Braves take easy win over Red Sox, win 13th series

Easy like Sunday morning, the Braves breezed to a Sunday afternoon victory at Truist Park in beating the Red Sox 8-1.

After a week of five games, first against the Cubs and then the Sox, in which the results were decided by a total of 10 runs, Sunday’s game was virtually decided right from the get-go, thanks to a three-run homer by Austin Riley that made a first-inning statement.

The visiting Red Sox never truly threatened from there.

Theeight runs were more than enough support for Braves starter Grant Holmes (3-1), who had one of his best outings on the season. The right-hander threw six innings of scoreless ball, worked around five hits and, most importantly, walked just one — Holmes had walked 10 in his previous three starts combined.

About the only thing that dampened Holmes’ performance was literal dampness — a cloudburst delayed the game 33 minutes between the top and bottom of the sixth inning and maybe prematurely ended Holmes’ day.

“Kind of surprised me. Started hearing the hail hit my hat and I was like, ‘Oh, this is a first. I need to go get out of this inning as quick as possible,’” Holmes said. “I was trying to fill up the zone. If they hit it far, hopefully the hail will knock it down.”

Riley and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, who had a walk-off hit in Friday’s win, were the offensive heroes. Riley went 2-for-4 with three RBI (his first three-RBI game since April 17 and just his second all season) and three runs scored, while Yastrzemski was 2-for-3 with a home run, walk and pair of runs.

“Anytime you win a series, it’s great. We took care of business,” Riley said. “I think Holmes threw the ball really well today. And yeah, I got some pitches that I was able to put a barrel on. Stayed through a slider was really nice that first to bat. The changeup for a double down line (in the fifth), staying through some balls was encouraging.”

It all equated to the Braves improving to 13-1-1 in 15 series this season, 8-0 in series played at Truist Park, 7-1 in rubber games, 5-0 in rubber games at home and 26-0 when leading after eight innings. They go into a seven-game stretch against NL East opponents with an eight-game lead in the division.

With two out and two on in the first inning, Riley hit his seventh home run of the season, and fourth of the month of May, to give the Braves a three-run lead. Riley took a 1-2 cutter from Red Sox starter Brayan Bello (2-5) and launched it 431 feet out to left.

Riley went 6-for-23 on the home stand with two homers and four RBIs, and also struck out six times.

“It seems like you take a couple steps forward a couple days and then a step back and a few steps forward,” Riley said. “Hopefully we can kind of continue that progression or just keep taking steps forward each and every day until I’m where I want to be.

“I think it’s close. I felt like I’ve gone on a couple little hot streaks here and then it’s kind of back in the same rut. ‘How can I get feeling good in the box and take it for a month or two the rest of the season? Trying to just build off stuff.”

In the second, Jorge Mateo scorched a double into the left field corner, Yastrzemski reached on an infield single to the right of the second base bag, José Azócar walked to load the bases and Drake Baldwin took four balls to plate the Braves’ fourth run.

Matt Olson’s one-out fielder’s choice to first brought Yastrzemski home, making it 5-0.

Yastrzemski led off the fourth by golfing a curveball into the front row of seats in front of the Chop House for a solo home run, the outfielder’s second of the season. Designated hitter Dominic Smith rolled a one-out RBI single into center field in the fifth, putting the Braves up 7-0.

Braves manager Walt Weiss said Holmes would have come back out for the seventh inning having only thrown 87 pitches through six. But the weather delay kept Holmes in the dugout.

“We got 13 (games) in a row, so as deep as the starter’s can go is gonna be good for us, especially keeping the later-inning bullpen guys, keeping them fresh. That was that was priority No. 1 on my list is going deep in the game.”

Baldwin hit an RBI sacrifice fly to center in the eighth. Braves reliever Tyler Kinley gave up back-to-back hits — a single and a double — in the ninth giving the Sox their only tally.

The Red Sox (19-27) went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.

Sunday’s game also marked the 11th straight for the Braves (32-15) in which they held the opponent to three runs or less, the team’s longest streak since going 12 in a row during the 2002 season.

“Still seven more (games) to go (in the current 13-straight games stretch),” Weiss said. “That’s why I really wanted to stay away from the back end of our pen again today to give them a full reset. That was the plan and we’re able to do it.