By TERRY LYONS
BOSTON – Boston Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez retired the MLB-leading Atlanta Braves in order in the top of the first of this three game series between the National League East leader and the American League East cellar-dwellers. That brought Red Sox lead-off hitter, Jarren Duran to the plate to face (one of) Atlanta’s ace pitchers, Spencer Strider.
Strider returned to the Braves’ starting rotation May 3 after being placed on the club’s injured list on March 25, after a left oblique strain sidelined him in the final week of Spring Training. Strider worked his way back by making three minor league rehab appearances in April, going 0-1, but with a steady 1.42 ERA in 12.2 innings pitched. He also recorded 18 strike-outs in those 12 innings between the High A Rome franchise and Triple A Gwinnett.
Not bad, right?
Strider’s even tougher than that.
Tuesday night against the Sox at Fenway, Strider made his fifth start of the 2026 season. He owned a 2-0 record (and 3.00ERA) going into the game and considering the Braves are 51-27 in Strider’s starts, things weren’t looking too bright for the hometown nine.
Consider one more interesting nugget: Strider owned a .631 winning percentage (41-24) in his career with Atlanta, the third best mark among Braves pitchers since 1966 (at least 80 starts). That means Strider only trails Baseball Hall of Famers Greg Maddux (.688) and active phenom (and current New York Yankees’ ace) Max Fried (.670). Strider ranks ahead of Hall of Famer Tom Glavine (.624) on that Braves totem pole (no disrespectful pun intended).
Duran, batting .193 as the game began, decided Strider’s resume wasn’t all that impressive and rocketed an (0-1) pitch some 412 feet for his seventh home run of the season. It was his 10th career lead-off home run. It was highly unusual for both Duran and Strider, for sure. But, then Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela stepped up to the plate and hit another whopper.
Rafaela’s homer travelled only 368 feet but went out of the ballpark at 101 mph to make the score Red Sox 2, Braves 0 before the 34,126 fans settled into their seats at the beloved joint. It marked the first time the Red Sox had back-to-back, lead-off homers since May 31, 2016 in Baltimore.
Strider settled in and the Braves gradually hacked away at that 2-0 deficit.
Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson tied the game in the fifth inning with a 2-run blast off Suarez. Olson’s homer traveled 428 feet at 105 mph and it brought Mauricio Dubon to the plate as well.
In Atlanta’s half of the sixth, a pair of doubles bookending a walk created three runs for the Braves with OF Michael Harris II providing the effort for two RBI to give the Braves a 5-2 lead.
The Sox picked up a couple runs, one in the sixth on a Mickey Gasper ground out (GIDP) that scored Wilyer Abreu and in the seventh on a Isiah Kiner-Falefa home run.
With the Braves leading 7-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias got the call but looked quite shakey in his attempt to put the lights out on Boston. Iglesias gave up a lead-off single to Gasper, then a double to second baseman Nick Sogard. Both Gasper and Sogard scored later in the inning when Kiner-Falefa singled.
Atlanta dug in on defense, made a tough SS Ha-Seong Kim to 3B Austin Riley force-out, then after a Duran single, Iglesius retired Abreu to end the game and preserve a 7-6 Atlanta victory.
Strider earned the win, his third, and Iglesias – somehow – placed a save in his column, the ninth for the veteran reliever while Sox starter, Ranger Suarez, took the loss. He’s (2-3) on the year after allowing five earned runs with six hits and three walks in his five innings pitched.