Red Sox’s Alex Cora Critiques Brayan Bello After Rough Outing Vs. A’s

With a series win on the line Wednesday afternoon in Oakland, Brayan Bello didn’t pitch at the level that’s become expected of him by the Red Sox.

Boston suffered a 6-5 defeat at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium and in turn a series loss to the Athletics, the worst team in Major League Baseball. All of those runs were allowed by Bello, who only lasted four innings. And unfortunately for the 24-year-old, three of the five hits he surrendered went over the fence.

After the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora pinpointed one key flaw in Bello’s underwhelming performance in the Bay Area.

“We need to go up at some point during at-bats,” Cora told reporters, per MLB.com. “You cannot live downstairs, you know, sinker, changeup. … The slider is developing. The cutter is what he’s developing now, and it’s a pitch that obviously he wants to use up in the zone to get chases.”

Bello agreed with his skipper, explaining he needs the cutter to set up his other pitches. The right-hander noted the pitch is “a work in progress,” which is to be expected of a starter pitching in his first full MLB season.

The budding star also received support from Red Sox teammates after his dud against the A’s. Bello will have a chance to rebound next week against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park.