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Red Sox Alex Cora Sends Blunt Message to Starting Rotation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated May 19, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox’s latest pitching meltdown came courtesy of Brayan Bello. The right-hander went four and 1/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits, five walks, and three strikeouts in a 10-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

These blowups are a recurring theme for Red Sox pitchers and something that manager Alex Cora does not take lightly. Here is what Cora told WEEI on his staff:

"They need to step up," Cora said. "That's the bottom line. We have to step up as a rotation. It's not only Garrett, it's everybody. We have to do a better job as a group.”

Those starters have a combined ERA of 4.45, 24th in all of baseball. The bullpen has improved, sitting at a combined ERA of 3.72, good for 12th in the Majors. However, this is still a group that needs to be better.

Tanner Houck, who is now on the 15-day injured list, has an 8.04 ERA and a 6.11 FIP. Walker Buehler, making $21.05 million this year and dealing with shoulder issues, has a 4.28 ERA and a 4.28 FIP. Lucas Giolito, who inked a two-year, $38.5 million deal in December of 2023, has a 7.08 ERA and a 5.50 FIP.

Giolito gets a slight benefit of the doubt due to rust, but outside of Garrett Crochet (2.00 ERA, 2.80 FIP), no starter has been consistently impressive this season.

Despite heading into the season feeling confident about their pitching depth, the Red Sox could be in the market for rotation support this summer. However, should they continue playing sub-.500 ball, letting youngsters like Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, and Bello figure it out could be the best course of action.

It is still early enough for Boston to turn this mess around, but the panic is growing more warranted every day.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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