Braves at Red Sox
The most productive offense in the American League and a solid turn through the rotation have the Boston Red Sox looking like a contender. Playing against the worst team in the major leagues helps as well, and the Red Sox will try to take their fourth straight from the Atlanta Braves when they host the finale of the home-and-home series on Thursday.
Boston leads the AL with 111 runs scored and needed only one – a solo homer from Jackie Bradley Jr. – to win in Atlanta on Monday before closing out the southern portion of the series with a five-RBI performance from Travis Shaw in an 11-4 triumph the following day. The offense remained hot when the series shifted to Boston on Wednesday as Dustin Pedroia delivered a grand slam and a solo blast while David Ortiz doubled three times and drove in a pair of runs in the 9-4 triumph. The Braves are an MLB-worst 4-17 and have dropped eight in a row, but the four runs in back-to-back games represents an improvement for an offense that failed to score more than three in any of the previous six contests. Freddie Freeman homered for Atlanta on Thursday, snapping a string of 15 straight games without a blast.
TV: 7:10 p.m. MLB Network, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Jhoulys Chacin (0-1, 3.18 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (0-2, 6.33)
Chacin worked six scoreless innings in his team debut on Apr. 12 but failed to make it through the sixth in either of his next two chances. The 28-year-old Venezuelan was reached for four runs – three earned – on seven hits and two walks over 5 2/3 frames in a loss to the New York Mets on Saturday. Chacin is making his first career start at Fenway Park but faced the Red Sox twice at home while with Colorado, surrendering totals of seven runs and 13 hits in 10 2/3 innings.
Buchholz allowed five earned runs in three of his four starts and followed up a gem against Toronto on April 18 with another tough outing at Houston on Saturday. The Texas native made it through the first four innings with one run allowed before serving up a grand slam to Colby Rasmus in the loss. Buchholz endured one of the worst starts of his career at Atlanta on May 26, 2014, when he issued eight walks in three innings while surrendering six runs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Ortiz moved past Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx and into a tie with George Brett for 16th place on the all-time list for extra-base hits with 1,119.
2. Pedroia is 5-for-9 with six RBIs and four runs scored in his last two games.
3. Atlanta has hit a major league-low four home runs.