With a run-scoring single in the eighth inning, the Braves snap a three-game losing streak and defeat the Red Sox 4-2.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in Atlanta, sees Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (43), watching from the dugout during a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox. (Photo by John Bazemore/AP)
Atlanta (AP) The Atlanta Braves ended a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night by defeating the Boston Red Sox 4-2 thanks to a run-scoring single by Marcell Ozuna in the eighth inning.
Two right-handers with ERAs under 2.00 squared off against each other: Kutter Crawford of Boston and Reynaldo Lopez of Atlanta. Each pitcher gave up two runs.
Since the Braves were only able to muster seven hits, they were unable to declare the end of their losing run, a sign that their sagging bats had finally given up. The Los Angeles Dodgers swept them in three games, holding them to a total six runs, capping a 1-5 road trip.
“It’s a difficult experience,” Braves manager Brian Snitker remarked. It hasn’t passed us yet.
Once more, the Braves turned to their pitching, particularly that of left-hander Aaron Bummer, who ended the sixth inning by striking out Rafael Evers and Jaren Duran after López had allowed the Red Sox to score two runs.
Bummer stated, “I reduced the damage and got the top of the order out.”
When Tyler O’Neill drove toward the left-center gap in the eighth inning, Adam Duvall made a sliding catch to finish the inning, leaving Atlanta right-hander Joe Jiménez (1-0) with two runners on base.
For his ninth save, Raisel Iglesias threw a flawless ninth inning.
Right-hander Justin Slaten of Boston (2-1) opened the eighth inning by walking Ozzie Albies and allowing Austin Riley to hit. At that point, the game was tied at two.
To drive in Albies, Ozuna bounced a one-out grounder through the infield. The play moved Riley to third base, and when Orlando Arcia grounded out to first, Riley scored, increasing the advantage to two runs.
In the third inning, Crawford hit Travis d’Arnaud with a pitch. Then, Jarred Kelenic gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead with his first two-run home slam, a belt-high cutter that he sent 368 feet over the high right-field wall.
Crawford had only allowed two home runs in his previous eight outings, both of which came in his last two starts.
Pitchers with at least five starts, Crawford (1.56) and López (1.50), were among the major league leaders in ERA at the start of the evening.
Despite giving up a hit in each of his first five innings pitched, López was successful in getting out of trouble with his pitches.
Regarding López’s fastball, Snitker remarked, “I loved to see that when he got in difficulty, he was reaching back for 98.”
After hitting a double to start the game, then a triple with one out in the fifth, Duran found himself stranded. To close out the fifth, López struck out Tyler O’Neill and Devers.
Three walks in the sixth inning, including a bases-loaded pass to Reese McGuire that resulted in a forced run, were too much for Lopez to handle. After shortstop Orlando Arcia made a fielding mistake, Vaughn Grissom reached on an infield single by Ceddanne Rafaela, tying the game 2-2.
