Donnelly: Brayan Bello experiencing trials and tribulations of a young pitcher in the Big Leagues

Brayan Bello is still finding his way as a Major League pitcher.

It's easy to forget, considering the run the 24-year-old went on earlier in the season. 

In five starts in May, Bello had a 2.67 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP with 27 strikeouts, holding the opposition to a .243 average. He ramped it up in June with a 2.14 ERA in five starts, striking out 26 with a 0.86 WHIP, a .174 opponent batting average and no home runs allowed. 

But since the All-Star break, it's been a different story for the youngster. In six starts since the break, Bello holds a 5.67 ERA, giving up 21 earned runs over 33.1 innings in that span, a concerning trend that began on July 19 in Oakland when the A's tagged him for six runs (earned) on five hits and three home runs in just four innings. Quite the contrast, compared to the 2.35 mark (19 ER/72.2 IP) in his previous 12 starts.

His ups and downs continued in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Tigers when he allowed a season-high nine hits (one shy of a career-worst 10 he allowed to the Blue Jays last October). Coming in off a normal four days' rest, Bello's pitch count ballooned to 90 in just 4.2 innings before Detroit chased him, but not before scratching across four runs to end his streak of six straight quality starts at home going back to June 5. 

The right-hander, susceptible to the long ball at times throughout the season, surrendered two more in Saturday's outing, allowing at least one home run (10 total) in six of his last seven starts. After giving up seven homers in his first seven starts, Bello went on a run from May 30 through June 29 in which he didn't allow one in six starts.

"Today is one of those days that it goes their way. It wasn't going my way," Bello said. "It wasn't my day."

The Red Sox understand Bello is still learning.

"I know teams are making adjustments, but at the end of the day, [he's] pretty good," Alex Cora said. "That's something we talked about, you know, 'Yeah, we pitch inside, but at the end of the day you use your strengths.' ... I mean the numbers are similar to what we've seen the last month, month and a half. Obviously, physically, I bet he's feeling it, but it's nothing for us to raise a red flag."

Feeling it Bello is. 

He's on his way to a new career-high in innings pitched over the course of a season between the Majors and the minor leagues, and his splits between normal rest and extra rest are striking. 

With normal rest, Bello has a 5.82 ERA, compared to a 3.39 mark when he is coming off extra rest. His average velocities and spin rates were down on all five of his pitches Saturday, per Baseball Savant.  

"This is a long season, and for me, it's matters of making adjustments," Bello said. "I try to look to the good outings and the bad outings as well, and try to learn from them. But I feel good. I feel healthy. I feel strong. So, I'm just trying to make adjustments and learn on the go."

One of his adjustments has backfired thus far.

Bello's breaking ball usage has fallen 21 percent from April to August (27 to 6), according to Red Sox Stats. In 509 two-strike pitches this season, he's gotten a strikeout on just six breaking balls. With a success rate as low as that, it's easy to see why Bello's trust in his breaking balls has diminished. 

It wasn't a two-strike count, but he missed his spot on a 1-1 slider to Kerry Carpenter in the second inning on Saturday, leaving it over the middle for Carpenter to send into the Monster seats. His cutter on Eric Haase's homer in the fifth inning came in at 88 miles per hour, essentially acting as a breaker. 

“A lot of swings and misses on his changeups," Cora said. "He got beat on a slider in the zone. Base hit on a slider and then he got beat on a cutter to a righty. ... The cutter, that pitch we’d probably take it away. He battled."

After Bello's torrid stretch in the first half, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to expect regression, but this is a Red Sox team that can't afford that, given the health of the pitching on the balance of the season. With Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock still on the shelf, Boston's arms will continue to be maxed out with a stretch of 16 games in 16 days after Monday's off day. Cora is hopeful their returns will continue to ease the burden, partially aided by Chris Sale's return earlier this series. 

"It's 162 [games], and there are days that we're gonna give you the extra day and others that you're gonna go out there and pitch," Cora said. "[Bello] is O.K. He's been trained for this.  Obviously, yeah, stuff-wise, I bet the extra day will benefit, but where we're at schedule-wise, he had to pitch on normal rest."

Nevertheless, the Red Sox are cognizant of Bello's vital standing as not only a piece for the current Wild Card race – Boston remains 3.0 games back of Toronto after both lost Saturday – but also in any potential future success. His teammates understand the learning curve that comes with the job description as a key, yet still developing, piece.  

"I mean, I think for Bello, it's just continuing to go out there and learn," Justin Turner said. "It's all part of it. Especially, they don't call it the 'dog days of August' for nothing. So, figuring out ... you know, when you don't [have your best stuff], how to grind through it and give us a chance to win."