Red Sox Wrap: José Berríos Outduels Brayan Bello In Blue Jays Win

The Boston Red Sox struggled to get their offense going north of the border in a 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday night.

The Red Sox, who have lost eight out of their last 10 games, are back at the .500 mark at 74-74 while the Blue Jays improve to 81-67.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Brayan Bello turned in a very good outing. But unfortunately for Bello, José Berríos was even better.

Both right-handed pitchers continually matched each other by putting up plenty of zeros on the scoreboard. In the end, it was only one pitch that did in Bello.

Aside from allowing a game-changing home run, Bello kept down a potent Blue Jays lineup and recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts. The development on the mound from the 24-year-old has definitely been one of the few bright spots in a disappointing season.

But if Bello wants to be considered a legitimate ace in the big leagues, he needs to get away from the one or two mistakes in his outings that end up costing him. It’s a thin margin for error, which is why it’s so hard to gain the status that Bello has shown is within his reach.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Berríos tossed seven shutout innings, scattering five hits while walking none and striking out eight. It was the 11th win of the season for the veteran pitcher.

— Bello’s career-best strikeout performance came in six innings of work, in which he yielded three runs on four hits while walking just one. He’s now 12-9 on the season with a 3.71 ERA.

— Vladimir Guerrero Jr. mashed a 400-foot, three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to provide all of the offense for the Blue Jays. Guerrero finished 2-for-3.

Number 21 goes YARD 💥 #PLAKATA pic.twitter.com/eeSqJPwdMw

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 16, 2023

WAGER WATCH
Justin Turner, who went 2-for-4 in the loss, was the only member of the Red Sox lineup with strong success against Berríos. FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Turner collecting at least two hits at +240. A $100 wager on the prop bet would have netted a total of $340.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox and Blue Jays continue their three-game series on Saturday. First pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.