Dave Bush

BOSTON -- Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale -- barring any setbacks -- is nearing his return to a major league mound. That much is clear. What’s less obvious is the role he takes when he rejoins Boston’s roster in the coming weeks. All 93 of Sale’s regular season...

On this week’s Fenway Rundown podcast, host Chris Cotillo is joined by Red Sox pitching coach Dave Bush for a wide-ranging conversation from the home dugout at Fenway Park. Bush gives updates on injured pitchers Garrett Whitlock, Nate Eovaldi and Chris Sale, talks about his excitement for young pitchers (including Brayan Bello) and even reveals which Red Sox pitcher is the only one to call him by his first name.

Red Sox top pitching prospect Brayan Bello will make his Triple-A debut for Worcester at Polar Park on Wednesday. “The stuff is great and I knew that,” Red Sox pitching coach Dave Bush said about working with Bello in big league spring training camp. “I was most impressed with just his demeanor and calmness on the mound. Sometimes, first time in big league camp, first time around big leaguers, guys can be overwhelmed. And he didn’t seem to care at all. He was very comfortable, confident but not in a bad way. Just a very calm, normal way. I think that kind of attitude serves guys well because whenever he gets to the big leagues and the first situation is tough, I think he’s going to be fine. He’ll be under control and be able to work his way through it.”

There was a common theme during the 2021 Major League Baseball season of pitchers not staying in games as long as they normally had been. Fans saw a lot of bullpen games, when starters would be pulled before the sixth inning despite not having a high pitch count, showing any signs of fatigue or the lineup getting to them. There was a lot of this throughout the MLB postseason, especially, save for Framber Valdez tossing eight innings against the Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.