There weren’t many rays of hope when the Boston Red Sox dropped their series opener to the Atlanta Braves in a 9-3 loss on Tuesday night.
Boston didn’t get off to a strong start, with Nick Pivetta tagged for four runs in the first inning. The offensive production never found a sense of rhythm as the lineup struck out eight times and went 2-for-6 in opportunities with runners in scoring position. But despite an off night all around, Red Sox outfielder Justin Turner did notch a new career accolade.
The 38-year-old veteran, who finished 2-for-3 against the Braves, hit a double in the eighth inning which was the 300th of Turner’s Major League Baseball career.
“I know people talk about the Mets, but there were other teams that gave up on him before, right?” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “He worked on his craft, in between New York and LA, and found it. Similar to J.D. (Martinez), right? They work so hard in the cage and try to find their swing and they reinvented themselves, and they became great big leaguers. The way he goes about it is fun to watch.”
Turner joined the Red Sox on a one-year deal this past offseason and got off to a slow start to begin the year, going 5-for-33 at the start of April. But with Boston riddled with injuries, most notably that of outfielder Adam Duvall, Turner has flipped the switch in the batter’s box, slashing .333/.367/.556 in his last seven games.
And moving forward, Cora doesn’t envision Turner slowing down.
“He’s gonna keep putting good at-bats, he’s gonna keep grinding and he’s gonna keep ultimately helping us to win games,” Cora said.
