Not an easy job for Alex Cora to fill innings with current combination of Red Sox pitchers

“It’s a lot of work,” manager Alex Cora said.

It seems impossible. But the only way the 44-43 Sox can entertain even a thought of making the playoffs is to cobble together enough quality innings out of the rotation.

Bello allowed two runs over seven innings in Wednesday night’s 4-2 victory against the Rangers at Fenway Park.

He has a 3.04 earned run average over 80 innings. Bello is not scheduled to pitch again until July 14 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. That eight-day break will serve him well.

I asked Cora if the Sox had a particular number of innings in mind for Bello and he said there was not necessarily a limit.

To date, the Sox have been ultra-careful with their 24-year-old budding ace, giving him five days off between starts as often as possible. Given his importance to the future, overburdening Bello in the second half would be a mistake.

“He’s good, man,” Cora said. “He’s really good.”

Cora is confident the pitching coaches and medical staff have a solid plan in place. He compared Bello’s situation to that of Eduardo Rodriguez, who didn’t pitch at all in 2020 and gave the Red Sox 157⅔ innings in 2021.

But Rodriguez was in his age-28 season and had already made 122 major league starts. Bello is four years younger and Wednesday’s start was his 25th in the majors.

Crawford pitched in relief most of the season before getting back into the rotation June 3. He’s essentially the No. 3 starter at this point.

Crawford ran out of steam last September and the Sox have to be careful that doesn’t happen again.

Paxton has been a staff savior, going 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA over nine starts since coming off the injured list on May 10.

His return has been one of the best stories of this season. On a better team, the move would be to leave Paxton in the rotation and enjoy his renaissance.

But for the Sox, the cold-blooded move — and maybe the right one — would be to trade him as soon as possible.

Paxton has missed roughly 75 starts since 2020 because of assorted injuries and will be a free agent after the season. At a time when his value is high, the Sox should jump into what is clearly a sellers market for starters and get a good return.

That decision will probably hinge on how the team plays over the next three weeks.

Even with factoring Paxton in, finding innings out of the rotation is difficult with Tanner Houck, Chris Sale, and Garrett Whitlock on the injured list and not expected back any time soon.

Houck is recovering from a fractured orbital bone below his right eye after being hit by a line drive June 16. Surgery was required and his only activity since has been walking. It will take time before he gets on the mound.

Sale is not eligible to return until Aug. 2 and it’s uncertain if he will be ready then. He hasn’t pitched since June 1 and will need time to build up arm strength after developing a stress fracture in his shoulder.

Sale was on the field early Wednesday afternoon playing catch in right field. He’s still early in the process.

Whitlock is eligible to return July 19 and that’s a tentative date, too. He has a bone bruise in his elbow that could require a change in his mechanics to keep it from occurring again.

At this point, it’s impossible to count on Sale given all the injuries over the last three seasons. Any innings he can provide are a bonus.

That Whitlock is on the injured list for the third time this season makes the same true for him.

Nick Pivetta may not necessarily return to the rotation. But whether it’s as a traditional starter or following an opener, the plan is for him to throw five innings-plus moving forward.

That could help fill the gap. But Pivetta has shown that less is more this season, pitching far better in relief than he did as a starter.

The Sox also have Brandon Walter as a potential innings eater. The 26-year-old rookie has allowed three runs over 7⅔ innings in two major league appearances.

Two lottery tickets, Kyle Barraclough and Dinelson Lamet, are pitching at Triple A and could get in the mix.

Barraclough was playing independent ball when the Sox signed him last month. He is 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three starts at Worcester and will probably get a chance after the All-Star break.

Lamet was dreadful for the Rockies this season and the Sox are trying to rebuild his mechanics and confidence in Triple A. He has yet to get in a game.

Shane Drohan, a 24-year-old lefty, is another possibility. He has a 5.19 ERA through nine Triple A starts. Presumably he’ll have to be better than that to get a shot.

Or maybe not. The Sox need innings and everybody is a candidate.

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him @PeteAbe.