Red Sox Notes: Brayan Bello Backed After ‘OK Job’ Vs. Tigers

The Boston Red Sox fell short to the Detroit Tigers in a 6-2 loss Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park, and manager Alex Cora reflected on what he saw from his team.

The skipper spoke on young ace Brayan Bello's performance from the bump, where he gave up nine hits and four earned runs while striking out five in 4 2/3 innings.

"A lot of swings and misses on his (Bello's) changeups. He got beat on a slider in the zone," Cora said, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage. "Base hit on a slider and then he got beat on a cutter to a righty. I know teams are making adjustments, but at the end of the day, you're pretty good."

Bello's changeup is one of his best pitches, and the Red Sox manager thought he threw it well on the day.

"At the end of the day, you go with your strength, and I think he did an OK job with that. I don't know percentage-wise with the changeup what it was, but he got some swings and misses, so it was a good one," Cora continued. "They battled and put the ball in play, so it was another one they had to grind."

Cora gave credit to Detroit for their performance, as they hit four solo shots in the victory, including two from right fielder Kerry Carpenter.

"Sometimes we got to give credit to the opposition. Carpenter, the first one it was a slider in the zone and he hit it that way. The slider was down in the zone, stayed with it," Cora said. "The cutter, that pitch we'd probably take it away. He (Bello) battled. The bullpen did OK."

Here are more notes from Saturday's Red Sox-Tigers game:

-- The Red Sox struggled to generate timely hits, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and recorded just eight hits on the day.

"Offensively, I'm not concerned, but we're better than this. I think we were 0-for-11 with men in scoring position," Cora said. "The line was moving. We put pressure on him early on. I think it was 30-something pitches right away, something we were looking for.

"(Alex Verdugo) hit two rockets today for double plays. (Triston) Casas put good at-bats, hit the ball hard. It's one of those weird kind of games."

-- Justin Turner performed well in his return to the Red Sox lineup after missing the previous four games with a bruised heel. He went 2-for-4 with a solo shot and a single.

"That was a good swing. Wow," Cora said. "That pitch way in, stay inside and hit it in the air. He's tough... Good to have him in the lineup."

-- Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers will most likely have the day off in Sunday's matchup, as Boston faces Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

"There's a good chance Raffy takes a day off tomorrow," Cora said.

-- Bello will get six days off before he makes his next start on the mound.

"He pitches Friday, so he gets the extra day," Cora said.

-- The Red Sox close out their series with the Tigers on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 12:05 p.m. ET, streamed on Peacock.