Braves halt skid with narrow victory over Red Sox
Michael Harris II and Matt Olson deliver key home runs as Atlanta holds off late Boston rally to secure series advantage.
The Atlanta Braves concluded a two-game losing streak with a 7-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, improving to three wins from four meetings against Boston this season. The contest featured a volatile offensive exchange that saw the Braves build a lead before weathering a late-inning surge from the Red Sox.
Michael Harris II anchored the Atlanta offence with four hits, including a two-run home run and a go-ahead RBI double. Matt Olson contributed a two-run homer in the fifth inning to tie the game, marking his 15th of the season. Olson’s performance ended a slump in which he had recorded only doubles in his previous 13 games.
Boston opened the scoring in the first inning with back-to-back home runs from Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, putting the Red Sox ahead 2-0. Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez (2-3) navigated the early damage, allowing five runs over five innings and three batters. He was replaced by Greg Weissert following Harris’s sixth-inning double.
Spencer Strider (3-0) pitched five innings plus one batter for Atlanta, allowing three runs on three hits, including two home runs. The Braves extended their lead to 5-2 in the sixth through RBI hits from Dominic Smith and Ronald Acuña Jr. Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s seventh-inning home run off Dylan Lee narrowed the gap to 5-4, but Harris’s subsequent home run restored Atlanta’s three-run advantage.
The Braves held a 7-4 lead entering the ninth inning before Raisel Iglesias faced a tense finish. After allowing a single and a double, Iglesias surrendered a two-run single to Kiner-Falefa, closing the margin to one run. A single by Duran and a force out on Ceddanne Rafaela set the stage for Wilyer Abreu to hit a groundball back to Iglesias, securing the save and the victory for Atlanta.
