1 week Ago
Atlanta pitcher Chris Sale delivers a pitch in the first inning Wednesday against the Red Sox. Sale pitched six scoreless innings, and the Braves won, 5-0. John Bazemore/Associated Press ATLANTA — Marcell Ozuna kept up his torrid start with two more homers, and Chris Sale pitched six innings against his former team, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox and a sweep of their two-game interleague series Wednesday night.
Ozuna hit a three-run shot in the first inning and added a solo drive in the third off Nick Pivetta, who was roughed up in his first start since coming off the injured list. Sale (5-1) pitched for the Red Sox from 2018-23 – a tenure that began with a World Series championship but was largely marred by injuries before he was traded to Atlanta this past winter. The left-hander sure seems to have regained the form that made him one of baseball’s most dominant starters.
He fanned 10 for the 82nd double-digit strikeout game of his career and got a big lift from left fielder Jarred Kelenic, who leaped above the yellow line at the 385-foot mark to snatch away a potential homer by Garrett Cooper. Speaking of comebacks, look how far Ozuna has come. A year ago, the slugger known as “Big Bear” was hitting .
146 and seemed on the verge of being released by the Braves. He rebounded to post 40 homers with 100 RBI, and he’s on pace for even loftier numbers this season. Ozuna’s second two-homer game of the year gave him 12 homers and 3.
