Brayan Bello opened the 2026 season struggling in a way the Boston Red Sox hadn't seen in quite some time. The righty had made some strides toward becoming a capable front-of-the-rotation arm in 2024-25, but he's looked utterly lost this season — until Chad Tracy put an opener on the mound in front of him.
Bello had a 9.12 ERA through April 29 and he showed no sign of solving his issues. Boston was desperate, however, without Sonny Gray and Garrett Crochet in the rotation, so the interim manager started Jovani Morán ahead of Bello.
Morán wasn't the best opener, as he allowed three runs, including two homers, between his two first-inning outings. But following him helped Bello find his footing — the now-27-year-old allowed two runs on eight hits across 13.1 innings (1.35 ERA) over his two appearances behind Morán.
Against the Atlanta Braves, Tracy played Bello without starting Morán (or any other reliever) in front of him and it backfired. Bello allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks with just one strikeout over five innings on May 17 against the best team in baseball.
Chad Tracy should've stuck with an opener in front of Brayan Bello to give Red Sox a chance to beat league-best Braves
Tracy didn't rule out using an opener for Bello again in the future, but why he didn't use one against the Braves is a mystery, and a confounding choice given the clear evidence that it helped Bello succeed. The skipper said his decisions would be based on bullpen availability, but the bullpen was well-rested after a stellar eight-inning outing from Payton Tolle on May 16.
Bello imploded in the first inning against the Braves, — he'd collected two outs before allowing a three-run homer to Matt Olson — as he's done many other times this season. He's racked up an 11.57 ERA across seven first innings this season, the top of the lineup is clearly his kryptonite. Throwing him back into the top-of-the-order fire was a mistake waiting to happen.
The Red Sox had a chance to take the series from Atlanta after their pitching held it to just five runs between the first two games. Beating the Braves could've been an incredible turning point and confidence boost for a Boston team that's struggled to find its way. Using Bello after an opener seems like it would've given the Red Sox the best chance to win, but now they'll never know.
Add us as a preferred source on Google