Red Sox at Braves
The Atlanta Braves are last in the major leagues with three home runs after 18
games and hope to end the long-ball drought when they open a four-game, home-and-home series against the visiting Boston Red Sox on Monday.
Atlanta has gone 13 straight contests without belting a homer and enters
the set with a five-game losing streak.
Nick Markakis has recorded nine (all doubles) of the Braves' 29 extra-base hits, and Sunday's 3-2 loss to the New York Mets consisted of 12 hits - all singles. Atlanta has failed to take care of a home-friendly schedule by going just 1-10 while owning the worst overall record (4-14) in the majors. Boston was scuffling with five losses in seven games before Jackie Bradley Jr. delivered a tiebreaking single in the 12th inning en route to a 7-5 victory over Houston on Sunday. Offseason acquisition Craig Kimbrel suffered his first blown save in six opportunities when he gave up a tying two-run homer to Colby Rasmus with two out in the bottom of the ninth.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (3-0, 4.66 ERA) vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (0-2, 5.64)
Porcello has won each of his first three starts despite serving up five homers. He has a sensational strikeouts-to-walk ratio of 24-to-3 and fanned a season-best nine in seven innings while beating Tampa Bay in his last outing. Porcello is 1-1 with a 4.97 ERA in two career starts against Atlanta and has struggled with Markakis (11-of-27, one homer) and Jeff Francoeur (9-for-23, two blasts).
Teheran is winless in four starts, allowing two runs in both of his no-decisions and 11 - 10 earned - in his two losses. He wasn't involved in the decision in his last outing, when he gave up two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 frames against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Teheran was roughed up in his lone career start versus Boston as he allowed six runs and 13 hits in 6 1/3 innings while both Mookie Betts and Brock Holt (homer) went 3-for-4 against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts (wrist) returned after a one-game absence Sunday and went 1-for-5 with a walk.
2. Braves SS Daniel Castro recorded three hits on Sunday and is 10-for-28 during his six-game hitting streak.
3. Kimbrel pitched for the Braves from 2010-14 and went 4-for-4 in save opportunities against Atlanta last season while with San Diego.