TORONTO — Brayan Bello is nearing the end of a standout year with the Red Sox, but the past couple of outings haven’t gone smoothly.
Taking the mound one last time in the regular season, Bello will look to finish on a high note.
Bello (11-8, 3.34) will get the start Thursday as the Red Sox look to complete a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. With a magic number of one the Red Sox can clinch a postseason berth with a win tonight, though a loss by the Houston Astros earlier Thursday would also be enough to punch Boston’s ticket to the playoffs.
The Blue Jays will start right-handed reliever Louis Varland (4-3, 3.10) as the opener for what is expected to be a bullpen game.
Boston’s lineup is largely unchanged from the past few nights, with Jarren Duran, Trevor Story, Alex Bregman, Masataka Yoshida and Romy Gonzalez comprising the top five. Rob Refsnyder will swap in at right field for Wilyer Abreu, who recently returned from the injured list, and Connor Wong will get the start for Boston at catcher.
Red Sox lineup
Jarren Duran LF
Trevor Story SS
Alex Bregman 3B
Masataka Yoshida DH
Romy Gonzalez 2B
Ceddanne Rafaela CF
Nathaniel Lowe 1B
Rob Refsnyder RF
Connor Wong C
Brayan Bello P
How to watch
When: 7:07 p.m.
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada
Broadcast info: NESN, WEEI 93.7 FM, WCCM 1490 AM (Spanish), WESX 1230 AM (Spanish)
