Takeaways: Boston Red Sox Routed By Arizona Diamondbacks 12-2 In Pitching Meltdown

The Boston Red Sox's struggling pitching failed to cool off the Arizona Diamondbacks' powerful offense as they lost in a 12-2 Game One routing.

Brayan Bello wasn't able to give the offense any favors in his subpar outing and all phases of the game were generally dead for Boston.

What are the main takeaways from Boston's game one loss to Arizona?

Walking batters has plagued Brayan Bello

Although he had been looking better in his last handful of starts than he had since last July, walks have been a lingering issue in Brayan Bello's outings and they capsized his start tonight. Four free passes, including two in a two-run first inning, consistently flooded the bases and put him in endless trouble.

Bello was able to complete just 5.1 innings before getting pulled, allowing five runs on seven hits. The Boston starter was tasked with beginning an uber-important series on a high note and was unable to do that.

Josh Winckowski falls apart again

Manager Alex Cora has consistently given reliever Josh Winckowski chances to prove he's still the guy who was a solid option for them out of the bullpen in 2023, and once again he wasn't up to the job. He entered a 5-2 game with a runner on first and no one out and promptly gave up two singles and a grand slam to officially put the game out of reach.

The Red Sox bullpen has remained the team's clear weakest position group and while having an arm like Winckowski's to use in blowouts is fine, the team's need to continually rely on him to keep games close is not a recipe for success.

The offense was largely silent

After falling behind 2-0 before they even got a chance to bat, the offense seemed to be getting going immediately with two straight doubles to lead off the game and cut the Arizona lead in half. After those two batters, their only hit of value was a sixth-inning solo home run by Rob Refsnyder to make it a 5-2 game.

The majority of blame for the outcome of this game is placed on the pitching staff's inability to limit the red-hot Diamondbacks offense, but the Boston bats didn't do much to help their cause either

The Red Sox are now 67-60 on the season.

Game 2

The second of the Boston Red Sox series against the Arizona Diamondbacks is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 4:10 PM EST at Fenway Park, televised on NESN.