ATLANTA -- All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 8-2 win over the Braves, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Offense takes some time to get going: For the first four innings, the Red Sox offense looked as lifeless as it had in Chicago a day earlier when the team was shutout and held to just five hits. The Sox could get nothing generated against Braves right-hander Touki Toussaint, who allowed just one baserunner -- a one-out walk to Mitch Moreland -- for the first four innings. But in the fifth, the Red Sox started to break through, and got cranking, with three-straight doubles followed one out later by a run-scoring single. "I like that ability (to kick-start the offense),'' said Ian Kinsler, who drove in the first run with a double to right. "Score a lot early, score a lot of runs late ... this team can do it any point. That's the great thing about this offense: it's electric and things can happen quickly.'' The Sox were unfamiliar with Toussaint, who was making just his second major league start. They had some video of him, but it took a few live looks to develop a successful game plan. "You get all the information on him,'' said Kinsler, "but you don't know what it's going to look like in the (batter's) box until you get in there. You try to make the adjustments as quickly as you can.''
Kinsler making an impact: When the Red Sox traded for Kinsler right before the non-waiver deadline, he was in the middle of his hottest streak all season. But after just a handful of games, he pulled a hamstring and was placed on the DL. When he returned, it took him a while to get untracked again and get his timing down. But that's happened a lot of late. In addition to run-scoring double and a two-run single, Kinsler's last week looks like this: six games, 11-for-27 (.407) with seven runs scored, three doubles, a homer and six RBI. "You sit out 10 days and you try to get comfortable,'' said Kinsler. "In your head, you think it should happen quick, happen in a day or two. Sometimes, that's not the case. Right now, it's just trying to help the team -- make sure I have good at-bats and putting good swings on pitches and helping the team any way I can.''
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1036708738386862086
Eovaldi takes a small step forward: Starter Nathan Eovaldi was atypically wild, with a season-high four walks and he lasted just 3.1 innings while throwing 86 pitches. But then, this wasn't your normal start for Eovaldi, who was coming back after just two days' rest, having pitched two innings in Chicago on Friday night before a two-hour rain delay curtailed the rest of his start. "It was definitely different,'' said Eovaldi, "but I knew I needed to step up and go out there and try to go as deep as I could into the ballgame.'' He threw 39 pitches in the first inning, but managed to keep the Braves off the scoreboard. He then retired seven of the next eight before getting into trouble in the fourth with a leadoff walk followed by a single. Still, as he works through some mechanical issues, he viewed the outing in a positive light. "I definitely felt good out there,'' he said. "I located the fastball well and was locating up in the zone well. The splitter felt really good, too; it was just one of those things where they kept fouling balls off (and running up his pitch count).''
SECOND GUESS
In the ninth inning, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker made a choice that backfired. With runners on second and third and J.D. Martinez due, the Braves elected to give Martinez an intentional walk to load the bases. Under most circumstances, that might have made sense, given how dangerous Martinez can be. But Xander Bogaerts, who was 7-for-11 with the bases loaded this season, foiled the strategy with a big two-run double.
TWO UP
Heath Hembree: Hembree was responsible for one of the biggest outs of the game, striking out Ozzie Albies with two runners on and the Red Sox in possession of a one-run lead in the seventh.
Andrew Benintendi: Coming into Monday, the outfielder was 3-for-21 and had been given the day off Sunday because Cora thought he looked frustrated at the plate. He responded with a 2-for-4 day (single, double) and a walk.
ONE DOWN
Ryan Brasier: Coming in to start the seventh, Brasier wasn't sharp, allowing three hits to the first four hitters he faced before yielding a sacrifice fly and being lifted in favor of Heath Hembree
QUOTE OF NOTE
"He gave us all he had and we felt good with the guys we had (out of the bullpen).''
— Alex Cora, on the short (3.1 innings) start from Eovaldi, who was operating on two days' rest.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox improved to 12-3 against NL teams this season. They're 23-4 in their last 27.
- The Sox won their 95th game, the first time since 2013 that they reached that mark.
- Before issuing four walks Monday, Eovaldi had averaged just 1.9 walks per nine innings, the lowest rate among all pitchers who had made 15 or more starts.
- The game marked the fourth time in the last eight games that the Sox didn't hit a homer.
- The homer allowed by Joe Kelly snapped a string of eight straight scoreless appearances.