The Boston Red Sox have not had many chances to build momentum this season. Saturday night in Atlanta gave them one. Payton Tolle delivered eight strong innings, Willson Contreras hit the two-run homer Boston had been waiting for, and Aroldis Chapman survived a stressful ninth inning to close out a 3-2 win over one of the best teams in the National League.
It was not clean. It was enough.
Now the Red Sox have a chance to take the series. Sunday’s finale against the Atlanta Braves will determine whether Saturday becomes a small turning point or just another good night in a season that has not had enough of them.
After the win, interim manager Chad Tracy announced a notable decision.
Red Sox Announce Brayan Bello Decision
The Red Sox have leaned on an opener system with Brayan Bello in recent weeks.
That changes Sunday.
“Brayan Bello will start tomorrow,” Tracy said. “No opener.”
It is a notable call because the opener setup had worked. Boston moved Bello out of the traditional starting role after his early-season struggles, and the results shifted almost immediately. Sunday asks him to carry that back into the first inning. That is the test.
The decision reflects confidence from Tracy and the Red Sox. They have seen Bello look more settled recently. They have seen the command improve. And they have seen the outings get longer and cleaner.
Now they are betting that version can show up from the start against a dangerous Braves lineup with a series win on the line.
GettyBrayan Bello is set to start for the Boston Red Sox.
Bello’s Numbers Show Why It Matters
The split in Bello’s season is hard to ignore.
In his first six starts, Bello posted a 9.12 ERA across 25⅔ innings. He walked 15 batters and struck out 17. The results were not close to what Boston needed from a pitcher who entered the season as one of its important rotation pieces.
So the Red Sox changed the shape of his outings. The move worked.
Over his last two appearances, Bello threw 13⅓ innings and allowed one run in each outing. He gave Boston seven innings against Detroit, then followed with 6⅓ innings against the Phillies. During that stretch, he posted a 1.29 ERA with 12 strikeouts and only two walks.
That is the version the Red Sox need.
Sunday will show whether the opener helped reset him, or whether the role itself was part of the solution.
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 12: Brayan Bello #66 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after throwing to first base for an out against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Fenway Park on May 12, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
Red Sox Have Chance to Build on Braves Win
Saturday’s win gave Boston the exact kind of game it had been missing.
Tolle kept the Red Sox in control for most of the night, holding Atlanta to two runs while giving the bullpen a lighter workload than usual. That mattered. Boston has spent too much of the season trying to survive thin margins without enough offense to cover mistakes. Then Contreras changed the game with one swing. A two-run homer to give the Sox the lead.
Chapman made the ninth inning more uncomfortable than it needed to be, but he still finished it off with an amazing play. Boston improved to 19-26.
A series win over the Braves would mean something. Not everything. Not a full reset. But something real for a team trying to turn good moments into actual momentum.
GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 16: Aroldis Chapman #44 of the Boston Red Sox makes a play on a ground out by Ha-Seong Kim #7 of the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Truist Park on May 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Final Word for the Red Sox
The Red Sox needed a win like Saturday.
They needed the strong start. They needed the late swing. And they needed Chapman to hold on when the ninth inning started to tilt. More than anything, they needed a reminder that they can still beat a good team when the game tightens.
Sunday offers something bigger.
Bello gets the ball without an opener, without the cushion of entering after someone else, and without much mystery about what Boston needs from him.
The Red Sox have seen the better version.
Now they need it from the first pitch.
Boston Red Sox Announce Brayan Bello Decision Before Braves Game