Red Sox drop first of 2 to Atlanta as Braves take lead in 8th

That of Marcell Ozuna simple with a score in the eighth inning gave Atlanta the lead and the Braves beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 Tuesday night to end a three-game losing streak.

Boston’s Kutter Crawford and Atlanta’s Reynaldo López each allowed two runs in a matchup of right-handers with an ERA below 2.00.

The Braves were held to seven hits and thus were unable to proclaim the end of their losing streak as a wake-up call for their collapsed bats. They were held to a total of six runs while being swept in three games by the Los Angeles Dodgers to end a 1-5 road trip.

“It’s a tough thing to go through,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We’re not done yet.”

The Braves again relied on their pitchers, notably left-hander Aaron Bummer, who struck out Jaren Duran and Rafael Devers to end the sixth after the Red Sox scored two runs against López.

“I was able to get out to the top of the list and limited the damage,” Bummer said.

Atlanta right-hander Joe Jiménez (1-0) stranded two runners in the eighth when Adam Duvall made a sliding latch from Tyler O’Neill’s run to the left-center gap to end the inning.

Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save.

With the game tied at 2, Boston right-hander Justin Slaten (2-1) walked Ozzie Albies and gave up a single to Austin Riley to open the eighth. Ozuna bounced a one-out grounder through the infield to drive in Albies. Riley advanced to third on the play and scored on Orlando Arcia’s grounder to first, extending the lead to two runs.

Crawford hit Travis d’Arnaud with a pitch in the third inning before Jarred Kelenic belted a 368-foot blast over the high right-field wall for a two-run homer, his first, giving Atlanta a lead 2-0.

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It was only the second home run allowed in eight starts for Crawford, each in his last two starts.

Crawford (1.56) and López (1.50) began the night among the major league ERA leaders for pitchers with at least five starts.

López allowed at least one hit in each of his first five innings, but was effective in getting out of trouble.

“I loved seeing when he was in trouble, he came back to 98,” Snitker said of López’s fastball.

Duran found himself stranded after leading off the game with a double and hitting a triple with one out in the fifth. López struck out Devers and Tyler O’Neill to end the fifth.

López couldn’t overcome three walks in the sixth inning, including a bases-loaded pass to Reese McGuire that forced a run. Ceddanne Rafaela’s single off the back of Bummer’s right knee drove in Vaughn Grissom, who reached on shortstop Orlando Arcia’s defensive error, for a 2-2 tie.

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Trainers’ room

Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (sprained left thumb), who was placed on the injured list on May 1, will get a second opinion Wednesday.

Boston right-handed pitcher Garrett Whitlock (left oblique strain) is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week.

Braves left-handed pitcher Tyler Matzek, who missed the 2023 season following Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, was placed on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation. The move came after another reliever, right-hander Pierce Johnson, landed on the 15-day IL on Sunday with right elbow inflammation. Left-handed pitcher Ray Kerr was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Following

Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale (4-1, 3.44 ERA), who pitched for Boston from 2017-23 before being traded to the Braves in a deal that sent Grissom to the Red Sox, will face his former teammates Wednesday evening. Boston right-hander Nick Pivetta (right elbow flexor strain) is expected to come off the IL.

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