Brayan Bello rocked on birthday as Braves roll past Red Sox, 8-1, cementing series win

It was Brayan Bello’s 27th birthday on Sunday, but the Braves spoiled the celebration in emphatic fashion.

Atlanta roughed up the Red Sox right-hander in his return to the starting rotation, tagging Bello for seven runs across five innings in Boston’s 8-1 loss at Truist Park.

Bello ran into trouble immediately in the opening inning.

With two men aboard, Austin Riley crushed a three-run homer after Bello left an 87.7 mph cutter over the heart of the plate. Riley didn’t miss it, launching the pitch deep into the left-field seats for his seventh home run of the season.

“I stayed through a [cutter], which was really nice in my first at-bat,” Riley said to Braves reporters after the game. “Then, the changeup I hit down the line for a double, I stayed through the ball. That was encouraging.”

The early three-run deficit immediately put the Red Sox in a hole they never came close to climbing out of, as Boston’s offense failed to generate much of anything against Braves starter Grant Holmes.

“The tough part is he had Riley 1-2 and he was a pitch away from getting out of that inning and maybe settling in, and just left a cutter in a bad spot,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “I think the first few innings just struggled to work ahead in the count and got hurt for it.”

“That pitch to Riley probably took him out of the game mentally [for a bit],” said Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez, who departed in the sixth with right third finger pain. “Then he fought back to get in the game. Of course, he's a little bit emotional. He wants to succeed. He probably felt a little bit in that inning like, ‘OK, here we go again,’ that type of thought.”

Things didn’t get any better for Bello in the second inning.

The right-hander allowed a leadoff double to Jorge Mateo before Mike Yastrzemski followed with a single. Bello then completely lost the strike zone, issuing back-to-back walks to José Azócar and Drake Baldwin to force in another run and extend Atlanta’s lead to 4-0.

Matt Olson later added to the damage with an RBI groundout to first base, pushing the Braves' advantage to 5-0.

Bello briefly settled down by retiring Atlanta in order in the third inning, but Mike Yastrzemski greeted him rudely again in the fourth.

The grandson of Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski launched his second home run of the season into the seats in right field, stretching the Braves’ lead to 6-0.

“He had a nice homestand,” Walt Weiss said of Yastrzemski. “Hopefully this is the start of something for him.”

Atlanta kept piling on in the fifth inning.

Riley ripped a one-out double and later came around to score when Dominic Smith lined an RBI single into center field, extending the Braves’ lead to 7-0.

Bello’s afternoon came to an end in the sixth inning following a brief 33-minute rain delay.

The right-hander allowed seven earned runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out just one batter. The rough outing pushed Bello’s ERA to 7.16 on the season. The splits between Bello as a starter and reliever continue to be glaring.

In seven starts this season, Bello has surrendered 33 earned runs across 30 2/3 innings, good for a brutal 9.68 ERA. Opposing hitters are batting .370 against him in those outings, and he has already allowed 10 home runs.

Meanwhile, Bello has looked like a completely different pitcher when working behind an opener.

In two bullpen appearances, the right-hander has allowed just two runs over 13 1/3 innings, posting a 1.35 ERA while holding opponents to a .170 batting average without allowing a home run.

After the game, Tracy said the Red Sox have not yet decided whether Bello will make another traditional start or continue following an opener moving forward.

The interim manager added that the decision will likely depend on how Boston’s bullpen aligns against upcoming opponents.

“We’re going to base it on the bullpen,” Tracy said, adding that the reason an opener wasn’t used Sunday was because the club’s lefty relievers needed more rest. “If we’re going to try to stay away from some lefties that are kind of overused it didn’t make sense to do another righty, so it was his game and he just didn’t have a great one.”

Once Garrett Crochet is ready to return from the injured list, the Red Sox are going to face a difficult decision with Bello.

At this point, Boston likely needs to either move him permanently into the bullpen, send him to Triple-A Worcester, or place him on the injured list if there is any underlying physical issue contributing to his struggles.

Meanwhile, the rest of the rotation has largely done its job.

Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez have provided stability every fifth day, while rookies Connelly Early and Payton Tolle have pitched well enough to continue earning regular turns in the rotation.

While Bello struggled Sunday afternoon, Boston’s offense once again looked completely lifeless and barely avoided being shut out for the fourth time this season.

The Red Sox finally scratched across their lone run in the ninth inning when Nick Sogard ripped a two-out RBI double.

Boston’s best opportunity offensively came in the fourth inning.

Willson Contreras drilled a one-out double off Holmes before Ceddanne Rafaela worked a walk to put runners at first and second.

But Marcelo Mayer and Andruw Monasterio were both retired easily, ending the threat.

Holmes dominated the Red Sox lineup all afternoon, tossing six shutout innings before Atlanta’s bullpen combined to allow just one run over the final three frames.

Boston finished with nine hits but stranded nine runners and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

One positive development came from Jarren Duran, who went 2-for-5 with a single and double, though the struggling outfielder still remains below the Mendoza Line on the season.

After the game, Tracy acknowledged that once Roman Anthony returns from the injured list, the Red Sox may consider making a change at the top of the lineup.

“I think you look at it, right? He has gone through it,” Tracy said of Duran who has led off 17 of the 18 games he’s managed. “He took some better swings last night. When you get Roman (back), it’s worth more of a conversation but I do believe in Jarren. I know it can get frustrating and believe me, there’s probably nobody more frustrated than him. I also know who Jarren Duran is and what he can be and so does this fan base.”

Narváez did not return once play resumed following the rain delay. Connor Wong entered the game behind the plate after Narváez exited with finger pain.

“Just a little jam of his finger right here, he felt something on his swing,” Tracy said. “He wanted to continue but it was a little sore so we felt it was best to get him out of there with that score and not have him take another swing and maybe make it worse.”

Narváez explained after the game that he initially jammed the finger Friday night, which led to him being out of Saturday’s lineup.

The issue resurfaced Sunday when he led off the fifth inning with a single.

The catcher said the finger became significantly aggravated during the game and at one point looked “sideways.”

“It was a little inflamed,” Narváez said. “I couldn’t grip the ball to throw and catch the next inning like that. It was, ‘Ok, let’s see what that is’ and get an X-ray and stuff.’ They were negative, so it’s not broken.

“It’s gonna be day-to-day. We’ll see how I get tomorrow on the field. As soon as the inflammation goes down, I think we’ll be good. I can squeeze. I can swing. It’s just to grip the ball and throw was a little tough that inning.”

Despite Sunday’s loss, the Red Sox avoided falling nine games under .500 for the first time this season.

Boston will now travel to Kansas City for a three-game series against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

The projected pitching matchups are as follows:

Monday, 7:40 p.m. ET: Sonny Gray (4-1, 3.18 ERA) vs. Seth Lugo (1-3, 3.76 ERA)

Tuesday, 7:40 p.m. ET: Ranger Suárez (2-2, 2.44 ERA) vs. Kris Bubic (4-1, 4.11 ERA)

Wednesday, 7:40 p.m. ET: Connelly Early (3-2, 3.21 ERA) vs. Michael Wacha (4-2, 2.83 ERA)