Red Sox 5, Orioles 3: A New Normal
1-0 in the last 1.
Apr 26, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr. -Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.
-Imagn Images Damn, why didn’t they think of firing Alex Cora earlier? The Red Sox won Chad Tracy’s debut, 5-3. Did anything happen differently than it would have with Cora in charge?
It’s impossible to say, but from a strategy perspective, things were more or less the same. Connelly Early was maybe given a longer leash than he normally would have, throwing 6 2/3 innings and 92 pitches. Zack Kelly was the first man out of the bullpen in a spot that Cora usually gives to Greg Weissert, but Weissert pitched yesterday, so it’s tough to say if that was a trust thing or a workload thing.
Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman still handled the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to protect the lead and close out the game — no change there. On the offensive side, Tracy didn’t go to his bench at all. There weren’t any obvious spots to pinch hit late in the game, but Cora was always aggressive with his bench, so that’s an area to watch.