Red Sox count on Brayan Bello to halt skid in clash vs. D-backs

The Boston Red Sox will call on right-hander Brayan Bello, one of their rotation's big three, to stop a three-game skid in the series finale against Arizona on Sunday afternoon.

Bello, Red Sox No. 1 starter Garrett Crochet and Saturday hard-luck loser Lucas Giolito are 26-8 with a 2.62 ERA in 45 games since June 10. The Red Sox are 33-12 in those 45.

Bello (11-6, 3.07 ERA) is set to oppose Arizona right-hander Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.57) on Sunday.

Bello, a top prospect when he broke into the majors in 2022 and a double-digit winner in each of the last two years, is having a breakout season in terms of peripherals.

His ERA and WHIP (1.23) are at career-low levels. He has made 15 quality starts.

"Everybody goes through that, right?" Boston manager Alex Cora said of the maturation he has seen in Bello, 26. "It doesn't matter if you are Cy Young or Brayan Bello, you know. You have to learn through the process.

"Bello is a guy that throughout the year keeps getting better."

Bello will try to keep the Sox from falling further behind in the playoff chase against a Diamondbacks team that is playing its best baseball of the season.

The D-backs have won four games in a row and eight of 10 after their 5-1 victory Saturday, and they are 21-13 since they dealt five free agents-to-be at the trade deadline.

Blaze Alexander has been among the catalysts. Alexander took a home run away from Alex Bregman with a leap at the left field fence in the eighth inning Saturday after throwing out a runner at the plate from center field in Friday's 10-5 win.

"You can feel the energy that he creates," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of Alexander. "It's the athleticism that we are always impressed by. He's one of the many guys who are giving us a lot of energy.

"It's an exciting brand of baseball we are playing. We play athletically. We can move fast."

Nelson has been consistent in his nine starts since the All-Star break, although it is not reflected in his victory total. He has made five quality starts in that run, going 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA.

"You get to this part of the year, and every game feels like the most important game," Nelson said. "The momentum swings all year have kind of been (like) riding the highs, riding in the lows. If we just stay somewhere in the middle, that's the best way to move forward."

Nelson threw 63 fastballs, 21 curve balls and 10 sliders in his most recent outing, a no-decision against Texas in which he gave up three runs in six innings and was in line for the victory until the bullpen collapsed late in a 7-5, 10-inning loss on Monday.

The off-speed pitches are a focus to get hitters off his fastball.

"I think some sort of game plan involving that (off-speed) is a way to protect the fastball," Nelson said. "It's always been something we've wanted to work in. Keep them a little bit more off-balance."

Nelson beat the Red Sox in his only career appearance against them, a 12-2 victory last year in Fenway Park in which he gave up two runs in six innings with seven strikeouts. Rob Refsnyder homered against him in that August 2024 game.

Bello faced the Diamondbacks in that contest for the only time in his career, giving up five runs and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings in the loss.

-Field Level Media