All you need to know, in quickie form. about the Red Sox' win over the Braves, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Verdugo plays the late-inning hero again: The Red Sox have won three games in the last five days. All three have been the result of late-inning heroics, and Alex Verdugo has played a huge role in all three. He provided the game-winning hit last Friday as the Red Sox walked off the Blue Jays. On Monday, he started the rally in the bottom of the ninth with a base hit and came around to score the winning run when Rafael Devers delivered a walk-off single. And Tuesday night, with the Sox having blown a five-run lead and later a three-run lead, he crushed a three-run homer in the top of the eighth to give the Red Sox a lead they wouldn't relinquish. It's clear, by now, that Verdugo relishes those moments and doesn't let big spots overwhelm him. That's a bit ironic since he's easily the most demonstrable player on the Red Sox roster. But when the moment calls for calm, Verdugo can provide that, too. And he's always thinking. In the eighth, with two runners in scoring position, Verdugo was recalling his previous at-bat when he was too eager with a breaking pitch and ended up rolling into a forceout with a weak grounder to first. He was determined to let the ball travel deeper to him in the eighth in an effort to stay up the middle. Presto, a three-run homer that kept carrying to center field.
Rodriguez mystery deepens. The frustration Alex Cora feels with his lefty starter has been mounting, and on Tuesday night, it boiled over. Rodriguez was gifted a 4-0 head start in the first inning but couldn't use it to his advantage. He gave one run back in the third and three more in the fourth, and with his pitch count up to 80, he was lifted. Rodriguez hasn't won a start in five weeks and in his last seven starts, has allowed 32 runs and 47 hits in his last 33.2 innings. There's no excuse for those numbers with the quality of Rodriguez's stuff, but somehow, here we are. And Cora's patience, already running low, seemed to register on empty following Tuesday's win. "He had a five-run lead and you saw what happened,'' said Cora. "He just wasn't able to execute.'' Asked to pinpoint the issue, Cora responded: "Right now, I don't know.'' The Sox don't have a lot of options available to them for now, but it sounds as if Rodriguez is being placed on notice anyhow.
TURNING POINT
The Braves were doing damage and causing trouble for every pitcher the Red Sox trotted out to the mound. They got four runs against Eduardo Rodriguez, scored three runs -- two unearned -- with two walks in 1.1 innings against Garrett Whitlock and scored a run on a passed ball with Darwinzon Hernandez on the mound. The Red Sox needed someone to shut the door and finally got it when Hirokazu Sawamura retired them in order in the seventh. That seemed to allow the Sox a chance to reset things, and the following inning, the Sox snapped the tie.
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Just try and get him out in a big spot. Devers cranked a three-run homer in the first, added a run-scoring single in the third, a double, and scored in the fifth.
Adam Ottavino: Immediately after the Red Sox surged ahead in the top of the eighth, Ottavino delivered a shutdown inning, retiring the Braves in order, and with a flourish, fanning the final two hitters of the inning.
ONE DOWN
Kike Hernandez: In addition to the continuing struggles at the top of the lineup -- he reached base just once in five plate appearances -- he also committed an error at second base.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It wasn't pretty. We did a lot of bad things today on the field. We let a five-run lead (get away) and had to go to our (best bullpen) guys because of what happened throughout. It's tough. We put ourselves in a tough position. But in the end, it's a big-league win.'' Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The Red Sox improved to 6-1 at Truist Park.
* The Sox are now 19-0 when scoring seven or more runs this season.
* Garrett Whitlock's hit was the first for a Red Sox pitcher since David Price singled on April 6, 2019.
* Rafael Devers leads the American League with 37 extra-base hits.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Braves wrap up their brief two-game series at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday with RHP Garrett Richards (4-4, 4.09) vs. RHP Ian Anderson (4-3, 3.26)