The Boston Red Sox are set to open an important series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday as they continue searching for consistency during a difficult season. Boston has shown flashes of strong pitching lately, but offensive struggles and an early-season hole in the standings have left the club fighting to stay relevant in the American League playoff race. With the Phillies bringing one of baseball’s most dangerous lineups into the matchup, the upcoming series could serve as a major test for the Red Sox pitching staff and interim manager Chad Tracy.
Boston enters the series at 17-23 after dropping a set to the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite allowing only 12 runs during that three-game series, the Red Sox offense failed to provide enough support, continuing a trend that has plagued the club throughout the year. Through 40 games, Boston has scored just 156 runs — the second-lowest total in the American League — while sitting in the AL East basement despite relatively respectable pitching numbers.
According to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, Boston will send Brayan Bello to the mound following an opener on Tuesday, while Sonny Gray is scheduled to start Wednesday and Ranger Suárez will pitch Thursday.
Thursday’s outing will mark Suárez’s first appearance against his former club. The left-hander spent the first eight seasons of his MLB career with Philadelphia before joining Boston on a five-year, $140 million deal. Suárez had originally signed with the Phillies organization in 2012 at just 16 years old.
What Does This Mean for the Boston Red Sox?
Boston will once again experiment with using an opener ahead of Bello, marking the second time the strategy has been used for the right-hander this season.
Bello struggled heavily in his first six starts, surrendering 26 runs across 25.2 innings while posting a 9.12 ERA. However, the Red Sox adjusted their approach on May 5 by deploying an opener before bringing Bello into the game.
The move paid off immediately.
After Jovani Morán handled the opening inning, Bello entered in the second and delivered his strongest performance of the year, allowing just one run over seven innings.
“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.”
Following Bello, Gray is slated to start Wednesday. In his first season with Boston, the veteran owns a 3.54 ERA through six starts and 28 innings pitched, though his strikeout production has dropped significantly.
After recording 201 strikeouts for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2025 season — averaging 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings — Gray has struck out only 15 batters so far this year.
That decline has left him with a 4.8 K/9 and contributed to a 5.49 expected ERA, according to Baseball Savant.
With Philadelphia’s dangerous lineup looming, there could be growing concerns about regression for Gray moving forward.
As for Suárez, Thursday’s start will be his first since May 3 after he exited with right hamstring tightness.
“Everything is good there (with Suarez) so he’s slated to throw on Thursday,” Tracy said.
What Is Going on With the Team?
Boston enters the series at 17-23 after dropping a set against the Tampa Bay Rays.
While the Red Sox offense struggled — scoring only seven runs during the three-game series — the pitching staff continued to perform relatively well, allowing just 12 runs.
That trend has defined Boston’s season.
Through 40 games, the Red Sox have scored only 156 runs, the second-lowest total in the American League. Despite surrendering just 168 runs, the club still finds itself at the bottom of the AL East standings.
The numbers suggest Boston badly needs more production from its lineup, though the team may not be in position to aggressively buy at the trade deadline because of the early hole it created.
Since taking over managerial duties, Tracy has guided Boston to a 7-6 record in 13 games. Still, the team’s rough 10-17 start under former manager Alex Cora has made the climb difficult.
Now sitting 9.5 games behind the division lead, with both the Yankees and Rays playing strong baseball, Boston faces an uphill battle in the AL East race.
The Wild Card picture, however, remains within reach. Despite owning one of the weaker records in the league, the Red Sox are only two games out of a postseason spot.
There is still plenty of time remaining in the season, but Boston has significant questions to answer as the year moves deeper into its second quarter.