Backed by two Dustin Pedroia homers, one a grand slam, and three doubles by David Ortiz, Wright helped the Red Sox to a 9-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves. It’s the franchise’s longest span since a 16-game streak in September, 1946, when the Braves were based in Boston.
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Porcello (4-0) won his fourth straight start, allowing only four hits with two walks. Price has struck out batters at a high rate, now at 13.3 per nine innings, which is well above his career average of 8.6. Hanigan had four passed balls Wednesday, three of them giving Erick Aybar first, second and third base. With just over three minutes left in the game Chicago’s Brent Seabroook took a slapshot that rang off one post, skittered across the goal line and hit the other post, and out. He electrified the small Citi Field crowd on a cool night when he rocketed a 93 m.p.h. fastball, the first pitch he saw from Finnegan, off the green wall that was the fence when the ballpark opened in 2009.
Price followed up the first by turning in back-to-back 1-2-3 innings with a pair of strikeouts in each.
The power-starved Atlanta Braves finally hit one out. Jeurys Familia closed for his seventh save in seven chances. Wright is coming off a win over Houston in which he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings. NY won 3-2. In that settlement and a nice group after the first inning to get eight innings on a night when your offense explodes like that she’s for the bullpen it’s huge for him and they. Price is 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts against the Braves, allowing no more than two runs in each start. The ball actually popped out of Upton’s glove, but he was able to gather it in before it hit the ground. Light then allowed three straight groundouts, the first two of which scored runs and the third of which ended the game.
Archer (1-4) allowed five hits to get his first win since beating the Orioles on August 31.
There were the Atlanta Braves after all, whose 11-4 loss to the Red Sox left them at 4-16. Ryan Hanigan led off the inning with a single, Bradley would walk, and Mookie Betts would hit a single loading the bases. Furthermore, nine of Price’s last nine outs were strikeouts.
The 1975 California Angels are the only other team in the expansion era – since 1961 – to have hit as few as three home runs while playing 20 or more games in April, according to STATS. The Red Sox lead the American League with 5.1 runs per game for the season, while also ranking first in the AL with a.276 team batting average.
Though runs allowed have been a concern in his early starts (7.06 ERA entering Tuesday), strikeouts have not. They were no-hit for six innings by Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi on Monday night. Ian Desmond walked, then Moreland hit his single. Semien scored after Billy Burns, the next batter, hit a single to end Zimmermann’s unblemished start.
Price struck out the final five he faced.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Kevin Kiermaier hit a two-run homer and Tampa Bay beat Baltimore. Adonis Garcia hit third and A.J. Pierzynski hit fourth.
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Before the game, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin spoke about “a theory” for how to pitch to reigning MVP Harper, who came in leading the NL in homers and RBIs.
