Trevor Story is close to completing his comeback
The subject was Brayan Bello.
He was, after all, the man of the hour - or in this case, 2-hour and 5-minute game - throwing eight shutout innings while leading the Red Sox to a much-needed 3-0 win over the Blue Jays Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
"I think he understands where we’re at and what it's all about," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
What it is all about for these Red Sox is a rapidly shrinking margin of error, with Cora's club now three games out of a Wild Card spot after Chris Sale's dominating performance against the Twins.
But the last two days - both without Rafael Devers in the lineup - the Red Sox have stepped up and looked like a dramatically different team than the one which had dropped three straight to Arizona before getting swept by the Jays in Monday's doubleheader. They appeared like a club who not only understand the importance of every out, but actually were finally embracing the urgency.
And this time the chief example of this about-face was Bello.
At a time the Red Sox desperately needed an ace, the team's Opening Day starter became one. Throwing 97 pitches, Bello gave up just two hits and one walk while striking out nine, marking just the second time this season a Red Sox starter has gone at least eight innings.
The performance shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise considering what Bello has evolved into throughout the second half, having now allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his last nine innings dating back to July 14.
But this was different. This was the kind of occasion that helps define a pitcher's evolution and maturity. At least that's how it felt on what might have been Bello's career night.
"I love those games, mostly just because when the score is like that, you have to stay focused," explained Bello, who once again integrated just enough four-seam fastballs (7 total) to keep the Blue Jays honest. "You have to focus on executing every single pitch. And yeah, I really enjoyed it."
“That was amazing," Cora said. "That was fun to watch. Under control. Pitch by pitch, he didn't get ahead, right? The sinker was good. The four seamer was great. The change up, slider was outstanding. His best outing in the big leagues against team that has given him trouble. He was able to keep them off balanced. Used the fastball enough to keep them honest. He was outstanding."
Then there were some other subtle steps in the right direction.
The Red Sox got a piece of the puzzle Cora has been suggesting is a big reason for his team's less-than-stellar home record: A home run over the left field wall. As the manager pointed out, the difference between the percentage of homers at home and on the road for the Red Sox is noticeable (96 on the road; 71 at home), suggesting Boston's lineup isn't exactly made to keep up with its visitors when it comes to pulling for power.
That's where Tyler O'Neill came in.
The righty hitter added the Red Sox some breathing room with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, giving him seven extra-base hits (2 doubles, 5 homers) in nine games against the Jays this season.
"People make a big deal out of Fenway, how we struggle, all that stuff. But that – pull-side homers – play here," Cora said. "When he's locked in, it helps. It was a 1-0 game, Hammy gets on, one pitch, and all of a sudden we can breathe. That’s what I was talking about. I'm glad that he hit that one. Put some good at-bats, hit the ball the other way, stayed on the fastball, didn’t jump on the off-speed pitches, so hopefully this is the beginning of something great."
And, finally, was the Sox' spring in their step. For that, the players were pointing to one subtle change: Cora pushing back their reporting time until 4 p.m.
"Every game matters, for sure. Obviously understanding we have gone through a bit of a rough stretch and the doubleheader didn’t help anything. But kudos to AC for shutting the clubhouse down, getting us in later," O'Neill said. "Keep the energy flowing. We were able to show up and the boys were bouncing out there today. I think guys are just more excited. Overall, it’s just better for us. We’re having fun again. Hopefully we’ll do the same thing tomorrow and get another win."