Carlos Narvaez Shares Theory On Brayan Bello’s Lack Of Success Against Braves originally appeared on NESN.
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The Boston Red Sox opted not to have an opener for right-hander Brayan Bello on Sunday in the series finale against the Atlanta Braves.
Bello had been pitching out of the bullpen as of late, and he’s had plenty of success. Yet, on Sunday, interim manager Chad Tracy opted to give Bello the start, and he struggled from the get-go.
The Braves hit Bello hard early as he allowed three runs in the first inning and two runs in the second inning to go down 5-0 early. After the game, Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez believes the pitch that Austin Riley hit for a three-run home run in the first inning really impacted Bello mentally.
“That pitch to Riley probably took him out of the game mentally (for a bit),” Narvaez said postgame on Sunday. “Then he fought back to get in the game. Of course, he’s a little bit emotional. He wants to succeed. He probably felt a little bit in that inning like, ‘OK, here we go again,’ that type of thought.”
Bello, meanwhile, said he wasn’t able to control the strike zone on Sunday, which has been an issue for him.
“I felt good physically. I just wasn’t able to control the strike zone or throw strikes,” said Bello. “Obviously it’s a tough, tough stretch for me, a tough start for me after those two outings. I thought I was able to build on those (outings) and be able to start (again) and take off, and it wasn’t the case today.”
Bello finished the start going five innings, allowing seven runs, on eight hits, while walking three. With the loss, Bello fell to 2-5 with a 7.16 ERA in nine games.
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