Red Sox lose again after opener allows four runs in first inning

Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald on May 29, 2026

Published in Baseball

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With Brayan Bello struggling as a starter this season, the Red Sox have recently taken to using an opener ahead of the embattled right-hander. That switch has had a positive effect on Bello, but the problem Boston is finding now is that their relievers haven’t adapted as seamlessly to opening the game.

That one bad inning proved costly on Friday.

Tyler Samaniego was tasked as the opener to face the Cleveland Guardians in Friday’s series opener, and the rookie left-hander immediately ran into trouble out of the gate. Samaniego struck out former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana to open the game, but after that allowed four runs on six consecutive hits plus a sacrifice fly in what wound up being a 4-3 Red Sox loss.

By the time the Red Sox came to bat in the second they were already trailing by four runs, and entering the day they hadn’t even overcome more than a two-run deficit to win.

Bello, at the very least, was up to the task.

Coming on in the second inning, Bello once again pitched well out of the bullpen and held the Guardians scoreless over the next seven innings. He retired the final 12 batters he faced and came off after completing the eighth with four hits and no walks allowed while striking out five.

Bello has now posted a 0.71 ERA over 25 1/3 innings out of the bullpen compared to a 9.68 ERA over 30 2/3 innings in his seven starts. The openers in his four bulk relief outings, however, have allowed nine earned runs in four innings. That translates to a 20.25 ERA.

Even with the early deficit, the offense got the club back into the game with a three-run fifth inning, pouncing on Slade Cecconi with four straight hits to chase the Cleveland starter from the game. Mickey Gasper and Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off with a pair of singles, Marcelo Mayer had an RBI knock, Caleb Durbin followed with an RBI double and Jarren Duran capped off the rally with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 4-3.

The Red Sox might have tied the game if not for an earlier play in the second where Gasper was thrown out at the plate following an error at shortstop, but Boston wound up making another push in the eighth, getting a pair of two-out singles by Willson Contreras and Masataka Yoshida. The latter moved pinch runner Nick Sogard to third, but Gasper grounded out to first to leave the tying run 90 feet away.

That ended up being as close as the Red Sox got. Cleveland closer Cade Smith closed things out in the top of the ninth for his 20th save of the season, allowing a leadoff single to Kiner-Falefa (2 for 4) before retiring the next three batters.