Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning to send the visiting Boston Red Sox to a 10-8 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
Verdugo connected on a 2-0 changeup from reliever Chris Martin (0-3) for his ninth homer. It was the fourth long ball of the game for the Red Sox.
Rafael Devers led Boston’s 14-hit attack by going 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, four RBIs and two runs.
Hirokazu Sawamura (3-0) pitched a scoreless seventh inning to earn the win. Adam Ottavino tossed a perfect eighth and Matt Barnes earned his 15th save, despite allowing a run, striking out Dansby Swanson to end the game.
Atlanta starter Tucker Davidson exited in the third inning due to left forearm tightness. The rookie worked 2 1/3 innings and allowed five runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez couldn’t take advantage of the run support. He gave up four runs on six hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in four innings.
The Red Sox scored four times in the first inning. Devers hit a three-run shot, his 16th homer of the season, and Hunter Renfroe followed with a solo shot, his eighth home run.
Boston tacked on a run in the third on Devers’ RBI single, but the Braves made it 5-1 in the bottom half when Freddie Freeman lined a run-scoring single to right field.
Atlanta cut the deficit to 5-4 with a three-run fourth inning. Abraham Almonte drove in a run with a ground-rule double, and Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a two-run double.
Boston got two runs back in the fifth on a solo homer from Xander Bogaerts, his 13th long ball, and an RBI single from Renfroe.
Atlanta pulled even with three runs in the sixth. Guillermo Heredia drove in a run with a single, William Contreras scored on a passed ball and Freeman drove home the tying run with a sacrifice fly.
–Field Level Media