BOSTON — With the score tied in the sixth inning against the best team in baseball, Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy had a decision to make.The Red Sox had battled the Atlanta Braves to a 2-2 score, but reliever Danny Coulombe opened the sixth inning by allowing an infield single and back-to-back walks to load the bases with no outs.With Garrett Whitlock landing on the injured list earlier in the day with left knee inflammation, Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert were warming up in the bullpen.Despite Weissert’s entering the day allowing nine of 18 inherited runners to score, Tracy turned to the right-hander.It backfired badly.Weissert walked in the go-ahead run before allowing a mammoth grand slam to Ronald Acuña Jr. in an eventual 10-2 loss.Tracy explained his thought process with pitching coach Andrew Bailey. The hope was that Weissert could get one or two outs, even if runs scored, before turning to Slaten for an inning or more. The worst-case scenario unfolded with the grand slam.“To bring in your highest-leverage arm (Slaten) where all they have to do is hit two fly balls and get two runs, and then you’ve now spent your highest-leverage arm, especially with Whit down, it’s almost a no-win situation,” Tracy said. “When you stare at that, you’re almost like, they’re guaranteed runs here. So you’re gonna bring in your highest-leverage arm in the sixth to pitch, potentially give up two runs with getting two outs, and then potentially, how much he labors, he’s not available tomorrow if that happens. So it’s just — the inning did not go our way.”Weissert dominated in the World Baseball Classic for Team Italy in March, which feels like an eternity ago. He was 3-for-3 in saves and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Once the MLB season began, he was not the same.After finishing April with a 5.11 ERA, Weissert strung together a better stretch in May, lowering his ERA to 3.80, allowing two runs in nine innings of work. Three of his seven inherited runners had scored in that stretch, but he has now allowed 12 of a possible 21 inherited runners to score.On Thursday, he got ahead of pinch hitter Mike Yastrzemski 0-2 before issuing four consecutive balls to walk in the go-ahead run. Against Acuña, he left a 1-0 sinker over the plate that the leadoff hitter crushed into the Green Monster as boos rained down (mixed with some loud cheers from a large contingent of Braves fans) around the ballpark.“It’s obviously a tough situation, but goal No. 1 is to throw strikes, get ahead and let what’s going to be (happen),” Weissert said. “So, that’s a tough situation. But that’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re in the bullpen. Those are the situations you want to go into.”Starter Payton Tolle cruised through two innings on 26 pitches but needed 68 pitches for the next 2 2/3 innings. With two outs in the fifth, Tracy turned to the bullpen as Tolle reached a season-high 94 pitches. The early exit with a short bullpen made for a tough night.Tyron Guerrero recorded the final out of the fifth before Coulombe’s mess set up Weissert’s implosion.“Any batted ball not at somebody is likely runs,” Tracy said of the sixth inning. “That is not easy. I know that Acuña hits a home run, but you can pick any number of (relievers) to come out of that bullpen, to come into that spot. You’re almost banking that runs are going to score. You’re just trying to have them score as few as possible to keep you in the game.”The bullpen situation will remain tricky Friday as the team heads to Cleveland for a three-game trip.Tyler Samaniego, called up Thursday with Whitlock landing on the IL, will serve as the opener in front of Brayan Bello. Bello has posted a 1.09 ERA in three bulk relief outings, compared to an 8.36 ERA in seven traditional starts.Using Samaniego to start the game, though, shortens an already thin bullpen.The Red Sox could call on veteran Tommy Kahnle in Triple-A Worcester, who has a 1.56 ERA (though a 1.44 WHIP) in 16 appearances. He has issued 11 walks compared to 18 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings but has an opt-out in his contract on June 1, meaning if he’s not on the big-league club by Monday, he could seek an MLB deal elsewhere.Whitlock, who slipped on a wet mound Sunday and hyperextended his left knee, tried to pitch through the pain but had an injection Wednesday. An MRI showed no structural damage, but he won’t be eligible to come off the IL until June 9, meaning the Red Sox will be navigating series against the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays without him.The bullpen woes overshadowed what should have been the main event Thursday: a matchup between Tolle and Chris Sale, making his second start back at Fenway since the December 2023 trade to Atlanta. Both starters ran into long innings early in the game, which shortened their outings. Tolle allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings, and Sale didn’t fare much better, allowing two runs in five innings on 96 pitches.The loss dropped the Red Sox to 9-19 at home, the worst home record in baseball, as they continue to languish through a dismal season.