth, allowing a single to Cedric Mullins and walks to Adley Rutschman and Anthony Santander before getting pulled by Alex Cora with one out.
Any hopes of Bello eventually escaping with five-plus innings of shutout ball dissipated quickly — with Kaleb Ort throwing a run-scoring wild pitch and subsequently surrendering a two-run single, giving Baltimore a 3-2 lead that it would not relinquish.
Sox bats fail to land knockout punch
Yes, Bello’s performance and Ort’s inability to get out of the sixth unscathed might be the top headline from this one, but the Sox lineup didn’t do itself any favors.
While Xander Bogaerts drove in Boston’s only two runs of the night via his 13th homer of the season, the Sox finished the evening just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position — and are now 3-for-26 on a road trip in which Boston has dropped four-straight games, including three one-run losses.
TWO UP
Xander Bogaerts: With a potentially fruitful offseason on tap, Bogaerts continues to be on a tear at the plate. The current AL batting leader went 3-for-5 on Friday — accounting for Boston’s lone runs of the evening by way of a two-run shot in the top of the third inning.
THE TIME TO PAY XANDER BOGAERTS IS YESTERDAY pic.twitter.com/ePNATwFudK
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) September 9, 2022
Alex Verdugo: The No. 2 hitter in the Sox lineup, Verdugo went 2-for-4 on Friday, including a double out to right field in the top of the first inning.
THREE DOWN
Trevor Story: Story has been red-hot since coming off the IL, but the Sox infielder wasn’t able to dole out much damage on Friday night, going 0-for-4 at the plate with a pair of strikeouts.
Rafael Devers: Devers’ extended slump continues, as the Sox slugger went 0-for-3 and left three men on base in another quiet showing. Since the start of August, Devers is batting just .187 (24-for-128).
Kaleb Ort: With Bello running out of gas in the sixth, Cora turned to Ort in hopes that the reliever would be able to bail out his starter and keep Boston’s lead intact. Instead, Ort threw a run-scoring wild pitch, walked a batter and then surrendered a two-run single to Gunnar Henderson. Not great.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Bogaerts has now posted 45 multi-hit games this season.
- Rafael Devers has not hit a home run since way back on Aug. 14.
- The Red Sox are now just 18-40 against AL East teams this season.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will continue their road trip on Saturday with another matchup against the Orioles — with Michael Wacha (10-1, 2.58) set to battle against TBA. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m.