Red Sox Praise Brayan Bello After Stellar Start Vs. Yankees

Brayan Bello had a forgettable outing against the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 12, but he bounced back Friday in a dominant win over the Yankees on Friday.

Boston's bats supported Bello early in its win over New York at Yankee Stadium, and the right-hander continued his dominance against the Yankees. Bello has a career 1.45 ERA in five starts against New York.

"He has stepped up big against them," Alex Verdugo told reporters, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. "He likes the big games, man. He's a good pitcher. Lot of confidence. He knows his stuff, what's his strengths, and he pitches to them really well."

The Red Sox were confident Bello could overcome his struggles prior to Friday's matchup, and the 24-year-old rewarded that confidence with a six-inning outing, where he struck out four and only gave up one earned run off six hits.

"This is a good stadium for me," Bello told reporters, per The Boston Globe's Julian McWilliams. "I feel really comfortable with that mound. It's really nice although the ballpark is small in a couple of places and I don't want anybody to hit it that way. But that's the reason why I pitch so well (here)."

Per Cotillo, Cora added: "He's good against everybody. I think we get caught up sometimes on (him giving up) three runs in six innings. The lefties are hitting him and all that but it's part of the progression. He's still learning and he's good. (Friday), he did a good job finding the strike zone after we got the lead and gave us six strong innings to put us in a good spot."

The Red Sox can win the series with a victory over the Yankees on Saturday. First pitch for the matchup is scheduled at 1:05 p.m. ET with pregame on NESN starting at noon.