Red Sox win fifth straight behind Bello, early power from Duran and Rutschman

The Red Sox have spent the past five games making their recent pitching problems look like a distant memory.

Brayan Bello became the latest starter to keep the opposition off the scoreboard Monday, working five shutout innings as Boston beat the Angels, 5-2, at Fenway Park for its fifth straight win.

The Red Sox have allowed just four runs from their starters during the streak, a 0.93 ERA, and have gone 34-17 since the All-Star break.

Monday marked the third time during the winning streak that a Boston starter did not allow a run. Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray each threw seven scoreless innings in Baltimore, and Bello joined them in his first start in more than two months.

His outing wasn’t nearly as efficient as those two, but the result was the same.

Bello battled traffic throughout the afternoon and needed 103 pitches to get through five innings. He walked two and struggled to get ahead in counts, but kept the Angels off the scoreboard.

“It was important (for them to turn it around),” interim manager Chad Tracy said. “Obviously, that last homestand, to be fair, we were going through a pen day, a spot start, so we kind of knew we were going to grind through that period. But coming out of that on the backside with no day off, because of when we went to Baltimore, we had (had) a lot of usage in our pen that we get a run of good starts.

“So that’s five really good starts in a row, really good starts. It was important that we got to that place.”

Bello had gone 1-6 with a 10.35 ERA as a starter, and the Angels offered a favorable matchup for his return to the rotation. The Halos entered Monday ranked 29th in the majors in runs scored.

“Obviously when they told me yesterday, I was super happy and my only thought was to have a good outing today and help my team win, and I’m glad it went my way today,” said Bello. “At the beginning, I felt kind of weird, but I was able to find myself again and I was able to get the rhythm back on quickly.'"

Jarren Duran opened the scoring with his 20th home run of the season in the second inning, moving within one of his career high of 21 set in 2024.

Adley Rutschman followed with the biggest swing of the afternoon.

With two runners aboard, the former Orioles catcher drove a pitch from Grayson Rodriguez off the Pesky Pole for a three-run homer, extending Boston’s lead to 4-0.

The ball left Rutschman’s bat at more than 112 mph, the hardest-hit ball of his career.

Rutschman was Rodriguez's teammate in Baltimore before the Orioles shipped the starter off to the Angels in the offseason.

“I think, for me, I know kind of what they want to do with their arsenal,” said Rutschman. “I know what makes them really good. I definitely have a game plan going in. But I always tell people, it’s such a different visual, catching vs. hitting, that sometimes I’ll step into the batter’s box against guys and it just looks so much different than when you’re catching them. But you do know what makes them really good.”

It was also his third home run in two games against pitchers he previously caught in Baltimore. Rutschman homered twice against former teammate Brandon Young in his return to Camden Yards on Thursday before taking Rodriguez deep Monday.

More importantly for Boston, the power is beginning to return after Rutschman missed several games with a left elbow issue.

Caleb Durbin also had an encouraging afternoon after a difficult stretch at the plate.

Durbin singled in the third and doubled in the fifth, recording his first extra-base hit since Aug. 13. He entered Monday batting just .143 over his previous 14 games, with no RBI and all six of his hits singles.

The slump had become a concern, particularly with Durbin continuing to deal with a left pinky injury, but Monday offered a couple of positive signs.

“It was good to see that,” said Tracy, who gave his third baseman a day off in the series with the Orioles over the weekend. “You can use your eyes and see a guy and notice, ‘Man, his legs look heavy. He looks tired.’ He looked more refreshed, for sure. I thought his swings were quicker. It was good to see that today.”

Roman Anthony continued to make hard contact as well. He opened the first inning with a line-drive single to right and later hit a 95 mph liner to center that Kyren Paris caught. The results weren’t always there, but the quality of Anthony’s at-bats continues to look much different from what Boston saw during his early-season struggles.

Duran’s homer was another reminder that his value extends beyond his batting average. He remains barely above .200, but his power and defense have helped make him an important part of the lineup. He is closing in on the potential of having a 20/20 season, sitting with 18 stolen bases. 

“Not every years is going to go the way you want,” Tracy said. “But you look up there and he’s 20-20, maybe, or a really good shot, a chance at 20-20 and a very legitimate shot of having 80-plus RBI and you look at that and go, ‘Man, that’s pretty productive for where he’s been at at times this year.’ ”

Eli White went 2-for-4 with an RBI, driving in Boston’s fifth and final run with a third-inning single. The Red Sox finished with nine hits and five walks, struck out six times and went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight men on base.

The bullpen, meanwhile, got another encouraging outing from Wyatt Olds.

The right-hander entered Monday having allowed just one run over his previous eight appearances, covering 9 1/3 innings. His first pitch was hit out of the ballpark by Moises Ballesteros, but Olds responded by striking out the next three hitters.

He returned for another inning and retired all three batters he faced, including two more strikeouts.

All the runs Olds has allowed this season have come on solo home runs.

The Red Sox will continue their three-game series against the Angels on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (1-4, 4.41 ERA) will face his former team, while Los Angeles will start left-hander Reid Detmers (4-8, 3.44 ERA).