The Boston Red Sox will open a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, and interim manager Chad Tracy has laid out a clear pitching blueprint aimed at steadying the rotation during a critical stretch.
According to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, the Red Sox will deploy Brayan Bello behind an opener on Tuesday, followed by Sonny Gray on Wednesday and Ranger Suárez on Thursday. The plan carries added intrigue, particularly with Suárez making his first start against his former club.
Suárez Returns Against Familiar Faces
Ranger Suárez is set to take the mound Thursday for the first time since May 3, when he exited early with right hamstring tightness. Tracy confirmed that Suárez is fully healthy and ready to go.
For Suárez, the outing will carry emotional weight. The left-hander spent his first eight MLB seasons with the Phillies after joining the organization in 2012 as a 16-year-old international signee. He signed a five-year, $140 million contract with Boston in the offseason, making this his first true test against the only franchise he had ever known.
Bello and the Opener Strategy
Tuesday’s assignment marks the second time this season the Red Sox will use an opener in front of Brayan Bello. Tracy indicated the team has not yet finalized the opener but will decide after today’s bullpen usage.
The move proved highly effective the first time around. In his initial six starts, Bello struggled mightily, surrendering 26 runs in 25⅔ innings for a bloated 9.12 ERA. On May 5, the Red Sox turned to Jovani Morán as the opener, and Bello responded with his best outing of the year — one run allowed over seven strong innings. Boston will look to recapture that momentum against a dangerous Phillies lineup.
“We’ll have an opener in front of Bello,” Tracy said. “Don’t know who that’s going to be yet. We’ll talk about it after using the ‘pen today.”
Gray Faces Strikeout Concerns
Sonny Gray will start the middle game of the series. In his first season in Boston, the veteran right-hander owns a respectable 3.54 ERA through six starts covering 28 innings. However, there are underlying red flags.
After posting a 201-strikeout season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2025 (10.0 K/9), Gray’s strikeout rate has plummeted dramatically. He has just 15 strikeouts so far, equating to a 4.8 K/9. That lack of swing-and-miss stuff has contributed to a 5.49 xERA, per Baseball Savant. Facing one of the more potent lineups in the National League, Gray will need to locate effectively and induce weak contact to avoid potential regression.
Where the Red Sox Stand
Boston enters the series with a 17-23 record after dropping their set against the Tampa Bay Rays. The offense continues to be a major concern, as the club has scored just 156 runs through 40 games — the second-lowest total in the American League. In the recent series against Tampa Bay, the Red Sox mustered only seven runs across three games.
Pitching has been the bright spot. The staff surrendered just 12 runs in that three-game set, continuing a season-long trend of solid run prevention (168 runs allowed overall). Yet strong pitching alone has not been enough to overcome the offensive shortcomings, leaving the Red Sox in the AL East basement.
Interim manager Chad Tracy has gone 7-6 in his 13 games at the helm, providing some stability after the team started 10-17 under former manager Alex Cora. Still, Boston sits 9.5 games behind the division leaders. The Wild Card picture offers more hope — the Red Sox are just two games out despite their sub-.500 record.
With significant ground to make up in the division and time still remaining in the first half, the upcoming series against the Phillies represents both a measuring stick and an opportunity. How Bello responds with the opener, whether Gray can navigate a tough lineup, and how Suárez performs in his return — and against his former team — could set the tone for the weeks ahead.
The Red Sox have the pitching pieces to compete. The bigger question remains whether the lineup can produce enough runs to support them.
