David Price grew up rooting for the Atlanta Braves, but it didn’t stop him from dominating them Tuesday night.
Price finished with 14 strikeouts in the game and got all the offensive support he would need in a four-run first inning, as the Red Sox went on to defeat the Braves 11-4.
Here’s how it happened.
GAME IN A WORD
Weird.
Price looked shaky early, loading the bases twice in the first four innings, but sandwiched that around a streak of seven consecutive Braves retired. He finished with 14 strikeouts, tying a career high, in a very impressive performance.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
Price struck out the final five batters he faced, and the Red Sox added five insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning.
ON THE BUMP
— It was a rough first inning for both pitchers, as the Red Sox and Braves combined for five runs, six hits, three walks and a hit by pitch.
Braves starter Matt Wisler needed 35 pitches to get through the first inning, but he certainly didn’t help his own cause. The Red Sox sent nine batters to the plate in the inning, and Wisler threw first-pitch balls to six of them. He walked two and hit Jackie Bradley Jr. in the leg, but the big blow came off the bat of Travis Shaw, who crushed a three-run home run deep into the Turner Field bleachers.
Price needed 23 pitches despite getting the first two outs of the game on just four. He followed those outs by allowing hits to three straight batters to get the Braves on the board.
It was fairly smooth sailing from there, and Price finished in dominant fashion by mowing down five consecutive batters to end his night. His final line: eight innings pitched, two runs, six hits, two walks, 14 strikeouts on 114 pitches. The 14 Ks tied a career high, and Price now leads the league with 46 strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 5.76.
— Pat Light made his major league debut in the ninth inning for the Red Sox. The young fireballer, who was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket over the weekend, started his career by giving up two straight hits and a walk to load the bases with no outs.
Two groundouts scored the third and fourth Braves runs, and a third groundout ended the game.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Shaw just continues to hit. The Mayor of Ding Dong City blasted his second homer of the season, and we mean blasted. The pitch left his bat at over 109 miles per hour and landed somewhere in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Shaw just missed another home run in the ninth inning, as an RBI double hit high off the wall in right-center field. He finished the game 2 for 5 with five RBIs and two runs. He leads the team with a .324 batting average.
— Xander Bogaerts went 3 for 5 with a double, a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI. He’s now the owner of a six-game hitting streak in which he’s batting .480 (12 for 25). He’s raised his season average to .291 in the process.
— Brock Holt got the other Red Sox RBI in the first inning with a double. He finished 1 for 5.
— Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 4 with a double, two RBIs, a walk and two runs scored. He’s batting .318 on the year.
— Price went hitless, but did draw the third walk of his career. It was just the fifth time he’s ever reached base.
— Every member of the Red Sox starting lineup besides Price recorded a hit. Chris Young reached base with a pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth, though, meaning nine Red Sox recorded a hit.
Christian Vazquez doubled to lead off the ninth, while Hanley Ramirez added an RBI double and Bradley Jr. added an RBI triple later in the inning to round out the scoring.
— Franceour was the only Braves batter to record multiple hits off Price, going 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
Pretty much.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox head back to Fenway Park for the second half of their home-and-home series with the Braves. Steven Wright (1-2, 1.40 ERA) takes the ball in a 7:10 p.m. ET start time. The Braves are expected to counter with Bud Norris (1-3, 6.75 ERA).
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
