Though there have been some cheeky takes about Rick Porcello being the “ace” of the Red Sox pitching staff, David Price proved Tuesday night that his role as the staff horse should have never been in doubt.
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Boston struggled just about everywhere and Atlanta capitalized with a 5-3 victory over the Red Sox on Thursday night.
Hanley Ramirez drove in the other two Boston runs with an RBI single in the first inning and a run-scoring double in the third.
The Red Sox got a run back in the third when Bogaerts doubled with one out and scored when Ramirez hit one high off the wall.
Freddie Freeman homered for Atlanta on Thursday, snapping a string of 15 straight games without a blast.TV: 7:10 p.m. MLB Network, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), NESN (Boston)PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Jhoulys Chacin (0-1, 3.18 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (0-2, 6.33)Chacin worked six scoreless innings in his team debut on April. 12 but failed to make it through the sixth in either of his next two chances.
The 30-year-old Vanderbilt product pitched eight full innings, a first for a Boston starter this season, and struck out three of the last four batters he faced.
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.
After 15 games, fans of the Atlanta Braves can rejoice once again…well sort of anyway. On top of that, he isn’t showing any signs of decline in his ability with either a decrease in his velocity or command, but rather he is just hitting a rough patch in the first month of his career with the Red Sox. Henry Owens (0-0, 8.10 ERA) will oppose Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.92 ERA). The righty was unable to pitch a hitless inning allowing another run in the 6th.
Buchholz allowed five runs on eight hits and four walks over 6⅓ innings.
Smith, 6-for-44 when he came up, hit a ground-rule double that wound up costing the Braves a second run on the hit. That he did not didn’t change the fact that Buchholz had offered it, and when he did more of that in the second, he was punished in a big way. Five Rays players have three or more homers.
With one out in the first, Pedroia singled and was forced at second by Xander Bogaerts. “I didn’t do a very good job of that”. Red Sox 1, Braves 0. On the second double, he passed Boston greats Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx. “It’s falling on me right now”, he said.
Red Sox: RHP Steven Wright (1-2, 1.40 ERA) will make his first start against the Braves. Bogaerts did not notice that he was safe at second, and started retreating back to the dugout.
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As ever, the Red Sox rallied late, with Dustin Pedroia singling in Mookie Betts to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning against Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino. “He was out of options so he was going to be with us at the start of the season, so… things break his way and he has run with the opportunity”. The unfortunately record-breaking home run was just the Braves’ fourth of the season while the club is now playing in their 21st game of 2016. He gave up five runs in 6 1/3 innings, and worse, he let the lower third of an otherwise weak lineup do a lot of the damage. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Pedroia connected with another home run, but this time, he hit it over the Green Monster.
