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.
Brayan Bello looked defeated after the game. He said there were no changes in his routine compared to what he was doing while working with an opener. pic.twitter.com/MUPFCEnqk5
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) May 17, 2026
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
