Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello got off to a scorching-hot start against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.
While Bello wasn't perfect through his first few innings – allowing a pair of runs in the first – he still managed to seem virtually untouchable. In fact, Bello recorded nine strikeouts through the first three innings of the game. He's the first Red Sox pitcher to accomplish that feat since at least 1969, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
“Brayan Bello is the first Red Sox pitcher with 9 strikeouts in the first 3 innings of a game in at least the divisional era (1969)”
Bello extended his feat into the fourth inning, striking out Lawrence Butler to make 10 consecutive outs via the punch out. Bello finished his stint with 11 strikeouts in 5.1 innings and the Red Sox leading 11-2.
On the season, Bello's performance for the Red Sox has been mixed. He holds an 8-5 record with a 5.19 ERA in 15 starts. he also has 71 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched.
Red Sox star Rafael Devers will not play in MLB All-Star Game
Rafael Devers is more than putting up All-Star numbers in 2024, but he won't play in the MLB All-Star Game next week. On Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed why.
“He’s not gonna participate,” Cora said. “Obviously, he has been grinding through a few things, especially his left shoulder. As a group, we believe this is a good time for him to get some rest and take care of it. MLB is going to announce it in the upcoming hours.”
Major League Baseball selected Devers as an All-Star reserve this week coming off of his huge weekend against the rival New York Yankees. Boston won two out of three in the weekend series, while Devers had five hits and three home runs.
Clearly, his shoulder hasn't hampered his productivity, but the Red Sox recognize it's more important to have Devers healthy down the stretch than it is for him to play in an exhibition game.
“It’s a testament to our medical staff,” Cora said. “They do an amazing job with him during the week. Raffy has learned how to be efficient with his work and staying healthy. Talking to him, we all believe there’s more here. We’re shooting for something bigger than the All-Star Game. For him to be healthy is the most important thing. But as far as the performance, he understands. He does an outstanding job in the weight room, in the training room, not hitting outside, not taking grounders when he doesn’t need them. He’s a very mature player who understands his craft and that’s the reason he has been able to post.”
