Even with a few wins for the Purple Sox right here and there, I believe we will go forward and customarily chalk up the latest play we’ve seen one week into the post-Cora period as “uninspiring” as this dreadful begin to the season slugs alongside. One other collection L in opposition to Houston solely reinforces how bored I’m with this workforce. It’s a shitty feeling. I would like the spark to be again inside my baseball-related life.
Say what you need in regards to the dismissal of the supervisor and members of his teaching workers (which, consider me, we now have right here at OTM) however the entire warts of the 2026 workforce weren’t gonna magically disappear with them. The lineup, by and enormous, continues to be not doing sufficient to succeed. A lot of the beginning pitching workers—one thing that was presupposed to be a powerful basis of this workforce—is both harm or hasn’t met the usual. We’re staring down a pair of video games in Detroit this week in opposition to two of the very best left-handed pitchers within the sport—a pair of men who already shoved in opposition to us lately—together with a collection on the finish of the week in opposition to a very good Rays workforce. It may get actual spooky by the point I sit down to jot down the subsequent MMBB. We received outfielders throwin’ their arms up at infielders, we received hit items comin’ in, our pets’ heads are fallin’ off—the vibes are simply putrid proper now, even when I did discover a pair of optimistic issues to speak about on this version of the Brushback. Little victories, folks.
And right here’s the kicker: we’re now the primary present on the town. The C’s and B’s biting the mud means the stage is ours. The ire in Boston might be squared straight on the Sox. Generally I really feel that speaking factors like which are a bit corny, however the dangerous vibes might be even worse if the boys don’t flip this round quick. The outdated adage is you could actually begin panicking by Memorial Day, proper? Effectively, the calendar simply turned to Might. I don’t need this 2026 marketing campaign to get out of hand, although it simply would possibly.
It’s Monday Morning Brushback time, y’all.
I really feel like I’ve caught my neck out for Brayan Bello over the previous couple of years. Whether or not it’s right here on OTM or on Pod On Lansdowne, in individual or on-line, I’ve given him grace. Just a few weeks ago on this very site, I wrote in a Brushback article that I nonetheless consider there’s a very good pitcher in there someplace regardless of what was (and nonetheless is) an actual tough begin to 2026.
Since that shout out, issues have solely gotten worse for Bello. In seven innings over his final two begins, he’s surrendered 19 hits (and three walks, so not as dangerous I suppose?) and 12 runs—all of ‘em earned. His ERA has now ballooned past 9 and his WHIP is a ghastly 2.26. He’s gotten some extra swing-and-miss in his recreation, certain, however that isn’t leading to Okay’s. I’ll concede that hasn’t been his recreation up to now, however the qualities he’s proven up to now have additionally been mid. He’s technically maintaining the ball on the bottom lots, I suppose, however is that as a result of everybody proper now is aware of they’ll tee off of him? I suppose not each ball might be barreled up (though Bello’s physique of labor appears to be making an attempt to disprove that notion contemplating his barrel price sits in the 7th percentile as I’m scripting this), proper?
I’m baffled at how dangerous this has been for Bello. I can’t actually let you know precisely what’s inflicting this, as a result of a lot of the stuff underneath the hood seems to be dangerous. My persistence is sporting skinny, if it’s not utterly gone already. I’ll go away it to others to dive deep on his physique language when he’s being taken off of the hill and whatnot, however the truth of the matter is that he’s solely made it by 5 full innings in certainly one of his six begins. Hell, he’s solely made it into the fifth twice! It’s, merely put, unacceptable stuff from quantity 66. If he doesn’t need to get all pissed off, I’d recommend he cease throwing absolute cookies which are virtually tailored for clobbering en route to a different outing the place he fails to qualify for a successful resolution.
Interim supervisor Chad Tracy mentioned they may make the most of a gap pitcher for Bello’s subsequent begin. Perhaps that does one thing; it labored for Nick Pivetta just a few years in the past if you happen to recall. Or perhaps it does nothing in any respect and it’s simply window dressing. Both means, I don’t assume a visit right down to Worcester is out of the query for him within the close to future, particularly once you keep in mind that he’s nonetheless received minor league choices remaining. The difficulty is that the quantity of MLB-caliber arms obtainable for Boston at this cut-off date is skinny (though it feels like Sonny Grey may return quickly), so the workforce would possibly really feel like they should have Bello on the market to eat extra innings.
(Word: After all, now it seems to be like Ranger Suarez is harm. I’m scripting this simply as we’re all discovering out that he received pulled after simply 4 innings. Yikes.)
Whereas that may be true, I believe the clock’s ticking right here people. One thing’s gotta change or one thing’s gotta give. To not repeat myself, however Bello’s pitching has been unacceptable for a workforce claiming to contend for one thing this season. Determine it out, man.
I do know the manufacturing on the plate fell off in the direction of the top of his cup of espresso in 2025 and it was a sluggish begin for him to start 2026, however infielder Marcelo Mayer has impressed me with the lumber lately. His nine-game hit streak got here to a detailed in Saturday’s loss, certain, however his OPS climbed over .100 over that stretch (.549 to .685; gotta begin someplace, proper?) whereas he struck out simply as soon as in that very same timeframe.
The strikeouts—or lack thereof—for Mayer have actually been probably the most optimistic growth in my e book. His swing was all the time lovely and we’ve seen flashes of the kind of laborious contact he could make when he’s on, however he struck out about 30% of the time throughout his 136 plate appearances final 12 months. Coming into play on Sunday, he’s virtually slashed that Okay-rate in half; he had only struck out 16.3% of the time, good for the 79th percentile within the league previous to Sunday’s motion.
The reasoning behind that, merely put, is that he’s not chasing at junk. For a workforce that has so many noncompetitive ABs over the primary month-and-change of the season, Mayer’s plate strategy lately has been a breath of recent air.
Now, after all, the purpose about limiting strikeouts is all effectively and good, but it surely isn’t every part. Mayer’s offensive manufacturing continues to be subpar on the finish of the day. The OPS nonetheless begins with a 6 since he’s not excelling at both part of that components. It stays to be seen if he can proceed to ship in opposition to left-handed pitchers, although Tracy has said he desires to offer him extra seems to be in opposition to these guys (fortunately).
However the constructing blocks to Marcelo’s continued offensive growth are exhibiting themselves now. It’s gonna be laborious for a 23-year-old to make any kind of progress with the bat if the elements aren’t in place. If he’s staying aggressive within the field and never bailing pitchers out by chasing at stuff out of the zone, that units the desk for every part else. His swing is gorgeous, he controls the bat on a very good airplane, and his bat velocity is excellent. If he’s pairing good swing choices along with his bodily instruments, then I consider that optimistic regression is within the playing cards for Mayer.
Perhaps that Automotive Protect heckler motivated him to be higher.
A hearty congratulations to lefty Jake Bennett on making his MLB debut Friday night time and logging his first victory! He threw 5 innings en path to the W, as he struck out a trio of ’Stros whereas surrendering only one earned run. It was a superbly cromulent debut for the 25-year-old.
Three phrases on what you possibly can maybe anticipate from Mr. Bennett, courtesy of the fantastic Prospect Savant useful resource: extension, extension, extension. CBO Craig Breslow loves pitchers who’re actually letting go of the ball nearer to the plate than the typical bear, and Bennett’s received that in spades as proof by his 93rd percentile extension inside the Arizona Fall League. He doesn’t throw insanely laborious (simple for me to say {that a} fastball sitting at round 95 MPH isn’t that quick, I suppose) however the location and command he’s proven has been spectacular; MLB Pipeline rated him a 60-grade command man on the 20-80 scale. The 4SFB-change-sinker triumvirate seems to be to be his most important choices, as he threw these three choices 74 out of 85 instances on Friday.
Pipeline writes: “He has a excessive ground as a No. 4 starter and Boston believes it could actually assist him add some extra power and velocity, which may make him greater than that.” I’ll take that, particularly proper now given the pitching accidents. Crochet and Grey, like I mentioned earlier, gained’t be on the mend terribly lengthy (though I do not know what the take care of Suarez is correct now, TBD), however these IL stints together with the efficiency of the man who I simply wrote about may open the door for some extra Bennett appearances.
One factor to look at the subsequent time Bennett’s out on the bump, maybe, is the walks. He issued two free passes on Friday, however traditionally that’s not been a difficulty for him. He walked simply 6% of batters within the AFL just a few months again, and once more: that management is rattling good.
Bennett might be a fairly helpful pitcher to have, and his emergence might be coming on the proper time for Boston. I’m to see him proceed to develop.
Music of the Week: “Nothin’ However The Taillights” by Clint Black
A lil’ honky-tonk motion for ya to start the week.
Identical time and similar place subsequent week, mates! Go Sox.
