It hasn’t been an ideal start to the 2026 season for Red Sox starter Brayan Bello.
The right-hander was crushed Friday night as the Orioles launched five home runs off him in a 10-3 loss at Camden Yards. Bello allowed eight runs over 3 1/3 innings in the worst outing of his career, surrendering 13 hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
It marked the first time Baltimore scored four runs in the first inning since March 31, 2025, its home opener last season, also against Boston.
Despite the rough outing, the Red Sox plan to keep Bello in the rotation, and he is expected to make his next scheduled start. For now, Boston has not considered removing him from the rotation.
That could change once Sonny Gray returns from the injured list, especially with the emergence of Payton Tolle, who impressed in his 2026 debut Thursday against the Yankees with 11 strikeouts.
"The one thing about this business, you have to turn the page right away," Alex Cora said to reporters before the game on Saturday afternoon.
The Orioles looked like they were taking batting practice during the game, launching home runs all over Camden Yards. Baltimore hit so many that the ballpark actually ran out of home run pyro, prompting a videoboard message that felt more like a meme.
Boston fell behind immediately as Gunnar Henderson led off with a homer in the first. Adley Rutschman followed with a two-run shot two batters later, and Dylan Beavers added a solo blast, three home runs in the opening frame to put the Red Sox in an early hole.
“It’s the best. Guys are just cheering in the dugout, getting excited for each other,” Rutschman said to reporters after the game. “To be able to have a game like this where guys are barreling balls, just cheering for each other, I think, is pretty cool for everyone to experience and just get excited for."
The Orioles' lineup tormented Bello, especially Rutschman, who homered twice, both off the Red Sox starter. Since returning from the 10-day injured list (left ankle inflammation) on Tuesday, Rutschman has been red-hot, going 5-for-9 with three home runs and eight RBIs over his first two games back. The 28-year-old is now hitting .349 with a 1.115 OPS in 12 games.
Orioles skipper Craig Albernaz said his catcher looked like “vintage Adley.”
Bello’s frustration was evident throughout the outing. After issuing a walk to Leody Taveras in the third, he spiked the rosin bag into the mound, prompting a visit from Cora to settle him down.
“The reason I went to the mound was like, ‘We don’t need to put the head down,’” Cora said. “We’re here to compete, be prepared. We go out there and do our best. Regardless of the situation, you’ve got to keep competing and he actually did. I’ll give him that. But we’ve got to figure it out.”
Bello called the spiking of the rosin bag an “impulse emotional moment.”
After he was removed from the game, Bello had another outburst, throwing his glove into a giant bucket of bubble gum in frustration.
“They want to perform, they want to be good, and he was having a horrible day,” Cora said. “He’s not upset at game planning or game calling, he’s upset at himself because he expects more and we expect more from him, and I expect more from the team too, and from myself.
Cora said after the game, the club remains committed to figuring out what's wrong with Bello and getting the right-hander back on track.
Following his previous start against the Tigers, Bello emphasized the need to be more aggressive and an attack hitter. Instead, that approach regressed on Friday, as he left too many pitches in the zone, leading to home runs on both his sinker and four-seam fastball.
“Pitches in the zone that were hit hard,” said Cora. “He attacked today. He threw a lot of strikes. That was one of the goals but they were ready to hit.”
Bello has struggled mightily this season, with his ERA ballooning to 9.00 through five starts. He has allowed 22 earned runs on 37 hits, including eight homers. His strikeout-to-walk ratio (15-to-13). His short outing marked the fifth time in eight games that a Red Sox starter failed to get through five innings.
It's puzzling to understand what exactly is going wrong for Bello this season.
“Yeah, because the stuff is really good,” Cora said. “He’s still throwing hard and the action on the pitches is good. The way he ended spring was a lot better than in the past. In the past, we always had trouble throwing strikes in the spring and the way he ended up was really solid. It’s a little bit surprising.
“You look at it and the stuff looks good, velocity-wise and the actions of the pitches. We’ll sit down tomorrow and break it down. To sit down today and go over it, it doesn’t make any sense.”
Gray traveled with the team to Baltimore, a notable sign, as injured players typically don't make road trips unless a return is near. The right-hander appears to be on track to be activated as soon as he's eligible, with May 6 in Detroit emerging as a potential return date.
“I think he’s on track,” Cora said Saturday. “I believe he’s going to be right on point.”
Gray has resumed playing catch before games and is expected to throw a bullpen session Monday in Toronto, according to Cora. Barring any setbacks, the veteran appears on track to return shortly without needing a rehab assignment.
Tolle is scheduled to start Tuesday in Toronto, and another strong outing could force Cora to reshuffle the rotation, potentially pushing Bello back or even out altogether.
Cora has made similar moves before. In 2023, the Red Sox removed Nick Pivetta from the rotation and shifted him into a multi-inning relief role after he posted a 6.30 ERA through his first eight starts.
As April turns to May, Boston needs its best five starters on the mound. The rotation also has to provide more length and consistency. If Bello ends up as the odd man out, so be it, the Red Sox need to start stacking wins quickly, or the season could begin to slip away by Memorial Day.