Connelly Early delivered seven strong innings, Jarren Duran hit a home run, and Boston scored six times in the fourth as the Red Sox beat the Atlanta Braves 8-0 Wednesday night to snap a five-game losing streak.
BOSTON — When the Boston Red Sox opened the night with an early rhythm. the relief came later. after the numbers settled. Connelly Early struck out seven in seven innings. Jarren Duran homered. and Boston broke through for an 8-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night to end a five-game losing streak.
Early improved to 5-2, allowing four hits and walking three. Ryan Watson finished the final two innings without allowing a hit. The shutdown mattered most because it came with Boston already gearing up for a bigger statement.
That statement arrived in the fourth inning, when the Red Sox scored six runs. Masataka Yoshida came home on a throwing error. Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with an RBI single. Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu then added two-run singles. turning the inning into the kind of gap a visiting lineup can’t close.
Boston kept pressing after that. Marcelo Mayer plated a run with a single in the seventh before Duran sealed the night with his eighth home run of the year, a 400-foot shot to right field.
Duran finished 4 for 5 at the plate. Rafaela went 3 of 5 with two RBIs and a run, helping make the 8-run margin feel like more than just a finish line.
For Atlanta, Bryce Elder (4-3) took the loss after allowing six runs on nine hits while striking out one in 3 1/3 innings. Carlos Carrasco recorded his 1,700th career strikeout in the seventh inning, pitching four innings and allowing two runs. Jorge Mateo had two of the Braves’ five hits.
The series finale is set for Thursday with LHP Payton Tolle (2-2, 2.45) taking the mound for Boston, while LHP Chris Sale (7-3, 1.89 ERA) starts for Atlanta.
Boston Red Sox Atlanta Braves Connelly Early Jarren Duran Masataka Yoshida Isiah Kiner-Falefa Ceddanne Rafaela Wilyer Abreu Marcelo Mayer Ryan Watson Bryce Elder Carlos Carrasco Jorge Mateo Payton Tolle Chris Sale MLB