Brayan Bello had the longest stint on the mound of his career, pitching eight innings Wednesday to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Bello (12-6) struck out nine batters, allowing two hits and a walk to earn just his second win in eight starts since the All-Star break.
The 25-year-old right-hander pitched into the eighth inning for just the second time in the major leagues, but he had never had more than 24 outs.
“I definitely think it’s one of my best starts in the big leagues, in every aspect,” Bello said. “I like these games, mainly because when the score is [serré]you have to stay focused. You have to concentrate on every throw. I really enjoyed it.”
Bello had a 6.96 ERA in his previous seven starts against the Blue Jays.
“His best outing in the major leagues, against a team that’s given him trouble before,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He had his eyes on the outcome. He was excited, but not overly excited. He stayed in the moment. He gave us a performance that we needed, given our bullpen situation.”
Tyler O’Neill homered, Masataka Yoshida had three hits and Kenley Jansen recorded his 25th save of the season in the ninth to give the Red Sox their second straight win over the Blue Jays.
“We’re in the thick of the playoff fight right now,” Bello said. “So I really wanted to win this game so we can keep moving forward.”
Chris Bassitt (9-13) allowed one run, five hits and one walk, fanning nine opponents before leaving the game in the seventh inning with two outs and the score 1-0 in favor of the home team.
O’Neill hit a two-run homer off reliever Brendon Little to make it 3-0.
Jarren Duran singled to lead off the game, grounded to second and scored when Wilyer Abreu singled.
Bassitt gave up back-to-back singles to Yoshida and Connor Wong in the top of the seventh.
He then retired Romy Gonzalez when his bunt was caught by the catcher, then Ceddanne Rafaela struck out. With the top of the Red Sox lineup set to come up to bat, Little stepped up and forced Duran to hit a fly ball to center field.
The score was still 1-0 in the eighth when David Hamilton advanced to first base on catcher Alejandro Kirk’s error, and O’Neill sent the next pitch over the Green Monster.
“Every pitch counted tonight, right up until the end,” Cora said. “It was 1-0, and ‘Hammy’ went into the batter’s box, and all of a sudden you could breathe.”