BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A barrage of three home runs in the late innings helped the Boston Red Sox top the visiting Atlanta Braves 5-3 to complete a two-game series sweep on Wednesday night.
Rafael Devers, Triston Casas and Adam Duvall all homered for Boston, which has won four straight. Justin Turner hit a two-run double that flipped the score for good in the seventh.
Turner, Casas and Connor Wong all had multi-hit games to support Brayan Bello, who allowed three runs on four hits over his six innings. Joe Jacques (2-1) followed with a scoreless inning to earn the win.
The early duel began with Bello erasing Atlanta’s first two hits with double play balls, helping him face just one batter over the minimum through the first five innings.
One swing of the bat broke the game open for the Braves in the sixth after Harris lined a leadoff double to center and Ronald Acuna Jr. was hit by a pitch. Ozzie Albies ripped a three-run homer into the right-center field bullpen.
Albies was 2-for-4 to lead the six-hit offense for the Braves, who have lost three of their last four games.
Harris’ double made him the first Atlanta runner in scoring position in the game.
The Red Sox quickly broke the shutout bid in the sixth when Devers golfed a two-out solo homer out to right. Spencer Strider had started the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, helping him reach double digits for the ninth time this season.
Boston chased Strider (6 1/3 innings, two runs, six hits, 10 strikeouts, one walk) with one out in the seventh after Casas homered to center and Connor Wong followed with a single. The homer marked Casas’ third during a five-game hit streak.
Two batters after Pierce Johnson (1-6) entered, Turner hit a two-out double to left that lifted Boston to its first lead.
Duvall’s solo homer extended the Boston lead in the eighth.
Kenley Jansen worked out of a two-on, one-out jam to post his 22nd save.
–Field Level Media