Mazz: Brayan Bello is mentally brittle
Brayan Bello has struggled on the mound for the Boston Red Sox and those struggles on Tuesday night at Fenway Park against the Toronto Blue Jays. On Tuesday’s Felger and Mazz, Mazz gave his thoughts on Bello’s start to the season.
Mazz: Brayan Bello is mentally brittle.
Jim Murray: I think that’s clear. I think last night proved that.
Mazz: He caved. He caved in. That’s sort of an old baseball term, but we use it in sports for everything, that when the pitcher finds some adversity, he caves. That’s what Bello did. He caved. That’s how a manager would describe it. That’s how an executive would describe it in the game. He caved, he collapsed. He got frustrated by the fact that his defense let him down and he completely imploded….
Paul Perillo: His ERA is still over 5.00, right?
Mazz: Well over 5.00. It’s now 5.55. He walked more batters than he struck out last night. He had three walks in two and a third innings. He gave up five hits, including a home run. He’s been serving up home runs all year long.
Jim Murray: When the perception is he’s supposed to be their race, right?
Mazz: And this is the part that I’m worried about. And again this is a reflection on the organization now. And I’ll tell you why….they gave him a contract. They gave him a contract. This is one of the guys that they identified and said, “well, you know, we’ll sign him early. He’s important to us. We’re going to give him six years and 50 million or 55 million”, or whatever the hell the number is. But this is a guy that they deemed to be a long term investment and he is going out there and when someone makes a mistake, he implodes.
Jim Murray: Or if it’s daytime, don’t forget that too. He really can’t pitch good when they they have daytime starts.
Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!
Mazz's Tiers: Boston sports opponents who struggled in the playoffs
It’s time for the latest edition of Mazz’s Tiers! This week, Mazz decided to rank the athletes (or teams) that struggled against Boston teams in the playoffs!
But before the Tiers, here’s a look at a few who could appear on the list…
The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs have met each other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs four times since 2013. The Maple Leafs have fallen to the Bruins in all four of those series.
Matt Ryan won the NFL MVP award during the 2016 NFL season and held a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl 51. He and the Atlanta Falcons would end up coughing up that lead to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and lose the Super Bowl.
Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit was brought in to face Red Sox slugger David Ortiz with the bases loaded in game2 of the 2013 ALCS. Ortiz would hit a grand slam on the first pitch he saw from Benoit to tie the game at 5. The Red Sox would go on to win the game and the series.
Roberto Luongo pumped the tires of Tim Thomas a lot during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Luongo probably should have focused on stopping pucks instead, as he and his Vancouver Canucks fell to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
Kyrie Irving famously left the Boston Celtics in free agency during the summer of 2019. Since he left the team he has struggled against them at TD Garden, especially in the 2024 NBA Finals where he and his Dallas Mavericks couldn’t win a game at the Garden against the Celtics.
Tier 1
VANCOUVER, BC – JUNE 15: Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on during Game Seven against the Boston Bruins in the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 15, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs
Roberto Luongo – Vancouver Canucks
Roger Clemens – New York Yankees
Kyrie Irving – Dallas Mavericks
Peter Carroll – Seattle Seahawks
Kyle Shanahan, Dan Quinn, Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons
Alex Rodriguez – New York Yankees
Tier 2
INDIANAPOLIS – NOVEMBER 15: Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts throws the ball in the third quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Peyton Manning – Indianapolis Colts
Isiah Thomas – Detroit Pistons
James Worthy & Magic Johnson – Los Angeles Lakers
LaDainian Tomlinson – San Diego Chargers
Billy Cundiff – Baltimore Ravens
Jon Kasay – Carolina Panthers
Tier 3
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams watches warm ups to the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on September 08, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
Sean McVay – Los Angeles Rams
Mike Martz – St. Louis Rams
Joaquin Benoit – Detroit Tigers
Donnie Moore – California Angels
Fausto Carmona (Roberto Hernandez) – Cleveland Indians
