Willson Contreras hits a 2-run homer in the 8th to lift the Red Sox past the Braves, 3-2
ATLANTA (AP) — Willson Contreras hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to help the Boston Red Sox beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Saturday night. Red Sox rookie left-hander Payton Tolle (2-2) gave up two runs over a season-high eight innings, allowing four hits and striking out three. The Red Sox are 15-1 when their starters pitch at least six innings.
Aroldis Chapman moved into a tie for 10th place with his 377th career save. He survived a throwing error with two outs and the bases empty by shortstop Andruw Monasterio, who was in for the injured Trevor Story . Chapman walked Mauricio Dubón and Michael Harris II to load the bases.
Ha-Seong Kim then hit a hard ground ball off Chapman, who scrambled off the mound and tossed the ball to first to end it. Contreras' home run came off Bryce Elder (4-2), who gave up seven hits in eight innings and and threw a season-high 103 pitches. Contreras knocked in Wilyer Abreu, who doubled with two outs.
Abreu was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Masataka Yoshida’s sacrifice fly scored Mickey Gasper for the Red Sox's first run in the fourth inning. Drake Baldwin was 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs for the Braves.
He led off the game with a home run for the second consecutive day, with this one traveling 421 feet over the center field wall. Baldwin's two-out single in the fifth inning scored José Azócar from second base to break a 1-1 tie. Up next Braves RHP Grant Holmes (2-1, 4.