The Boston Red Sox snapped their five-game winning streak Tuesday when they defeated the defending World Series Champion Atlanta Braves 9-4.
What was the most encouraging sign for Boston? The offense and bullpen stepped up.
The lineup produced nine runs, and the bullpen allowed just one run in six innings of work.
Manager Alex Cora was very happy to see the bats come alive.
"We didn't add on until the end, but I think overall it was probably one of the best games we've had offensively as far as controlling the zone," Cora said as seen on NESN's postgame coverage. "He's a good pitcher (Braves starter Kyle Wright), he had good stuff. The cutter/slider he has and the breaking ball, and he wasn't able to use his fastball the way he's been using it. But I think overall we did a good job."
Cora talked about how the Red Sox could really get going if the bottom of the lineup could set up the marque offensive contributors.
"The line was moving today," Cora said. "That's what we're trying to accomplish. The bottom part of the lineup kind of like sets up the table for the big boys and then they do what they do."
Here are some more notes from Red Sox-Braves:
-- Tyler Danish was critical in the game and deserves a permanent spot in the bullpen. After two scoreless innings, the right-hander has a 2.35 ERA on the season in six appearances.
-- John Schreiber got the first save of his career on Tuesday. It's a little quick to talk about making him the Red Sox closer, but his two-inning appearance was much cleaner than the relievers that have received high-leverage opportunities early on. He's another player that deserves a longer look at the MLB level.
-- Whitlock threw a career-high 82 pitches in just three innings. It's becoming more apparent that he was more valuable in his multi-inning reliever role.
-- Franchy Cordero showed patience in Atlanta, walking in all three of his plate appearances. In 2021, Cordero only walked eight times in 136 plate appearances.
-- The Red Sox as a team walked seven times, a great sign for an offense that has been uncharacteristically quiet in 2022.
-- The Red Sox will aim for a two-game sweep against the Braves at Truist Park on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET following an hour of pregame coverage, and you can watch it all on NESN.
