Brayan Bello gives Red Sox a chance, offense can’t complete comeback in 4-3 loss to Guardians

It’s becoming increasingly perplexing how different Brayan Bello looks depending on his role.

As a traditional starter, the right-hander has struggled mightily this season. Yet when the Red Sox deploy him behind an opener as a bulk-innings reliever, he has often looked like a completely different pitcher.

If Boston can eventually find a reliable opener capable of navigating the first inning or two, the unconventional arrangement may actually become a viable path forward for Bello.

Unfortunately, the opener was once again the problem Friday night.

The Red Sox turned to Tyler Samaniego to open the series against Cleveland. The left-hander struck out former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana to begin the game, but everything unraveled from there.

Samaniego surrendered six consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly as the Guardians quickly built a four-run cushion. The early deficit proved too much to overcome in what ultimately became a 4-3 Red Sox loss.

For a team searching for answers behind Bello, the opener experiment continues to produce mixed results.

“I tried to keep my routine the same, I tried to come out of the bullpen, tried to keep it normal,” said Samaniego, who has never started as an opener in his MLB career. “I felt like it started well, I left some pitches that got a little bit too much plate and good hitters do what good hitters do and just put the ball in play. It was a bunch of singles, I got singled to death, it’s tough, this loss is 100 percent on me.”

Rhys Hoskins got the inning started with an RBI single before Angel Martínez followed with a run-scoring hit of his own. The inning grew worse when Ceddanne Rafaela bobbled Martínez’s single in center field, allowing a second run to score on the error. Patrick Bailey later added a sacrifice fly as Cleveland built a quick four-run advantage.

By the time Samaniego escaped the inning, he had faced nine batters and thrown 22 pitches, putting the Red Sox in an early hole they ultimately could not overcome.

“It happened fast, I don’t think there’s any one thing to point to,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said of the first inning. “Like they had I think three in and he was at 13 pitches, they jumped him early in the count on some fastballs and breaking balls, so it just happened fast.”

Samaniego went one inning, allowing four earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts. 

From there, Tracy turned the ball over to Bello, who calmed things down. The righty 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.

“He was awesome, and obviously the way it started he came in and quieted that game down pretty quickly and gave us a shot,” Tracy said. “Pounded the strike zone, changeup was working, cutter in the right location, ahead in the count, he was as good as you could ask for.”

Bello has looked good pitching out of the bullpen, posting a