It was an afternoon to forget for the Red Sox bullpen as they fell to the Braves in Thursday's series finale.
BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox fell to 23-32 on the season on Thursday afternoon after a 10-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The Atlanta offense was propelled by a five-run fifth inning thanks to an implosion from a pair of Boston relievers.
The series finale began with a highly-anticipated pitching matchup between former Red Sox ace Chris Sale and young phenom Payton Tolle. For much of the game, the pair of lefties did not disappoint, combining to strike out 15 batters in 9.2 combined innings.
Things quickly fell apart for Boston though as interim manager Chad Tracy turned to left-handed veteran Danny Coulombe in the top of the sixth inning with the game tied at 2-2. After allowing a leadoff bunt single to Atlanta centerfielder Michael Harris II, the 37-year-old Coulombe walked shortstop Jorge Mateo and designated hitter Dominic Smith to load the bases with nobody out.
The back-to-back walks marked the end of Coulombe's appearance, as Tracy turned to Greg Weissert to get out of the jam and keep the game knotted at two. Weissert has struggled mightily in 2026, particularly when inheriting runners. Entering Thursday afternoon's series finale, the 31-year-old had allowed nine of his 18 inherited runners to score, tied for the second most among all relievers.
Weissert's struggles with inherited runners continue as he walked the first batter he faced, pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski, scoring Harris and giving Atlanta a 3-2 lead. Things only unraveled from there as Braves star right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. stepped to the plate with the bases reloaded and still nobody out.
After missing low with a first-pitch sinker, Weissert let one catch far too much of the plate, and Acuna made him pay, launching it 407 feet over the Green Monster for a grand slam to give Atlanta a 7-2 lead which they would not relinquish. After Thursday's meltdown, Weissert is now tied for the league lead in inherited runners scored with 12.
Atlanta would then add another three runs on a pair of home runs. First, Harris launched a solo shot to right off lefty Jovani Moran in the seventh, then second baseman Ozzie Albies sent a two-run shot over the Monster in the eighth off of Ryan Watson to extend the Atlanta lead to eight at 10-2.
Overall, it was a brutal night for the Boston bullpen which allowed eight runs in the final four innings of the loss.
A sign of things to come?
The Red Sox bullpen implosion came on the heels of Garrett Whitlock's placement on the 15-day injured list due to left knee inflammation. Thanks to Whitlock's injury, Tracy is forced to use pitchers in high-leverage roles more than they're used to. The situation that Weissert found himself in could have been the perfect opportunity to use Justin Slaten to help limit Atlanta to just one or two runs in the inning, but Tracy could not risk burning his highest leverage arm and was forced to turn to the struggling Weissert in his stead.
Tracy will have to manage the bullpen situation tenuously over the next two weeks as Whitlock works his way back.
The Red Sox will hit the road for a short three-game road trip that gets underway in Cleveland on Friday night. Boston has yet to name a starter, though Brayan Bello is expected to pitch in some capacity. Slade Cecconi (3-5, 5.18 ERA) will get the start for the Guardians. First pitch from Progressive Field set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
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