Mazz: Brayan Bello’s season has been a fail
On Tuesday night the first ten batters that Boston Red Sox starter Brayan Bello retired were by strikeouts. However, Bello also gave up 5 earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched. With his ERA for the season at 5.40, Mazz discusses how the season has been a fail for the Sox young starter.
Mazz: Brayan Bello, to me, has been a fail. I think he’s been bad. He started out OK early on, but he’s been bad.
Felger: A fail?
Mazz: Fail. If you ask me how the year has gone for Brayan Bello my answer is fail. And while you were talking, I was just trying to punch up where he ranks among pitchers in the big leagues in ERA given the number of innings he has pitched. He’s got to be near the bottom, and I’ll see if I can get you an exact number on where he ranks among pitchers with the requisite amount of innings. OK, here you go….there are 97 pitchers in the big leagues who have thrown 80 innings. OK, because he’s not quite eligible for the ERA title, he’s 94 out of 97 in ERA among qualifying pitchers. That’s horrible. So remember, scoring is down, offense is down, pitching is dominating the league. Tanner Houck has gone to a level where he is now a Cy Young candidate. This kids ERA is 5.50, he’s giving up home runs, he’s getting hit by lefties, he’s giving up home runs to righties. I think he’s gone backwards! And they gave him a six year contract, which is not for big, big money, but again, which guys are you trying to sign? Are you trying to sign the guys that will take the money or are you trying to sign the guys that are worth it? Because I would argue you signed Bello and Houck is now miles ahead. And I understand there’s an age difference, but to me there are all kinds of questions that come to the surface about how the Red Sox are doing things and Bello is one of the big one that’s at the center of it.