Afternoon starts have not been kind to Brayan Bello

BOSTON -- Brayan Bello was on a roll for the Red Sox entering his Wednesday start against the A's in Oakland. Unfortunately for Bello, that Wednesday start came during daylight hours.

Bello's night and day splits have been, well, night and day this season. He's been stellar when the sun is going down, sporting a 7-3 record and a 2.39 ERA in his evening games.

But during the day, the 24-year-old is winless in five tries. He fell to 0-3 in his day starts on Wednesday, allowing a trio of two-run homers to the lowly Athletics. It was the first time that Bello has allowed three home runs over his 27 career starts in the majors.

Maybe he just doesn't like the sun. Bello now has a 7.25 ERA and a .319 batting average against over his five day starts this season. At night, opponents are hitting just .223 against the young righty.

While expectations are high for Bello, it's important to remember that he's still navigating his first full season in the big leagues. Growing pains are to be expected, and at the moment, starting during the day is part of it for the young Boston ace.

Luckily for Bello and the Sox, his next start is a night game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park.