Perhaps a walk-off win was just what the doctor ordered for the Boston Red Sox?
After erasing a 6-2 deficit over the final three innings to emerge victorious on a Rafael Devers walk-off home run on Saturday night, the Red Sox look to continue the momentum when they play a Sunday rubber game against the visiting Atlanta Braves.
The reigning American League Player of the Week, Devers’ first career walk-off homer capped the Saturday comeback and a personal 3-for-4 effort. Boston’s longtime third baseman-turned-designated hitter has a .411 average in 15 games this month and has reached base in 19 of his last 20 games.
“We all know who (Devers) is. He’s always the same guy,” Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran told Fox postgame. “He could be 0-for-5 or 5-for-5 and he looks the exact same. I think people just need to trust him because we know what he can do.”
Prior to Saturday, Boston had been on a four-game skid and lost eight straight one-run games.
“We needed that one,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I’m glad we got rewarded (on Saturday) but, hopefully, we can avoid these games and get a lead, add to it. It’s a lot of innings for the bullpen. You pay the price.”
Boston’s Saturday starter Lucas Giolito was touched for six runs on eight hits in four innings, but a quartet of relievers pitched scoreless ball the rest of the way.
Taking the ball next, Boston right-hander Brayan Bello (2-0, 2.33 ERA) looks to break a streak of three consecutive no-decisions. Despite giving up only three earned runs over that span, the 26-year-old has not completed five full innings in his last two outings.
In his most recent start on Tuesday, Bello allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks and struck out four in 4 2/3 innings against the Detroit Tigers.
Bello will be making his third career start against Atlanta. He is 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings to date.
A night after eclipsing .500 for the first time all season with their 4-2, series-opening win on Friday, Atlanta came out on the wrong side of another one-run game in the walk-off defeat.
Such results have been commonplace for the Braves this season. They are 9-11 across an MLB-leading 20 one-run games.
“It’s another game. We can go out and win a series (on Sunday). That’s the way I look at it,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.
It was a great start but a poor finish for Snitker’s club on Saturday. Consecutive first-inning home runs by Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna, and another by Drake Baldwin, helped Atlanta take a 5-0 lead before Boston scored its first runs in the third.
“He just keeps piling up good at-bats and getting good decisions,” Snitker said earlier this week of Baldwin, who has reached base in 14 of his last 15 starts.
In fact, it was Atlanta’s first time scoring more than five runs in a game this month, though its starting pitchers have given a chance by working into the sixth inning in all but four of the last 19 contests.
Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach (2-3, 3.31) gets set for his second career start against the Red Sox and at Fenway Park. He last pitched in a Tuesday win over the Washington Nationals, working seven innings of two-run ball with just four hits allowed.
Schwellenbach took a loss to Boston on June 5 of last season. He allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings, including a home run to Devers.
–Field Level Media
