This Position Group Has Been Killing Red Sox So Far In 2026

We could probably write about a few, to be fair...

Mar 31, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello (66) gets a mound visit against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox had a plan to contend this season, and that plan has failed spectacularly through the first month of the year.

After they loaded up on starting pitching in the offseason and neglected to add a game-changing power bat, these were supposed to be the Run Prevention Red Sox. Some said it with hope, and others were derisive about it before the season even began, but it was universally acknowledged that keeping runs off the board was the path to success.

To state it plainly, the starting pitchers have let the Red Sox down through their first 31 games. We can point out Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello as the two primary culprits, but there have been other hiccups along the way.

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Everything that's gone wrong for Boston rotation

Apr 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Red Sox starting pitchers rank in the bottom 10 of nearly every important stat. They're 25th in fWAR, 26th in ERA, 25th in FIP, 21st in strikeouts per nine innings, and 19th in innings pitched. We know the offense has been woeful, but the Sox haven't been given many chances to win low-scoring games, either.

Crochet would be the first to tell us he expects more of himself than a 6.30 ERA through 30 innings, but it also makes sense that he was dealing with a shoulder injury from the get-go. He's hopeful that he'll only miss three starts or so, but it's hard to trust that in the context of typical pitching injury scares and their timelines.

Bello is perhaps the poster child for Boston's issues, because he sports a 9.12 ERA through six starts with a ghastly 2.26 WHIP. He also showed up interim manager Chad Tracy out of frustration when he was yanked from Wednesday's game in the fourth inning, which was a classic case of not accepting responsibility in the moment for just how poorly he pitched.

But the sad truth is that we can look elsewhere and identify problems as well. Sonny Gray got hurt awfully quickly for someone who was expected to be a workhorse. Connelly Early has had good starts and rough ones, and he's not going deep into games. And Ranger Suárez either delivers a masterpiece or gets rocked in every start.

All fans can really do at this point is hope Jake Bennett provides a spark in his expected debut on Friday.