It seemed like the Boston Red Sox were poised to have an absolute day at the plate in the first inning, but not capitalizing on two bases-loaded opportunities came back to bite them.
Instead, the Atlanta Braves took the first of the two-game set with a 3-1 verdict. Atlanta starting pitcher Charlie Morton settled in to a dominant performance with nine strikeouts through seven innings.
Morton allowed the Boston bats just three hits in the game, no where near enough to secure a win for Red Sox starter Garrett Richards, who pitched into the sixth inning to keep his team in it.
With the loss, Boston falls to 29-20.
Here's how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD (OR TWO)
Missed opportunities.
The Red Sox stranded a few runners early in the game and it ended up costing them.
ON THE MOUND
-- Garrett Richards came out to pitch the sixth inning after keeping Boston in the thick of things, but ended his day before recording the third out.
Through 5 2/3 innings of work, Richards fought hard giving up six hits and four walks, but got himself out of a few jams to allow just three earned runs.
-- After Hirokazu Sawamura came in to relieve Richards, he gave up a double to Ronald Acuña Jr. that scored an inherited runner. He intentionally walked the next batter and struck out the next to get out of the jam. Sawamura returned for the seventh for a quick 1-2-3 inning.
-- Garrett Whitlock closed out the last two innings giving up a single hit with two strikeouts to give Boston a chance to change the result.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
-- Boston laid into Morton early, with two bases-loaded situations in the bottom of the first. They only left the frame with one run, though.
Kiké Hernández hit a leadoff single before Alex Verdugo was walked and J.D. Martinez reached on second base error. Xander Bogaerts struck out, but Rafael Devers was hit by a pitch to bring in Hernández. A double play, however, ended the inning after that.
-- Danny Santana's first hit at Fenway Park was a lead-off triple in the bottom of the second. Unfortunately they couldn't bring him home, despite having no outs.
-- Bogaerts was the third Red Sox player to record a hit, but between that and Verdugo's walk in the bottom of the eighth, the Braves retired 15 straight Boston batters.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox have one game left to tie the series with the Braves. First pitch from Fenway Park is at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
