BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 7, Orioles 3 - Bello recovers from rough start before Casas homers

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 7-3 win over the Orioles, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Brayan Bello recovers from rough start: Bello's day game issues continued in the second inning, where he allowed a run on three singles before two more scored on Adam Frazier's line drive down the right field line that Alex Verdugo fumbled to score the second and send Frazier to third. Bello entered Sunday with a 5.85 ERA in eight afternoon starts, allowing opponents to hit .321 and garner 1.63 WHIP. He forced two fly outs to strand Frazier, setting up a 7-0 Sox turnaround while Bello retired 7-of-8 Orioles hitters he saw next. 

Fielding finally helped behind him, with Ceddanne Rafaela catching Anthony Santander's fly ball against the center field wall and Rafael Devers assisted Wilyer Abreu on a drop in left field by downing Frazier at second base. Bello pitched 5.0 innings on 92 pitches, allowing seven hits, three runs and striking out four. He improved to 3-4 in day games. 

Triston Casas homer highlights offensive turnaround: Casas extended Boston's lead from 4-3 to 7-3 in the sixth inning with a two-out homer, 400 feet to left, that clipped the edge of the monster and gave the Sox breathing room before a downpour delayed the end of the game by nearly two hours. The comeback began soon after Bello's second inning letdown, Devers and Justin Turner reaching before Trevor Story launched a two-out line drive through Ramon Urías at third to score two with two outs on the error. 

Reese McGuire hit a stand-up triple into the triangle an inning later to tie the game after Luis Urías' double, then Devers drove McGuire home to take a 4-3 lead. Josh Wincowski, Garrett Whitlock and Nick Robertson closed the game with 4.0 innings of no-hit relief. Eight hits, seven runs and three walks proved enough after 12 runs didn't the night before. 

THREE UP

Rafael Devers: Walked to set up the game-tying rally in the third inning, provided the go-ahead single in the fourth and made arguably his finest defensive play all season by chasing down a Frazier fly ball down the left field line. Abreu slid and missed the ball, Devers scooped it up, turned and fired to second base to record the first out of the fifth inning. Frazier likely would've scored the game-tying run on Adley Rutschman's ensuing double, and Bello instead escaped the inning with the runner in scoring position to secure a win. The play showed the value of good fielding Boston lacked all year. 

Brayan Bello: Threw 63% of his pitches for strikes and continued to record outs by putting the ball on the ground and in the air for his fielder's. That's a scary proposition on this team and hurt him in other games, but today he worked around four hits and three runs in the second inning to record a rare quality afternoon start. Rafaela helped with a leaping third inning catch jumping into the center field wall and Urías and Story turned a double play on Ryan O'Hearn to end the frame one batter later. He looked for the strikeout in the fourth with his changeup and slider, and reached 96 miles-per-hour as he approached 100 pitches to end the fifth. Orioles hitters put his sinker in play early in at-bats, a formula for going longer that works in theory. 

The Bullpen: Struck out seven hitters while recording the final 12 outs in a nearly perfect run aside from Whitlock's lone walk. Whitlock returned from the bereavement list after last pitching on Aug. 30. He struggled last month, posting a 5.51 ERA in six appearances before returning to work 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Robertson followed on a soaking wet field in the ninth with a three-run lead after Chris Martin warmed up before the rain delay, a scary moment after recent appearances by Triple-A pitchers, but Robertson recorded three straight outs. 

"We’re family here and we’re gonna keep helping him out throughout everything," Alex Cora said after Whitlock revealed his brother died last week. "I’m glad that he’s back."

THREE DOWN 

Alex Verdugo: Fumbled around a line drive to right that scored an extra run against Bello and threatened to add another. Statistically one of the best defenders in baseball this season, the mistake marked a rarity for him this year. As he fell to fifth in the lineup and Adam Duvall and Masataka Yoshida sat to allow Rafaela into the lineup, it's worth wondering how many games he should start to close the season with his Sox future in question. 

Trevor Story: Credit for a hard hit ball that could've been a 2 RBI hit, but another hitless game dropped his average back to .183 instead. He's hitting .156 in September, even accounting for his 3-6 breakout on Saturday. 

Adam Duvall: Odd man out in the outfield during this series after beginning September 3-27 with one extra base hit. With Abreu and Rafaela emerging as worthy every day players, Duvall might rarely play for the rest of the season. One of Duvall or Verdugo will have to sit, unless Turner starts taking nights off. 

NOTABLE 

The Red Sox today placed LHP James Paxton (right knee inflammation) on the injured list, ending his season, and recalled RHP Nick Robertson. RHP Nick Pivetta will replace Paxton's spot in the rotation.

IF Pablo Reyes (elbow) hit 1-4 in his third rehab appearance with Triple-A Worcester, singling and stealing second in the first inning before reaching on an error and scoring in the fourth. He exited the game in favor of a defensive replacement in the seventh inning.

UP NEXT 

Monday vs. Yankees at 7:10 p.m., RHP Clarke Schmidt (9-8, 4.54 ERA) vs. RHP Kutter Crawford (6-7, 4.36 ERA)