By Zachary McMahon –
The Boston Red Sox played the second game of the two-game series against the Atlanta
Braves on Wednesday night. The Braves were trying to get the season sweep after winning
their matchup with the Sox on Tuesday night.
Tyler O’Neil got activated from the injured list and played out in right field in the game, while Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamliton patrolled the middle infield and Rob Refsnyder was the designated hitter. Also, Chris Martin was placed on the 15-day injured list with anxiety, so Zack Kelly was called back up from Triple-A Worcester to replace him in the bullpen.
Nick Pivetta started for the Sox while Spencer Schwellenbach made his second major league
start after being called up from Double-A Mississippi. Schwellenbach got knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing seven hits, six earned runs, two walks, and four strikeouts.
The Sox got the ground running with a solo shot by Rafael Devers over the Green Monster, an RBI double by Hamliton, and a sacrifice fly by Reese McGuire to make it 3-0.
Jarren Duran got his ninth triple of the season, which leads the MLB in the fifth inning, and Valdez batted him in with an RBI double.
After an intentional walk to Devers, O’Neil batted Valdez in on a RBI single, and Devers came home on a RBI double by Dominic Smith to make it 6-0. Devers hit his second home run, a two-run homer to left center to make it 8-0. It was his first multi-homer game of the season, the 17th of his career.
The Sox capped off the scoring in the eighth with a solo homer by Duran, as it was his fourth of the season to make it 9-0.
The Sox pitching staff only allowed one hit to the Braves as Austin Riley was the only one to get a hit which was a single in the fourth off Pivetta. Pivetta also gave up two walks, while Kelly and Brad Keller did not give up a hit or a walk in the final two innings as the Sox get their ninth shutout win of the season, and avoid the season sweep by the Braves.
The Sox will begin a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox at 8:10 p.m. on
Thursday night, while the Braves will play a four-game series against the Washington Nationals,starting at 6:45 pm on Thursday night.