BOSTON — Committing multiple errors and serving up three-run homers seldom represents a winning formula, as the Red Sox found out the hard way Tuesday night.
The Red Sox gift-wrapped two unearned runs and later got crushed by the long ball in an 8-3 drubbing at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves ran their record to 3-0 against the Sox this season, having swept Boston in Atlanta last month.
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Offensively, the Red Sox did very little against Braves’ ace Max Fried, who recorded a career high in strikeouts by fanning 13 Boston hitters. The Red Sox were limited to just four hits on the night.
For the past month or so, homers have been an issue for Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford and that was the case again Tuesday night.
In a 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth, Crawford invited trouble by issuing a leadoff walk to Austin Riley before Marcel Ozuna reached on a hard-hit infield single off the glove of Rafael Devers at third.
Crawford got the first out when he induced Matt Olson to pop to short, but when he left a 91 mph four-seamer belt high to Ozzie Albies, he paid dearly for it as Albies drove the pitch into the home bullpen.
It was the sixth homer allowed by Crawford in his last seven starts after having not allowed any in his first six outings this season.
Atlanta used the long ball to pad the score some in the seventh when Orlando Arcia took reliever Chase Anderson deep for a solo shot. The Braves tacked on another run in the ninth, also off Anderson.
The Braves had pulled even in the fifth inning when Jarred Kelenic led off with double to center and quickly rode home when Sean Murphy drove a single through the infield, just out of the dive of second baseman Jamie Westbrook, who got his glove on the ball but only enough to slow it down some.
Boston took its first lead of the night in the fourth. After a walk, a single and a catcher’s interference loaded the bases with one out, bringing Bobby Dalbec to the plate. Dalbec turned on a fastball on the inner half and sliced it into right, scoring Connor Wong and Rafael Devers. The two RBI represented half of Dalbec’s previous total for the season.
The Sox cut the lead in half in the third when Dominic Smith swatted a homer into the Monster Seats, at least partly redeeming himself for some sloppy defensive play in the previous inning. It was Smith’s second homer since joining the Red Sox.
Crawford was let down by his defense in the top of the second as the Braves jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
Smith stayed back on a chopper from Matt Olson and had the ball clang off his glove into right field for a leadoff single. After a double by Albies gave the Braves runners at second and third, Smith fumbled a throw from Westbrook, as both baserunners came around to score.
The Sox had gone 13 straight games without allowing an unearned run before seeing that streak snapped Sunday. Smith’s two miscues led to two more.
SERIES WRAPS WEDNESDAY
The two teams will meet again Wednesday afternoon in the conclusion of their brief, two-game interleague series.
That pitching matchup will feature Nick Pivetta (2-4, 4.08) vs. Braves’ rookie righthander Spencer Schwellenbach (0-1, 5.40), beginning at 1:35 p.m.
