Red Sox's Brayan Bello's Opener Numbers Don't Look Real

The Boston Red Sox have found something positive with Brayan Bello.

Overall, the Red Sox are struggling right now and it's hard to see something positive. But let's take a break from the doom and gloom and look at Bello. He was ice-cold to kick off the 2026 season. He had a 9.12 ERA in his first six starts. He was at a crossroads with the buzz out there being that he could end up losing his spot in the rotation.

Since then, Bello has made five appearances and has come behind an opener in four of the outings. In the one game he started, he struggled and allowed seven earned runs against the Atlanta Braves on May 17 across five innings of work. In the four appearances he has come in behind an opener, he has allowed just two earned runs in 25 1/3 innings pitched, including an excellent seven-inning performance on Friday in which he didn't allow a run or walk and struck out five Cleveland Guardians batters.

It's Been An Odd Season For Brayan Bello

May 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello (66) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the second inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Brayan Bello out of the bullpen in Cleveland:

7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 Ks

Did it on just 63 pitches. His first outing of the year without a walk. He’s allowed 1 ER or less in 4 of his last 5 games (all out of the bullpen). pic.twitter.com/bLp9XCbX6M
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) May 30, 2026

When Bello has come in as a bulk reliever, he has a 0.71 ERA this season in 25 1/3 innings pitched. In games he has started, he has a 9.68 ERA in 30 2/3 innings pitched. It's really a tale of two seasons for the 27-year-old.

After the game on Friday, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy was asked why Bello has had more success behind an opener, rather than starting this season, as transcribed by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"I don’t know that you can make sense of it,” Tracy said. “The most important thing for me right now is that he looked great. Not only did he look great, but had a swagger about him on the mound that we’ve seen in the past.”

It's certainly a surprising development for the 2026 season. There's been a lot of warranted negativity around this club and that isn't going away. Boston is 23-33 on the season and is spiraling right now. But the performance from Bello on Friday was a great one and should have a positive impact for the rest of the Cleveland series. Tyler Samaniego got the start as the opener on Friday and then Bello closed out the game. The bullpen is rested and ready to go now. Hopefully, that ends up helping Boston the rest of the series because the Red Sox need to stack up some wins now.

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