All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 8-7 loss to the Braves, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Red Sox get inventive: It's not easy to score five runs from the ninth inning on and still lose. But the Red Sox found a way. In a wild back-and-forth rock fight, the Sox led 2-1 after seven innings. But in the bottom of the eighth, the Braves managed three runs off Ryan Brasier to claim a 4-2 lead. The Sox, to their credit and with considerable assistance from a sloppy Braves defense, responded with two runs of their own in the top of the ninth to tie the game. As the teams moved to extra innings, the Red Sox again scored twice in the top of the 10th on run-scoring singles from Kevin Plawecki and Bobby Dalbec. But with Jeffrey Springs on for the save in the bottom of the inning, the Braves scored two more to tie it....again. Ever resilient -- on the offensive side, at least -- the Red Sox used an a sacrifice fly from Alex Verdugo in the top of the 11th for their third lead in the span of five innings. But it didn't last long. With Springs back out for another inning, Freddie Freeman led off with a two-run homer, sending the Braves to a walkoff win. "Tough loss,'' conceded Ron Roenicke. "Offensively, I thought we did a great job. We just didn't pitch as well in the late innings once we got the lead.''
Mazza emerges as a depth piece: The night didn't begin well for starter Chris Mazza, who allowed a home run that traveled nearly 500 feet to the first batter he faced, Ronald Acuna Jr. But that was the last real damage landed against Mazza, who gave the Sox five innings and didn't allow another run the rest of the way. Mazza will turn 31 next month, so he's hardly a prospect. But as one of the journeyman whom the Sox auditioned over the course of the season, he's been impressive at times and may position himself as a swing man for next year : able to provide some length in relief with the ability to step into the rotation at times. If nothing else, the injuries to Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez was a stark reminder of the importance of depth on a staff and Mazza has demonstrated that he might be able to help in that department in 2021.
Bradley going out strong: Outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., eligible for free agency, is having a big finish in the closing weeks of the season. Bradley blasted a 440-foot homer in the fifth inning to get the Sox on the board, and most nights, that would stand as the longest and hardest-hit ball of the night. Not on this night it wasn't after Acuna's belt in the first, but it was still an impressive shot for Bradley. This month, Bradley is hitting .321 with four homers and 10 RBI and 17 runs scored in 22 games. Gone, too, is the streakiness that he's known for, as he's hit safely in 30 of his last 35 games. As Roenicke noted, some players press with free agency approaching and their performance suffers, but that hasn't been the case for Bradley.
TURNING POINT
Where would you like to start? Let's go back to the top of the ninth, with two runs already in for the Sox and the game tied. Boston had the bases loaded and one more hit would have opened the game up and likely given them a multiple-run lead to take into the bottom of the inning. Instead, Verdugo grounded out to second, stranding three and the Sox were headed for heartbreak two innings later.
TWO UP
Kevin Plawecki: Every time he gets a chance to start a game behind the plate, Plawecki seems to contribute and Friday, he did in a big way, collecting three hits, knocking in a run and scoring another.
Bobby Dalbec: Dalbec had two walks -- a sign that he's becoming more selective -- a big run-scoring single in the 10th inning and a fantastic diving stop of a ball way to his right at first which saved a run.
ONE DOWN
Jeffrey Springs: Definition of a bad night: blowing a save in your first inning of work, then getting tagged with the loss when you come back out for a second inning.
QUOTE OF NOTE:
"It's a shame to lose a game. (The Braves are) a really good team and when you battle that well offensively, you hope to win that.'' - Ron Roenicke.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Braves left 17 baserunners on base -- and still won.
- The Red Sox hit four Braves batters, including two by Ryan Weber in one inning after Weber had hit one batter all season.
- Alex Verdugo was 0-for-5 and is now 0-for-11 over the last three games.