All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox 7-5 loss to the Braves, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Homers dog Sox: On Tuesday night, it was Marcell Ozuna hitting three homers in the same game. On Wednesday night, it was teammate Adam Duvall's turn. The last time two different opponents hit three homers on consecutive days against the Red Sox? In 1930, when a couple of fellas named (Babe) Ruth and (Lou) Gehrig turned the trick. But because there was a doubleheader involved, the two didn't accomplish the feat in consecutive games, just days. Until Wednesday night, in fact, it had never been done in consecutive games. But then again, this is the type of season it's been for the Red Sox. Wednesday marked the 13th time in 37 games that Red Sox pitchers had given up three or more homers (to anybody). Ron Roenicke said when Red Sox pitchers are facing a free-swinging, aggressive lineup, they have to do a better job spotting a first-pitch fastball.
Roenicke remembers Seaver: Ron Roenicke was told immediately after the game about the passing of Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. "Tremendous pitcher,'' gushed Roenicke. "This was an unbelievable pitcher for so many years. Great career, and from what I hear, great person. It's tough when you lose somebody like that.'' Roenicke had his own memory of the pitching great, since his own first career homer was hit off Seaver in 1982. Roenicke was with the Dodgers and Seaver was pitching for the Cincinnati Reds. "It was about a foot fair and a foot over the fence,'' recalled Roenicke. Roenicke's manager, Tommy Lasorda, told him that he would get Seaver to sign the ball as a keepsake. Roenicke initially resisted, but relented and Lasorda returned with the ball soon after, with an inscription: "To Ron, Why me? Tom Seaver.''
Kickham completes his comeback: Lefty Mike Kickham pitched three innings for the Red Sox, getting tagged for three runs in the second inning before turning in two more scoreless frames. On the surface, it was an unremarkable outing, except for the fact that it was Kickham's first major league appearance since 2014. "A little rough reintroduction to the big league level,'' said Kickham, "and obviously you want the results to go the way you want them and sometimes they don't. That's fine.'' Kickham said through it all, he never doubted he'd get back to the big leagues. "No, that was always the overarching goal,'' he said. "I just knew that, (you) put in the work day in, day out, that's how I was going to get back there. I was really just controlling what I could control, putting in the work whether I was in independent ball or at Double A as a 28-year old. I never gave up the ship. I was released a couple or three times through that process. It would be easy to get disheartened when those things happened, but if you keep that belief in yourself and make the necessary adjustments. I never gave up.''
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox had taken a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth on a run-scoring single from J.D. Martinez. But Andrew Triggs, working his second inning, allowed a leadoff single to Travis d'Arnaud, and two batters later, gave up a towering two-run shot to Duvall for the second of the slugger's three homers.
ONE UP
Jackie Bradley Jr.: Bradley hit the only homer for the home team, a solo shot in the fourth. He also had a walk, a stolen base and one of his patented highlight catches, leaping in front of the scoreboard in left to take extra bases away from Dansby Swanson in the second inning.
TWO DOWN
Jose Peraza: Peraza was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and is now hitless in his last 13 at-bats.
Andrew Triggs: Making his Red Sox debut, Triggs allowed three runs in three innings and was saddled with a blown save and the defeat.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It's unfortunate that we have to watch that.'' Ron Roenicke on the home run barrage put on by the Braves.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Sox were swept for the fifth time this season.
- Rafael Devers has at least one RBI in each of the last four games.
- Alex Verdugo has scored at least one run in 13 of his last 14 games.