Sale did start strong in the top of the first inning when he whiffed Ozzie Albies and ronald Acuna to start. Freddie Freeman lined out to a running Jackie Bradley Jr in right to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the first as Andrew Benintendi lined out to right before Xander Bogaerts whiffed. Mitch Moreland lined out to center to end the inning.
Dustin Pedroia tried to start a rally with a walk in the bottom of the second but both Rafael Devers and Eduardo Nunez struck out. Blake Swihart walked to give the Sox a chance but Sandy Leon whiffed to end the inning.
Sale began the top of the third the same way he began the top of the first and that's by striking out both Albies and Acuna. Freeman grounded out to second to end the inning. JBJ grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the third before Benintendi walked. Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the inning.
Sale tried to keep pace in the top of the fourth as Markakis grounded out to second to begin. Suzuki whiffed but Inciarte doubled. Flowers froze for strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Moreland grounded out to first, Pedroia lined out to right and Devers whiffed to end the inning.
The Braves pounded Sale in the top of the fifth as Swanson walked and took second on a passed ball by Leon, scoring on the dropped fly ball by JBJ off the bat of Culberson. Culberson took second on the error and took third on the Albies ground out. Acuna walked and Freeman motored all the way around for a bases clearing triple, chasing Sale from the game. The ace was more like a deuce as he allowed 6 runs in just 4 1/3 innings.
Brian Johnson came in for Sale and got Markakis to ground out to short. Suzuki grounded out to short to end the inning with the Braves ahead 6-0.
The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Nunez grounded back to the mound, Swihart grounded out to first and Leon whiffed to end the inning.
Johnson returned for the top of the sixth inning and Inciarte flied out to left to begin. Flowers walked but Swanson flied out to left. Culberson lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox mounted their only offensive threat in the bottom of the sixth although JBJ grounded out to second. Benintendi doubled but Bogaerts lined out to second. Moreland motored around for a triple to score Benintendi. Pedroia flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1
Johnson came back for the top of the seventh as Albies flied out to left to begin. Acuna tried to beat out an infield single and fell head over heels. He managed to get up but was replaced by pinch runner Preston Tucker. Freeman grounded out to second and Markakis grounded out to short to end the inning.
Devers tried to start a rally in the bottom of the seventh with a double to start but Nunez popped up to first. Swihart whiffed and Leon grounded out to second to end the inning.
Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez took over for the top of the eighth and Suzuki greeted him with a double. Inciarte flied out to center but Flowers struck out. Swanson walked but Culberson grounded out to second to end the inning. AJ Minter took over for the bottom of the eighth and JBJ greeted him with a single. Benintendi flied out to left but Bogaerts walked. Moreland and Pedroia whiffed to end the inning.
The Braves tacked on another for good measure in the top of the ninth. Albies whiffed for a hat trick before Tucker singled and Freeman walked. Markakis grounded both runners into scoring position and Suzuki singled home Tucker. Inciarte flied out to center to end the inning with the Braves ahead 7-1.
The torture ended in the bottom of the ninth as Arodys Vizcaino took the mound. Devers grounded out to first, Nunez popped up to second and Swihart looked at strike three to end the game. The Braves had won it 7-1.
Jackass of the Night is Chris Sale. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up 6 runs including the big 3 run bomb to Flowers.
The Good:
Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3.
Brian Johnson tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.
The Ugly:
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked.
Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 but drove in the only run.
Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 but walked.
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4.
Blake Swihart was 0 for 3 but walked.
Hector Velazquez allowed a run in 2 innings.
Final Thoughts:
That was a terrible loss and it came at an equally terrible time. The New York Yankees won today so both teams are tied in the loss column. Every single win counts in the era of the second wild card and a loss to the Braves at home is huge if the division comes down to 1 or 2 games. As it is, the loss isn't too concerning as Chris Sale rarely has bad days so I'm sure he'll come out next time throwing smoke. Usually when the Sox don't get anything going offensively, they light it up the next night. Look for a lot of offense in the next game. The loss dropped the Sox to 36-17, 1 game ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Toronto Blue Jays come to town for a set. David Price (4-4) takes the mound for the Red Sox up against Aaron Sanchez at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.
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