Sox squander myriad chances, beaten by Braves
braves 4 red sox 2
ATLANTA — Justin Slaten has been stellar out of the Red Sox bullpen this season, allowing just two runs in his first 19 innings. The meat of the Atlanta order, however, got to him for that many in the eighth inning Tuesday, enough to deliver the braves a 4-2 victory in the first of a two-game set at Truist Park.
“They have good bat-to-ball skills one through nine. They have All-Stars and future All-Stars,” Slaten said. “but if I went out there and attacked the leadoff hitter, you never know.”
Ozzie Albies worked a six-pitch walk off Slaten as that leadoff hitter, which helped catapult Atlanta to victory. but this loss fell on the offense.
The Sox had plenty of chances before Slaten entered, but could not deliver the big hit to capitalize against a team itself struggling at the plate — Atlanta averaged 2.5 runs in losing six of its prior eight. boston went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position Tuesday, stranding 13 despite getting their biggest hitters up in the biggest spots.
both Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill went 0 for 3 in their chances, each striking out twice.
“Offensively, we didn’t do much. We had traffic all over the place and we didn’t cash in,” said manager Alex Cora. “I know he’s been solid throughout the season, [Reynaldo] López, but I think in certain situations, we have to be humble and take what they give us. Advance the runner. Put the ball in play.”
The failures to do so began straightaway. The Red Sox cornered López in the top of the first inning, when Jarren Duran slashed a leadoff double down the left field line.
but Devers popped out, O’Neill struck out and, following a Wilyer Abreu walk, López induced a Vaughn grissom ground out, spoiling what could have been an early lead. The fifth brought a similar story. Down, 2-0, Duran struck again, scalding a one-out triple that bounced off the right-center field wall. He still failed to score, this time after Devers chased a two-strike slider in the dirt and O’Neill missed one at the bottom of the zone.
“That’s baseball,” said Devers, who went 1 for 4, through a team translator. “Everybody goes up there to hit. They want to bring those runs in.”
It took López losing command of the strike zone for the Sox to break through. In the sixth, Abreu negotiated a leadoff walk from the righthander, and grissom reached on an error by shortstop Orlando Arcia. After a strikeout, garrett Cooper and Reese mcguire walked on nine pitches, the latter slimming Atlanta’s lead to 2-1. It summoned Aaron bummer from their bullmer pen, and Ceddanne Rafaela singled off the pitcher’s leg to make it 2-2.
The Sox still stranded two when Duran and Devers struck out, but looked poised to break the game open in the top of the eighth. O’Neill came up with two runners on and two out, and roped what looked like a two-RbI double toward the left-center gap. but left fielder Adam Duvall, playing against his forteammates, got a stellar jump and made a sliding catch.
O’Neill had doubled an inning earlier.
“The line is moving,” Cora said. “but we have to cash in.”
When they didn’t, it gave the braves a chance to take a late lead against Slaten. Austin Riley followed the leadoff walk to Albies with a single to rightcenter to put two on. matt Olson struck out, but Ozuna ripped a 2-0 fastball through an open hole at shortstop to score Albies. Arcia grounded out to first to score Riley.
It all squandered a quality outing from Kutter Crawford, against whom Jarred Kelenic’s two-run homer in the third inning was the only big damage. The righthander went six innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out six. His 1.75 ERA across eight starts remains in baseball’s top 10.
“I just focus on making sure I’m on the attack,” said Crawford. “I try not to get behind in counts. Try to get ahead on the first pitch. I feel like I was able to do that, you know, after that [homer].”
Crawford did his job. Ultimately, though, the offense went missing when the Sox needed it most.