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Sox, Pivetta One-Hits Braves

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s starting pitcher Nick Pivetta threw seven shutout innings and Rafael Devers hit two home runs as the Red Sox defeated the visiting Atlanta Braves 9-0 on Wednesday and earn a split in the two-game series.

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Pivetta (3-4) struck out nine and walked two. Austin Riley collected the only hit against Pivetta, a single in the fourth inning. It was Atlanta’s only hit in the game.

The Braves, who struck out 11 times in the loss, were shut out for the first time this season.

Devers hit a solo home run in the second inning and a two-run homer in the seventh. He has 13 home runs this season.

Boston also got a solo home run from Jarren Duran, his fourth of the season.

Boston’s Zack Kelly pitched the eighth, and Brad Keller worked the ninth.

The Red Sox, who dropped an 8-3 decision to Atlanta on Tuesday, scored three runs in the second, three in the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth.

Boston’s Tyler O’Neill (2-for-4, one RBI) was reinstated from the 10-day injury list Wednesday and started in right field. Dominic Smith and Rob Refsnyder each added two hits for the Red Sox, who had 13 hits in the game.

Boston’s Jamie Westbrook, in his third major league game, collected his first career hit when he singled in the eighth.

The Red Sox opened the scoring when Devers homered off Atlanta starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (0-2) in the second. The Red Sox made it 2-0 when David Hamilton doubled home O’Neill, and they stretched the lead to 3-0 when Reese McGuire’s sacrifice fly drove in Smith.

Boston’s three-run fifth featured an RBI double from Enmanuel Valdez, an RBI single from O’Neill and an RBI double by Smith.

Devers homered in the seventh, and Duran homered in the eighth.

Schwellenbach, who was making his second major league start, allowed six runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander walked two (one intentional) and struck out four.

The Red Sox improved to 1-3 against the Braves this season.

–Field Level Media

Schwellenbach vs Red Sox at 1:35pm

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach will make his second major league start this afternoon when the Braves face the Boston Red Sox for the back half of a two-game series.

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Schwellenbach (0-1, 5.40 ERA) was promoted from Double-A Mississippi to make his major league debut on May 29 against the Washington Nationals. He allowed three runs on five hits in five innings, struck out five and walked one in a 7-2 loss. Sixty of his 88 pitches were strikes.

“I thought his stuff was real good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said postgame. “He handled himself really well. The composure, slowing the game down. I thought he was very impressive.”

Travis d’Arnaud might catch Schwellenbach for the second outing in a row as Sean Murphy left Atlanta’s 8-3 victory on Tuesday with a right elbow injury after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning. X-rays were negative, and Murphy believes he will avoid going on the injury list.

“Just a big, gross lump,” Murphy said. “It looks worse than it is. (The swelling) will go down quick, so I’m not worried about it.”

The Braves received home runs from Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia during the victory at Boston. Albies hit a three-run shot against Boston starter Kutter Crawford that gave Atlanta a 6-3 lead in the sixth inning.

“Just got to make better pitches,” Crawford said. “Just kind of going through a rut right now, but we’re just going to keep fighting.”

Atlanta starter Max Fried struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings on Tuesday. The Red Sox fanned 14 times in the defeat.

“He’s one of the best,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Fried. “He does that every five days.”

In his past three starts, Fried has 28 strikeouts in 24 innings. He walked two and allowed three earned runs in that span.

“I feel like I had a really good feel of the slider, and my curveball was probably the best it has been all year,” Fried said.

Now the Red Sox will face Schwellenbach, whom the Braves selected in the second round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Nebraska. Schwellenbach, 24, won the John Olerud Award as the best two-way player in college baseball. The Braves drafted him as a pitcher, but he had Tommy John surgery before his first professional appearance.

Nick Pivetta (2-4, 4.08) is scheduled to start for Boston. The right-hander took a 5-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings while striking out nine, including eight in a row at one point to tie the franchise record.

Pivetta also took the loss when the Braves beat the Red Sox 5-0 on May 8. It was his first appearance since April 3, after which he went on the injured list with a right elbow strain. He gave up five runs on seven hits in four innings at Atlanta.

Pivetta is 7-5 with a 5.30 ERA in 20 career appearances (16 starts) vs. the Braves.

The Red Sox are 0-3 against the Braves this season.

–Field Level Media

12-Team CFP to Begin Dec.20th

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The first 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff will begin on Dec. 20 and end exactly one month later, with the national championship game set to be played in Atlanta, it was announced Wednesday.

The expanded playoff format will start with four first-round games played at campus sites on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21. Two of those games will be broadcast on TNT, which has a sublicense with ESPN.

The quarterfinals begin on New Year’s Eve with the Fiesta Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by a trio of games on New Year’s Day. The Peach Bowl will begin at 1 p.m., the Rose Bowl at 5 p.m. and the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m.

Both semifinals will start at 7:30 p.m. The first, the Orange Bowl, will be played on Jan. 9, and the second, the Cotton Bowl, will take place on Jan. 10.

The championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Celtics’ Porzingis to Play in Finals

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, who has not played since April 29 because of a calf injury, plans to be available for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks.

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“That is the plan right now,” Porzingis said on Tuesday in his first public comments since May 4. “Again, it’s a couple more days, and I think that could make a difference. Every day gives me a bit more time to get even better.”

Red Sox Face Tough Series vs ATL

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Atlanta Braves will attempt to jump-start their slumping offense when they visit the Boston Red Sox for the opener of a two-game series tonight. The Braves averaged 3.4 runs per game in May, which was fewer than every major league team except the White Sox and Reds. Atlanta scored nine runs in a 11-9 loss to Oakland on Saturday, but was held to seven hits in a 3-1 victory over the A’s on Sunday.

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“I look through individually and see a lot of positives, quite honestly, with some guys offensively, which is what we’ve been trying to do,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We haven’t been playing bad baseball — we’ve been playing good baseball — we just haven’t hit. I see light at the end of the tunnel with a bunch of those guys.

“I see a lot of really good things out of the offense, and the good thing is these guys have been struggling offensively and they’ve just been playing the heck out of defense. … From my seat the hitting thing is going to come. I can’t go in there and blow anything up because we’re not playing bad baseball. We’re playing good baseball, we’re just not hitting.”

Atlanta will be facing a Boston team trying to create some positive energy. The Red Sox lost two out of three games against Milwaukee and two out of three against Baltimore before splitting four games against Detroit in a series that ended Sunday. Boston had a 3-0 lead in Sunday’s game, but ended up losing 8-4 in 10 innings.

Boston manager Alex Cora said although his team was in position to win the series against Detroit, he was not frustrated with Sunday’s loss.

“Not really,” he said. “We know where we’re at. We were playing five rookies today. We got to be realistic. We’re playing good baseball, that’s the thing. We had a chance to win three out of four. It didn’t happen, but for some reason with this group we don’t get frustrated. Just keep teaching them the game and help them to be better.

“We got a tough one coming up with the Braves. Hopefully we win it and then go to Chicago (White Sox) and have a good weekend over there. It’ll be good for us this week to gain some momentum.”

Boston’s Rafael Devers went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a triple and a game-tying home run in the eighth inning during Sunday’s loss. Devers enters Tuesday’s game batting .283 with 11 home runs, 29 RBIs and a .924 OPS.

“He keeps getting better and he understands who he is, not only on this team but in the industry,” Cora said. “He’s one of the best players in the league.”

Left-hander Max Fried (5-2, 2.97 ERA) is Atlanta’s probable starter for Tuesday’s game. Fried pitched eight innings in a 2-0 victory over Washington last Tuesday. He allowed seven hits, struck out six and walked one.

Fried is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in his only career start against Boston. He gave up two runs on five hits in five innings, struck out five and walked two.

Right-hander Kutter Crawford (2-4, 3.29) is scheduled to start for Boston. Crawford did not factor in the decision in his only career appearance against Atlanta. On May 7, he surrendered two runs on five hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two in a 4-2 loss at Atlanta.

–Field Level Media

NBA Finals: Coach Joe Preaches

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With a long wait for the NBA Finals begin, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla made it known that there is one storyline he will not delve into any further in the days before Game 1, scheduled for this Thursday.

The relationship between Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum has been analyzed for years. Brown is Boston’s former No. 3 overall pick in 2016 out of Cal, and Tatum was selected No. 3 overall from Duke a year later.

The draft pick slots were acquired through a pair of savvy trades by the Celtics’ front office and have restored a winning culture to a legendary franchise, but drama has followed the duo since they were paired together in the NBA.

While talk of the fractured dynamic has slowed somewhat in recent years, Mazzulla was asked about it potentially being a talking point before Game 1 when the Dallas Mavericks visit Boston.

“I’m kind of (considering) how deep I want to get into that because the whole thing about that really (angers me),” Mazzulla said at a news conference Friday. “I think it’s unfair to both of them and I think it’s stupid that people have to use those two guys’ names and use information they don’t know to create click bait so that they can stay relevant.”

The Brown-Tatum duo has never missed the playoffs. In fact, they have led Boston to the Eastern Conference finals in five of the past seven seasons and into the NBA Finals this season and in 2022, when they fell to the Golden State Warriors.

A bruising forward with long-distance shooting range, Tatum has finished at least sixth in NBA MVP voting in each of the past three seasons. Brown, an All-Star in three of the past four seasons, is a scoring guard who has averaged at least 20 points in each of the past five seasons.

“It’s very unfair that those two get compared,” Mazzulla said. “They’re two completely different people, two completely different players. They’re great teammates, they love each other and they go about winning and they go about their process in a different way. So why they have to be lumped together I think is unfair and people just use it for their own (relevance).”

[Read more…] about NBA Finals: Coach Joe Preaches

Red Sox and Bello Go for Series Win

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox aim for their third straight win when they cap a four-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers this afternoon. After Ceddanne Rafaela recorded his first career two-homer game on Friday, Enmanuel Valdez — who was just recalled from Triple-A Worcester — turned the trick in a 3-for-4 day. He also doubled, scored three runs and drove in three ini Saturday’s 6-3 win.

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The Red Sox overcame a first-inning deficit with a 10-hit attack and moved back above the .500 mark for the season. Valdez set the tone in a much-needed situation, especially with Vaughn Grissom going down with a hamstring strain Saturday and landing on the injured list.

“He’s a good player. He puts up good at-bats,” Cora said of Valdez. “Like I said when we sent him down, he didn’t do anything wrong. … When you look at the numbers, he’s hitting .180, but it doesn’t feel that way. He manages the at-bat just like (Wilyer Abreu). … Overall, a good (game).”

Brayan Bello (6-2, 4.18 ERA) looks to continue his winning run on the mound for the Red Sox. He earned his second straight win and fifth in six starts on Tuesday in Baltimore, striking out seven across five innings. He allowed three runs in the first inning and none thereafter.

“I like to come out with an aggressive mindset as opposed to being relaxed,” Bello said after that start. “I feel like when I come in relaxed, things don’t go the way that I want them to.”

However, Bello has not pitched at Fenway Park since May 12, when he held the Washington Nationals to two runs on four hits in five innings. His last three starts have been away from home.

The 25-year-old right-hander has made just one previous start against Detroit, and it didn’t go well. He took the loss last Aug. 12 after allowing four runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Following Saturday’s defeat, the Tigers have lost three of their last four games since a four-game win streak and have dropped six of their last seven on the road.

However, Gio Urshela’s two-run home run in the ninth inning extended Detroit’s streak of consecutive games with a homer to eight.

“We did get a few good swings. Matt Vierling swung the bat very well,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, noting Vierling’s two doubles. “But not enough in this park when you’ve got to create offense.”

Tigers righty Casey Mize (1-3, 4.71) is winless in six starts since beating the Twins in Minnesota on April 21. On May 26 against Toronto, he gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings for a no-decision in a 14-11 Detroit win. He allowed eight hits and two walks.

Five days earlier, Mize was whacked for nine hits and six runs in just 1 2/3 innings at Kansas City.

Mize is 0-1 with a 4.09 career ERA in two starts covering 11 innings against Boston. Both starts came in 2021. He missed most of 2022 and all of 2023 following Tommy John and back surgeries.

On Saturday, Hinch also offered an update on outfielder Kerry Carpenter’s lumbar spine stress fracture. However, there is no update on his return.

“There’s a lot of unknowns still in terms of timetable, which is why we don’t put one on it,” Hinch said. “We’re going to kind of go week-by-week with him and continue to check in on what the best next step is for him.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: Rafaela Powers Sox to Win

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BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox will look to get the upper hand in a four-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers this afternoon. Ceddanne Rafaela homered twice in his first career multi-homer game while leading the Red Sox to a 7-3 win Friday night that evened the series at 1-1. Boston recorded 12 hits and snapped a two-game skid.

Rafaela, a 23-year-old rookie who had gone back-to-back games without a hit after a four-game hitting streak, drove in five runs.

“We just (have) to make sure (Rafaela) understands that it takes time to adjust,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not about instant results.”

Amid the rookie ups and downs, which included a 2-for-12 slump entering Friday, Rafaela has led all major league rookies and the Red Sox with 33 RBIs this season.

“It’s difficult for me to get frustrated. I don’t get frustrated that (easily),” he said.

On Friday, David Hamilton went 3-for-4 while Dominic Smith and Connor Wong each finished 2-for-3 for Boston.

Red Sox right-hander Cooper Criswell (2-2, 3.96 ERA) will start on Saturday. In his last start, he allowed seven runs in four innings in Boston’s 11-3 to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

Criswell will make his first career start against Detroit.

The Red Sox had won five of Criswell’s first six starts but now have lost two of the past three.

On Friday, Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first but recorded just five hits after that inning. Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a double, while Colt Keith hit a two-run home run in the eighth.

Designated hitter Mark Canha was scratched from Friday’s lineup with hip soreness.

Spencer Torkelson, who was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Thursday, has slumped of late. He is hitless in eight of his past nine games.

“I appreciate his consistency in caring about the team win first and his performance second, even though I know it’s eating him up to not be a more central part of our offense,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

Tigers right-hander Reese Olson (1-5, 1.92 ERA) will start on Saturday. He has received some tough luck this season but finally earned his first win of the year last Saturday over the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave up just one unearned run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings in Detroit’s 2-1 victory.

“I just try to do my job every time I go out there,” Olson said.

Entering his first career start against Boston, Olson has allowed 12 earned runs in 10 starts this season, six of which he allowed April 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“He’s going to make you beat him,” Hinch said. “He’s not going to concede with any pitch.”

–Field Level Media

 

Rafaela Homers Twice in 7-3 Victory

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela recorded his first career multi-homer game and drove in five as the host Boston Red Sox pulled away from the Detroit Tigers for a 7-3 win on Friday.

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David Hamilton went 3-for-4 while Dominic Smith and Connor Wong each had two hits as the Red Sox finished with 12 hits.

Boston starter Tanner Houck (5-5) gave up one run on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks in seven innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.85.

Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a double, and Colt Keith hit a two-run home run for the Tigers.

Detroit jumped out to a first-inning lead. Greene lined a one-out single to center, stole second and scored on Gio Urshela’s single to right.

Houck quickly settled in after that, retiring six straight batters and working around Greene’s two-out double in the third.

The Red Sox broke through against Detroit’s Kenta Maeda (2-2) in the fourth. Rafael Devers started the rally with a leadoff double to center before scoring the tying run on Smith’s double into the left field corner. Rafaela hit a three-run homer to left later in the inning to give Boston a 4-1 lead.

In the fifth, Rob Refsnyder increased the lead to 5-1 on his two-out double that plated Wong, who reached on a double.

Rafaela’s second homer of the game — and seventh of the season — pushed the lead to 7-1. David Hamilton reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and came around to score on Rafaela’s blast to left-center.

Keith hit a two-run shot in the eighth inning off Boston reliever Greg Weissert to trim Detroit’s deficit to 7-3.

Maeda allowed eight hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Complete the Sweep

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Derrick White had missed seven of eight  3-point attempts when he found himself open in the right corner of the floor in the final minute of a tie game with an NBA Finals berth at stake.
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He watched Jaylen Brown handle the ball and was just waiting for his Boston Celtics teammate to deliver a pass. Once Brown did just that, it was White’s turn to make a play.
“Just was trusting that JB is going to make the right play like he has this entire year,” White said. “I got a good look and wanted to stay in the shot and knock it down.”
White drained the 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and the Celtics finished off a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals with a 105-102 victory on Monday night at Indianapolis.
“It’s a credit to him,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of White. “He’s another guy who has short-term memory. The last (missed) shot doesn’t bother him, he plays with a sense of presence.”
Brown scored 29 points and Jayson Tatum added 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the top-seeded Celtics landed a spot in the Finals for the second time in the past three seasons.
“It’s been nothing but a grind,” Brown said. “We didn’t skip no steps all season. We have a bunch of great guys in this locker room. We have a bunch of tough guys and our coaching staff and front office has been great. Now we want to take it to the next step.”
Andrew Nembhard had 24 points and a playoff career-high 10 assists for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who lost in the East finals for the eighth time in nine trips. Indiana’s only victory was over the New York Knicks in 2000.
Boston overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter while once again playing better basketball down the stretch.
A defensive breakdown by the Pacers left White standing alone in the right corner on the decisive shot. Brown, who was named the MVP of the series, spotted him and his pinpoint pass was on the mark, and White’s shot swished through the net.
Nembhard missed a 3-pointer with 33.6 seconds left and Tatum got the rebound. Indiana decided not to foul, and Tatum missed a trey with 8.3 seconds remaining. But Jrue Holiday collected the offensive rebound with 4.7 seconds left, and the Celtics ran out the clock.
It was Boston’s second straight comeback win in Indianapolis. The Celtics overcame an eight-point deficit with 2:38 left in Game 3 to post a 114-111 victory. Boston trailed by as many as 18 in that contest.
“We never say die,” Tatum said. “These were some tough games we had to play in, and we always find a way to figure it out. It’s different guys every single night and we sacrifice in order to reach our ultimate goal.”
Holiday had 17 points and nine rebounds and White added 16 points, five steals and three blocked shots for the Celtics, who will face either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in the Finals.
Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds and T.J. McConnell added 15 points for Indiana. Aaron Nesmith scored 14 points and Obi Toppin added 12.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) missed his second straight game.
“The level of fight was tremendous all the way through this,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said of his team. “Circumstance never fazes them one way or the other. They were in this to win every possession that they could and any game that they could.
“A lot of respect to our players and how they conducted themselves in the series.”
The Celtics shot 44.9 percent from the field, including 14 of 44 from 3-point range. Indiana made 46 percent of its shot attempts and was 10 of 29 from behind the arc. McConnell scored six points in 64 seconds early in the fourth quarter to give the Pacers an 89-82 lead. A three-point play by Nembhard made it 94-85 with 8:57 remaining.
After Boston moved within four, Nesmith made back-to-back baskets to give Indiana a 98-90 lead with 5:56 to go. The Celtics answered with an 8-2 run, moving within 100-98 on Holiday’s three-point play with 3:54 remaining. Brown’s runner tied the score at 102 with 2:40 left.
Tatum scored 16 points before halftime as Boston led 58-57 at the break. Nembhard also tallied 16 points in the first half.
The Pacers took an 83-80 advantage into the final stanza but were outplayed by Boston down the stretch of a close game for the third time in the series. Indiana lost Game 1 in overtime.
“It’s hard because I think when you look at all those games, we were right there,” Siakam said. “It stings and it’s hard because I know how hard we work.
“It’s heartbreaking losses after heartbreaking losses. … It doesn’t matter how good we played. We didn’t get it done.”
–Field Level Media