Red Sox rookie Brayan Bello was in control against the Twins at Target Field on Monday night — until he wasn’t.
Bello was very sharp through the first three innings of the Boston-Minnesota series opener. While the highly touted pitching prospect needed 29 pitches to get through the fourth, he impressively limited the Twins to only one run despite allowing three baserunners in the frame.
The fifth proved to be the dagger for the Red Sox and Bello, who allowed back-to-back walks to start the inning. Boston manager Alex Cora pulled the 23-year-old after the pair of free passes, but the bullpen combination of Matt Strahm and John Schreiber weren’t able to keep Minnesota at bay. A Gio Urshela three-run double gave the Twins a 4-2 lead, and that score held firm until the home nine secured a comeback win.
After the game, Bello couldn’t help but look at the two walks that started Minnesota’s rally.
“I was pretty upset because I was controlling the game,” Bello told reporters, per MLB.com. “I was in the game and I was getting outs, and those two walks got me out of my game. I felt I was doing well and I was going along with the game real well, it just got me.”
Bello still has plenty to work on, including attacking the strike zone on a more regular basis. But Cora still seems pleased with how the up-and-comer is developing on the mound.
The Red Sox will try to bounce back Tuesday night when they meet the Twins for the middle game of their series. NESN’s full coverage of the contest begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.
