Starters 'need to step up,' with Bello latest to put Sox in a hole

BOSTON – A walk-off home run like the one Rafael Devers belted on Saturday night to lift his team to a victory after trailing by five runs is the type of jolt that can often swing the momentum of a team.

If that wasn’t enough, there was Devers again on Sunday, mauling a grand slam to center field at Fenway Park to instantly turn a three-run deficit into a one-run lead.

But that old axiom that momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher continues to stand the test of time.

Brayan Bello let go of the rope early on Sunday, and he did so again after the slam by Devers. And that’s why the Red Sox took a 10-4 loss to the Braves in the rubber match of a three-game series.

It capped a tough, 1-6 week for a Boston team that is 23-25, well below the record the club expected to have at this point of the season.

While there have been a variety of reasons for the struggles, the starting rotation on days Garrett Crochet doesn’t have the ball has been a culprit of late.

“They need to step up,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “That's the bottom line. We have to step up as a rotation. It's not only Garrett, it's everybody. We have to do a better job as a group.”

Since April 30, the Sox are 6-11. During that time, the rotation (minus Crochet) has a 6.18 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP. The group that includes Tanner Houck, Bello, Lucas Giolito and Hunter Dobbins has logged 71 1/3 innings in that span, allowing 89 hits, 26 walks and 50 strikeouts while generating a modest 6.3 K/9.

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Houck, who has struggled the most of any starter on the team this season, is currently on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor pronator strain. Walker Buehler will return from the IL on Tuesday to take Houck’s spot in the rotation. Given that Buehler seemed to be getting in a groove before his brief shutdown with right shoulder bursitis, that could make a difference.

While Dobbins has generally done well as a prospect getting his first taste of starting in the Major Leagues, Bello and Giolito are two starters the club needs to get more consistency out of.

Both pitchers started the season on the IL. Giolito is 1-1 with a 7.08 ERA in his first four starts in his comeback from right UCL surgery. Bello is 2-1 with a 4.02 ERA in six starts after missing Spring Training due to right shoulder inflammation.

Perhaps getting into more of a sustained routine will help both pitchers get their pitch mix where it needs to be.

For Bello, there are two areas of focus.

The first is improving his command. Sunday marked the second time he has issued five walks in his past three starts. He hasn’t been able to get out of the fifth inning in all three of those outings.

“Overall lack of consistency and command,” said Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey. “We have a contact pitcher who is groundball oriented, and then we kind of combine that with walks. Look at the recent starts specifically; it's the walks that kill him. We have to continue to work on commanding the two-seam and command the offspeed stuff.”

The second area of focus for Bello is to rediscover his changeup, which is supposed to be the second-best offering in his arsenal after the sinker.

“My changeup is my second-best pitch, and I haven’t been able to locate it,” Bello said. “For me, that’s a big issue. That’s the pitch I use for strikeouts and for hitters to chase. And when I don’t have it, it’s very hard.”

“It's command, consistency, limiting the walks, and behind-in-the-count contact,” said Bailey. “We need to be driving through the zone and having count leverage as often as we can.”

While Bailey no longer throws pitches, he will do his best to help his group throw better ones in the coming days.

“Obviously, we're working through some things physically with a couple guys on the IL and I’ve got to do a better job of helping our guys be prepared and go out there and compete,” Bailey said. “For me, I take pride in that. We're going through a little rough patch with the starters these last two turns or so. We’ve got to pick it up and be prepared for tomorrow. “