Bello struck out five and allowed one earned run on two hits and no walks across 4.1 innings of long relief Sunday in the Red Sox's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Mets.
Boston recalled Bello from Triple-A Worcester prior to their final game of the first half, after the right-hander submitted a 4.34 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB in 18.2 innings across his four starts in the minors. Though Bello had previously been used as a traditional starter or bulk reliever in his prior 13 outings with Boston this season, he was deployed as part of a piggyback arrangement with Payton Tolle, whom interim manager Chad Tracy indicated prior to the game would be deliberately limited as a means of workload management. After Tolle covered the first 3.2 innings, Bello entered midway through the fourth and was able to keep the Red Sox competitive before the Boston offense finally broke through with two runs in the ninth inning to send the game to extras. Boston will have an opening in its rotation until either Ranger Suarez (groin) or Connelly Early (elbow) return from the injured list, and Bello or Eduardo Rivera -- who made an abbreviated start Saturday -- would appear to be the top candidates to fill the void.