The Boston Red Sox pitching staff understands the Toronto Blue Jays have an aggressive, and vaunted, lineup.
So what was the best way for them to battle the Blue Jays' aggressive tenancies? Well, with some aggression of their own.
That approach certainly worked Thursday night for Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello, who earned his first win of the season with Boston upending Toronto, 11-5, to complete a four-game series sweep at Fenway Park. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed five innings in which he gave up two earned runs on six hits while striking out five and walking just one.
"Just attacking the zone really helped out and helped keep me ahead," Bello told reporters through a translator as seen on NESN postgame coverage.
Bello had back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the second and third frames, but his showing in the second inning was pure dominance. Bello struck out the side in order, first getting Matt Chapman looking at a 96 mph fastball on the outer edge before getting lefty Brandon Belt and Danny Jansen swinging.
"Just super focused on being aggressive and striking out those three and making competitive pitches and it worked out," Bello said.
After a rough season debut against the Los Angeles Angels not even three weeks ago, Bello has bounced back quite nicely. He has allowed three earned runs and amassed 12 strikeouts in his last two starts.
And Thursday's performance was just another building block for Bello as he continues to try to cement himself in the starting rotation.
