BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox lost 4-3 to the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, May 29, 2026, after opener Tyler Samaniego allowed four runs in the first inning. Brayan Bello pitched seven scoreless frames in relief but could not overcome the early deficit.

Samaniego, who entered the game with a 1.04 ERA and had allowed only one earned run in 18 prior relief appearances this season, surrendered four runs on six hits while throwing just 22 pitches in the opening frame. Interim manager Chad Tracy opted to use Samaniego as the opener instead of Jovani Moran, who had opened Bello’s first three bulk appearances this season.

Bello delivered one of his strongest outings of the year, allowing no runs or walks and striking out five over seven innings. "I just feel really comfortable, really comfortable with throwing every single one of my pitches for strikes in whatever count," Brayan Bello said via a translator postgame. He added, "I’m in a mode where I wanna prove that I can start and that I can go my five, six innings plus."

The Red Sox offense mounted a brief rally in the fifth inning when Marcelo Mayer, Caleb Durbin, and Jarren Duran each drove in a run in consecutive at-bats, cutting the Guardians’ lead to 4-3. However, Boston left seven runners on base and went 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position for the game.

Tracy praised Bello’s performance and demeanor despite the loss. "The most important thing for me right now is that [Bello] looked great. Also, not only looked great, but had a swagger about him on the mound that we’ve seen in the past. I’m just mostly very pleased to see how he threw the ball." He acknowledged the difficulty of Bello’s split role this season, stating, "It’s hard. It’s hard to figure that out. You can’t ignore the fact that Bello’s been very successful in it (as a bulk guy). Ultimately, having him be that way – in the starter role – would be awesome. We’re still trying, you know. We had some of those where we haven’t gotten off to the best start, and then he comes in trailing."

Boston’s record dropped to 23-33 with the loss, marking the first time since 2020 the team has been 10 games under .500. The Red Sox have lost six of their last seven games and remain in last place in the American League East, five games behind the third wild-card spot. In all games where a reliever has opened for Bello this season, the opener has allowed at least one run in the first inning, and Boston has won only once in those outings.