Red Sox aim to build momentum in St. Louis as Early, Suárez, Bello take the mound

From “sell the team” chants to Lobstah Poutine, it’s been a wild first 12 games of the 2026 season for the Red Sox.

Boston avoided a potentially disastrous homestand, finishing 3-3 after dropping two of three to the Padres and then taking the series against the first-place Brewers. Sonny Gray bookended the stretch with two strong outings, while Garrett Crochet looked dominant Tuesday night against one of the game’s top young arms, Jacob Misiorowski.

The Red Sox have a golden opportunity ahead to climb back to .500 or better, with a three-game series this weekend against the Cardinals, followed by a three-game set with the Twins before returning home to face the Tigers.

What Boston has struggled with through the first 12 games has been magnified, particularly on the mound. Outside of Crochet and Gray, the starting rotation has yet to live up to expectations.

Connelly Early, Ranger Suárez, and Brayan Bello are lined up to start for the Red Sox this weekend in St. Louis.

In his second outing of the season, Early battled command issues against the Padres, allowing two runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts over four innings. His most efficient frame came in the fourth, when he needed just eight pitches. The cold weather played a factor, as the 24-year-old struggled at times to get a consistent grip on the ball.

If the Red Sox expect to be playing meaningful games in October, Early, and the rest of the rotation will need to learn how to navigate those conditions and execute in tougher environments.

To his credit, Early took accountability.

“I’ve got to do a better job figuring out how to keep my hand warm and go out there and execute from pitch one,” he said.

Through his first two starts, Early owns a 2.89 ERA with 10 strikeouts. He also tied Daisuke Matsuzaka for the most strikeouts in franchise history through a pitcher’s first six career appearances (39).

He’ll be opposed by Dustin May, who signed with the Cardinals this offseason after splitting last year between the Dodgers and Red Sox.

The club acquired the hard-throwing right-hander at the deadline in a deal that sent James Tibbs III and Zach Erhard to Los Angeles. A trade that has quickly become lopsided in favor of the Dodgers.

Tibbs III has been on a tear at the plate, mashing pitching in the Pacific Coast League. He’s hitting .474 with a 1.719 OPS through nine games with the Oklahoma City Comets. He has four doubles, a triple, seven homers, and 13 RBI. Three of those homers came on the same night. 

Boston initially acquired Tibbs III as one of the four players in the Rafael Devers trade last Father’s Day. His tremendous start has fans questioning Craig Breslow for pulling the plug so quickly on the left-handed slugger.

May, who made five starts (six appearances) for the Red Sox, going 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA over 28 1/3 innings before being shut down in September with right elbow neuritis, was a letdown for a team needing starting pitching down the stretch. 

So far in St. Louis, May hasn’t found his footing. Across two starts, he’s allowed 13 earned runs on 17 hits over just 7 1/3 innings, surrendering two home runs with three walks, seven strikeouts, one hit batter, and two wild pitches.

For a Red Sox offense beginning to show signs of life, particularly since moving Trevor Story to the No. 5 spot, where he’s driven in six runs over the last three games, this sets up as an opportunity.

May enters with a 15.95 ERA, the highest by a Cardinals pitcher through his first two starts with the club since Alan Benes (17.18 ERA in 1995), making him a prime target for Boston as it looks to win three straight for the first time this season.

One thing to watch Friday night is May’s health after he was struck on the right leg near his ankle by a 104.4 mph comebacker in his most recent outing against the Tigers.

On Saturday, the Red Sox will turn to Suárez for his third start, as he looks to bounce back from a rough introduction in Boston. After signing a five-year, $130 million deal this offseason, expectations remain high for the left-hander.

“I cannot allow that to happen,” Suárez said through a team interpreter Sunday. “Obviously not the way I wanted the first two starts to go.”

Suárez has yet to make it past the fifth inning in either outing, allowing eight earned runs over 8 1/3 innings.

The early struggles have left Alex Cora searching for answers as his prized offseason addition looks to find his footing.

“Yes, to be honest with you,” Cora said. “Obviously, it was different for him in spring training. He didn’t pitch that much in the (World Baseball Classic), but he’ll be the first one to say there’s no excuse. He was making good pitches today and he didn’t get hit hard in that (fourth) inning. They made adjustments, especially on the first pitch, got their hits, and then that happened.”

Whether it’s a lingering World Baseball Classic hangover or simply early-season struggles, one thing is clear: opposing hitters are squaring up Suárez. They’re hitting .333 with an .833 slugging percentage against his cutter, .500 with a .750 slugging percentage off his changeup, and .538 against his sinker. Through two starts, he owns a 5.40 K/9, 3.24 BB/9, and a 6.18 FIP.

A start in St. Louis could be what he needs, facing a young lineup that includes JJ Wetherholt and a red-hot Jordan Walker, who already has five home runs.

Bello will take the ball in the series finale, looking to pitch deeper into a game for the first time this season. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings in Houston and 3 1/3 innings against Milwaukee on Monday, with pitch efficiency becoming a concern after throwing 92 and 86 pitches, respectively. There were positives. Bello generated 17 swings and misses in his last outing, but he continues to work deep into counts and struggles to put hitters away.

It feels like a make-or-break season for Bello, who desperately needs to turn things around, and for that to happen, it starts with attacking the zone. He’s leaned heavily on his sinker, cutter, and sweeper, with limited use of his changeup and four-seam fastball.

After getting his first taste of postseason baseball last fall, Bello said he wants to be part of a World Series rotation. Now, the next step is finding the consistency to get there.

“For me, it was just more motivation for the offseason,” Bello said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “Hopefully, during my career, I get to go to the playoffs every single year. But for me, it was more like a motivation and fuel to get on with my offseason.”

If the Red Sox are going to dig out of the hole they’ve created, it starts on the mound. This team was built around pitching, and Cora has made that philosophy clear.

“We didn’t start off the year the way we wanted,” Cora said after Wednesday’s win. “If you break it down, in Cincinnati, we had the lead halfway through and didn’t finish. In Houston, we got demolished — that’s the reality. Against the Padres, we had leads and didn’t finish. We will pitch. We’re going to be better, and for this team to get to October, we have to pitch. And we will.”

Through 12 games, the numbers haven’t backed that up. Boston ranks 20th in MLB with a 4.19 ERA, 17th in walks (46), eighth in home runs allowed (13), and 11th in earned runs (49).

The issues are even more glaring on the road, where the Red Sox own a 4.91 ERA while allowing 11 home runs and 23 walks in opposing ballparks.

Crochet and Gray have done their part, but now the focus shifts to Early, Suárez, and Bello to follow suit this weekend in St. Louis. Right now, October feels a long way off. The Red Sox are four games under .500 and still searching for consistency. It’s April, but if the pitching doesn’t turn around soon, that early hole will only get deeper.