Zack Kelly's wild Draft Day story
Even before the Red Sox' 7-2 win over the Marlins Wednesday night, keeping them just a 1/2 game out of the wild card designation, there was a sign that the club's July mindset might be a bit different this time around.
That was thanks to Alex Cora's proclamation on the 'Jones and Mego Show' that he isn't all that into those Fangraphs playoff odds that the organization was seemingly leaning so heavily on last trade deadline.
"I'm not a big fan," Cora said with a chuckle of the odds.
When Cora and Co. woke up on Independence Day, they would have seen their odds of making the postseason according to Fangraphs stood at 39.7 percent, a far cry from the 10.8 percent they sat at exactly a month ago.
But, to the manager's point, there was no need to log onto any Web site for evidence that the dreams of playing meaningful baseball in the season's final few months is becoming a reality. That bit of evidence came in the form of Brayan Bello's most recent outing.
The Red Sox know in order for this equation to work - convincing the front office that this is, indeed, a team worthy of investing in at the trade deadline - Bello is an enormous piece of the puzzle.
If you get this version of the pitcher, the one which allowed just one run over 6 2/3 innings, it will go a long way to cementing the Red Sox' identity.
Yes, you still need the likes of Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta to be the best versions of themselves. And the chief trade deadline target should still undoubtedly be another starter who can at least help the Sox get to the finish line.
But it is the promise of Bello which should allow for the Red Sox to dream a bit bigger.
Riding the emotional wave that Bello represents can be exhausting, to be sure. It was just a few days ago, a day after he allowed seven runs in just 2 1/3 innings, the usually gregarious 25-year-old could be found either with hood pulled over his head or enormous sunglasses hiding some obvious disappointment. This wasn't the kind of success-driven bravado the Red Sox have been counting on.
But after a few extra days, it was back.
After a rough start - allowing the Marlins to score the game's first run via three hits on Bello's first six pitches - the starter settle down. The velocity was the highest of his big league career, hittng 98.8 mph via the newly-reintroduced four-seam fastball. And a more aggressive mindset was put in place.
"I went to talk to him because he was a little bit timid," Devers told reporters via interpreter Carlos Villoria. “I felt like he was just throwing the ball instead of pitching the way that he does. So for me to be able to go to talk to him, I say, 'Come on, let's go. You got this.' It was -- I think it was a good support for him, and after that he did very well."
Whatever he worked on, or how the seven days of rest manifested itself in Miami, this version of Bello is a difference-maker. (The fact that the Sox are now 8-1 when Bello allows three or fewer runs suggests that.)
Odds are it's reality that isn't lost on the Red Sox.