Red Sox Wrap: Boston Beats Braves 8-2 Behind Tanner Houck’s Gem, Eight-Run Second
The Boston Red Sox are leaving it all on the field in the waning moments of their 2020 season.
Though already long eliminated from the postseason, the Red Sox had a solid showing in the penultimate game of their season, an 8-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in the middle contest of a three-game set at Truis Park.
All of Boston’s offense came in an eight-run second inning. That made the job easy for Tanner Houck, as the Sox rookie wrapped up his season by earning his third victory in as many big-league starts.
With the win, the Red Sox climb to 23-36, while the Braves fall to 35-24 with the loss.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Complete.
It was one of the few games this season in which the Red Sox were solid in pretty much every area.
ON THE BUMP
— Tanner Houck delivered yet another tremendous outing, allowing just one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts over six innings.
The 24-year-old right was downright unhittable some innings, striking out the side in order in the second inning, while also pitching a 1-2-3 third.
Houck wandered into trouble in the fourth. He walked Freddie Freeman to begin the inning, then gave Marcell Ozuna a free pass, as well. But he responded by striking out Travis d’Arnaud and Ozzie Albies while getting Adam Duvall to ground out to continue his scoreless night.
It took 15 innings, but Houck gave up the first run of his career in the fifth, surrendering a leadoff homer to Dansby Swanson to cut Boston’s lead to 8-1.
Houck settled in from there, getting through the rest of the fifth and sixth without ease to end his night.
— Austin Brice took over in the seventh and pitched a hitless, scoreless seventh, walking one.
— Phillips Valdez got the eighth and allowed a run and hit.
— Andrew Triggs, activated from the injured list earlier in the day, pitched the ninth, allowing a hit in a scoreless frame to close the door.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox offense made things easy on Houck, putting eight runs on the board in the second inning.
First, Jackie Bradley Jr. worked a one-out walk that brought up Bobby Dalbec, who proceeded to launch a 449-foot, two run blast on a full-count fastball.
BOMBS AWAY
— NESN (@NESN) September 26, 2020pic.twitter.com/CPqAGOPnoq
Christian Arroyo and Michael Chavis then reached base, followed by an Alex Verdugo walk to juice the bags. Rafael Devers made it 3-0 by grounding into a fielder’s choice, which put runners on the corners with two outs.
Xander Bogaerts followed that up with a single to left to score Arroyo and make it 4-0 with runners on first and second.
J.D. Martinez then worked a walk to load the bases once more, and that paved the way for Christian Vazquez to blast a grand slam 424 feet to make it 8-0.
WOAH X4
— NESN (@NESN) September 27, 2020pic.twitter.com/KJULqLZHQ7
— Vazquez led the Red Sox with three hits, while Bogaerts had a pair of hits.
— Dalbec, Chavis and Arroyo each had one hit.
— Verdugo, Devers, Martinez and Bradley Jr. all went hitless.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Well stated.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Braves will play the final game of their respective regular seasons Sunday. Nick Pivetta is set to get the ball opposite Bryse Wilson. First pitch from Truist Park is set for 3:10 p.m. ET.
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