Friday, June 5 | Follow Globe Sports

BATTING LEADOFF

The Red Sox know what they want Brayan Bello to be.

“It just feels like for us to be successful, we need Bello to start,” said interim manager Chad Tracy.

Brayan Bello knows what he wants to be.

“I’ve always been a starter, and when I’ve been successful as a starter, no one asks [the] question whether I have to be in the bullpen or starting games,” Bello said via team translator after his six-run, first-inning faceplant on Thursday set in motion an 8-2 loss to the Orioles. “So, just starting from there, just stop that talk, because I’m just having a bad season. That’s it. That’s it. It’s not whether I’m a starter or I’m a reliever. It’s just, having a bad season.”

But the discomfort and confusion surrounding Bello’s struggles as a starter made it impossible for the Red Sox not to option him to Triple-A Worcester, which is precisely what they wound up doing hours after the game.

TO THE LINKS

TIMES HAVE CHANGED: It was just eight months ago that Yankee Stadium served as the staging grounds for a playoff matchup that rekindled memories of heavyweight clashes across generations. But as the Red Sox and Yankees prepare for their first meeting in New York of this season on Friday, Alex Speier writes that relatively recent past feels unimaginably distant.

ABOUT YESTERDAY: The first inning of the getaway game against the Orioles on Thursday at Fenway Park was supposed to be a transition back into a more traditional role for Bello. It turned into a referendum on whether it’s a role he can still serve. Julian Benbow has the game story from Thursday's 8-2 loss.

Here is the box score.

NO JOY OF SOX: In 2026, Fenway Park is part of the Freedom Trail, regularly filled by tourists, road-tripping Phillies/Braves/Orioles fans, and oblivious mooks singing, “So good, so good, so good,” when the Sox come to bat trailing, 8-1, as they did in the eighth inning of Thursday’s matinee loss to the Orioles. Dan Shaughnessy looks at why the Sox are no longer the talk of the town.

READY TO TAKE A CHANCE AGAIN: The Red Sox selected Tommy Kahnle's contract prior to the game, and put him right to work. Avery Hill looks at the 36-year-old reliever's return to the big leagues.

FAIR GAME: It turns out third base coach Chad Epperson was within the rules when he darted into the infield to get a clean view of a ball hit into the left-field corner at Fenway. Julian Benbow explains.

ABOUT TONIGHT: Sonny Gray will be on the mound when the Sox open their three-game series with the Yankees in New York. Here is a preview.

See more of our Red Sox coverage here.

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