Chances are, you checked out on the 2022 Red Sox some time ago.
Maybe it was right after the trade deadline, when they failed to make any dramatic upgrades. Maybe you have them until Labor Day, the traditional start of the pennant races. Perhaps you hung until the start of the football season.
Regardless of when you pulled the plug, can't say that I blame you. The Red Sox are about to have the ignominious distinction of going over the first CBT (competitive balance tax) threshold without actually being, you know, competitive. It's likely that sometime this week, they'll assure themselves of their fifth last place finish in the last 11 years.
Even the star players, with one notable exception, have been underachieving and uninteresting. But in September, there's been a reason to watch -- at least once every five days
Every time Brayan Bello takes the mound, the Red Sox become watchable, compelling even. His outings don't take the sting away from a losing record, or all the miscalculations that were made the club this season.
But for a few hours, as long as Bello is on the mound, there's some hope, a feeling that maybe next year, things will be better. In the end, that may be Bello's greatest attribute. Sure, his two-seamer is murder on hitters, and his changeup confounding. But the idea that he will part of the Red Sox rotation for the next six seasons is enough to imbue even the most cynical fan with a reason to believe.
Never mind his ERA, which sits at 4.39. That's a byproduct of some rough starts in July, when Bello wasn't close to being a finished product and, probably, wasn't ready to pitch in the big leagues. At the time, the Red Sox were out of options, a rash of injuries having struck their rotation all at once.
In his first three starts, Bello allowed 14 runs and looked over-matched. Since then, increasingly, it's the hitters who appear out of their league. Over his last starts, he's given up more than two earned runs just twice.
In five September starts, including his six innings of work Sunday, Bello sports a tidy 1.65 ERA. Short of an announcement that they've reached agreement with both Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers on new contracts, Bello remains the Red Sox' most effective marketing tool going forward.
It's not just his stuff that pulls you in, though not many young pitchers can claim to have two plus-plus pitches. It's also his poise, and yes, his arrogance.
The poise was on display at Yankee Stadium Sunday night right from the outset. Facing Aaron Judge, with the backdrop of history that matchup implies, he allowed the slugger a leadoff double, then got weak contact from the next three hitters, stranding Judge. There was more of that on display in the fourth, too, when a a one-out single followed by a walk gave the Yankees first-and-second with one out and the heart of the order due.
No problem. Again, Bello dialed it up and got Anthony Rizzo on a weak popup to third and Gleyber Torres on a squibber down the first base line.
After allowing a run in the fourth, Bello went back to demonstrating how unflappable he is on the mound. A leadoff double was squandered as he retired three of the next four hitters he faced.
In the sixth, Bello flashed a little attitude on the mound. Unhappy that Marwin Gonzalez was granted time while the pitcher had already begun his delivery, he didn't hide his displeasure, dropping the ball in mid-motion, then kicking it out of the way. And when Rob Refsnyder couldn't catch a routine flyball through the raindrops, resulting in an unearned run scoring, Bello let his frustration show. When he caught Oswald Peraza looking at a called strike three for the third out, he screamed into his glove as he stalked off the mound -- part irritation over the run scoring, part triumph for limiting any further damage.
Bello might not be Oil Can Boyd or Mark Fidrych on the mound, but he's not afraid to reveal his personality. And if he's been wronged -- by a blown call from an umpire -- he's not above letting his emotions show. Pedro Martinez, to whom, fairly or unfairly, Bello is often compared, did it, too.
For all his potential and ability, Bello isn't a finished product. He could use a fourth pitch with which to attack left-handed hitters, who went into Sunday night hitting .317 against him. He needs to do a better job controlling the running game, too, as he too often ignores baserunners. The Yankees swiped two bases against him Sunday night.
Those improvements will come. Just look at how far Bello has come since his debut a little more than two months ago. By all accounts, he's a sponge in the clubhouse, soaking up counsel from more experienced starters, eager to listen, unafraid to ask questions. That aptitude will continue to serve him well.
At a time when the Red Sox have rendered themselves almost unwatchable, Bello has made his starts appointment viewing.
As it stands, Bello is lined up to start Friday in Toronto, and then, fittingly enough, the final game of the season at Fenway on Oct. 5.
Consider that final start a nice palate cleanser. It won't completely wash away the bitter taste of the 2022 Red Sox season, but it's not a bad way to head into the offseason.