Two days in Atlanta seemed to cure a lot of ills for the Red Sox and just cause consternation among the Braves faithful at Turner Field, who had to watch a large contingent of Red Sox fans celebrate Tuesday’s 6-3 Red Sox win and a two-game series sweep from within their midst.
The Braves were done in by the seventh inning for the second straight time.
The Red Sox came from five runs down to snap a 10-game losing streak with a two-run seventh Monday afternoon. On Tuesday they claimed their second straight win with a four-run seventh that started with two hits apiece off relievers Anthony Varvaro and Luis Avilan.
“They woke up yesterday,” said Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who had to leave the game with a sore right ankle. “And they came out today, they were hungry for another win and they outplayed us.”
David Ortiz, who had tweeted Monday that all the Red Sox fans in Atlanta made it “feel like we were at Fenway,” drove in another key run. His sacrifice fly put the Red Sox ahead in Monday’s 8-6 win. He tied Tuesday night’s game 3-3 by dropping a bloop into left field, working a pitch the other way from the left-hander Avilan.
Grady Sizemore then shattered his bat on a groundball back to the mound with the bases loaded and one out to drive in the go-ahead run. Avilan couldn’t field the ball cleanly, with bat shards flying at him, and any thoughts he had about going home, or starting a double play, ended as Simmons had to retrieve and throw to first, allowing the go-ahead run to score on a groundout.
After walking the right-hander David Ross with first base open, the left-hander Jackie Bradley lined a ball past Chris Johnson for a two-run single and a 6-3 lead.
“They found holes,” Simmons said. “Sometimes you find breaks. Sometimes you don’t. Somehow their balls fell down and ours didn’t. They put up good at-bats. They fought for those at-bats. You’ve got to give it to them.”
Simmons said his ankle, which has “nagged him” off and on, flared up in the seventh inning. He came out of the game before the Braves took the field in the eighth inning with right ankle inflammation. He is hopeful to return in the next day or so.
The Braves had already scratched catcher Evan Gattis before the game with a strained right wrist, which he injured swinging during batting practice.
So a hobbled Braves lineup will take two more shots at the Red Sox. Both teams headed for the airport Tuesday night to fly to Boston and play two more against each other at Fenway Park starting Wednesday night.
“It’s going to be a nice, going to the American League and using the DH and going to Fenway,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez, who couldn’t resist a little quip. “If we’re not already in Fenway, right? The last couple days here….But they’ve got a good crowd. They’ve got a good following. It’s nice to go play there and hopefully get our pitching straight and get our offense going again.”
The Braves piled up 10 hits Tuesday night, including a leadoff homer from Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman’s first triple since last July - both from left-handed hitters off one of the game’s best left-handed starters in Jon Lester.
But the Braves stranded nine runners after going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, including a double play pitcher Aaron Harang hit into with the bases loaded with nobody out in the second inning.
Even when the offense got the Braves multiple leads, their pitchers couldn’t hold them.
After coughing up a 6-1 lead Monday, the Braves lost leads of 2-1 and 3-2 Tuesday night. Sizemore was in the mix each time. His one-out double and steal of third base in the fourth inning helped the Red Sox even the game 2-2 after a safe call was upheld after a video replay challenge.
Two pitches later, Harang gave up an RBI single to his former Reds batterymate David Ross on a line drive to left center.
“After the challenge there at third with Sizemore, I just missed a spot,” said Harang, who gave up two runs in six innings and struck out seven in a no-decision. “I wanted to go down and away and the ball stayed middle on Ross and he was able to get a base hit. Other than that I felt like I was able to keep any damage from happening, and I was able to get out of some innings when I had runners on base.”
