Points box
William Contreras had three RBIs, while the pitching team was quite good, though a bit uneven at times, as Braves got their first win in the spring with a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Huascar Ynoa started the Braves and overcame the Red Sox in the first inning with a pair of eliminations. His fastball looked very good. In the second entry, Ynoa would take Bobby Dalbec for a walk, but would continue to strike the next two hitters before his second walk ended his exit. Kurt Hoekstra would then come relieved and walk the first batter he faced to load the bases and then walk the hitter from the ninth hole to give the Red Sox their first run in the game before finally registering their third exit.
Touki Toussaint was greatly relieved in the third inning when he hit the side. He needs a strong spring to secure a spot in the squad, but there is no denying that he has the talent to get there. The fourth inning was less gentle, as he gave up a double and a pair of walks to load the bases before an RBI groundout cut Braves’ lead to 4-2 before getting another two outs before any damage could be done.
AJ Minter then received the nod and thanks to some decent hitting and some less than inspiring fielding (possibly because of the sun), three consecutive singles carried the bases. Fortunately, a double move took him out of fifth place without causing any real damage. Tyler Matzek took the pile at the bottom of the sixth and did what he did throughout the 2020 season … dominate. The Red Sox fell in order, including a strikeout.
Finally, we asked Jasseel de la Cruz to take the mount and he saw the bases being loaded without any haste with a double and a couple of hikes. Boston would have a chance in a double game, but a strike out at the end of the inning let him escape from the inning and close the Braves’ victory.
Ronald Acuna Jr. started the game with a double rope to the left and a few strokes later, after a walk by Ozzie Albies, one of Braves’ newest additions, Jake Lamb, sent him home with an RBI single. Acuna was returning home and it was clear that he had no intention of being denied and third base coach Ron Washington had no intention of stopping him. Johan Camargo would then attack before a single by Phillip Ervin carried the bases for William Contreras, who promptly walked to the 2-0 lead. It was here that, instead of seeing what Cristian Pache could do with the bases loaded against Garrett Richards, the entrance was kind of closed thanks to a new rule this spring.
Contreras ties a grassroots hike to push the lead to 2-0 in the first place, and #Braves will not add more because they “rolled” the entry with just one exit, something that managers can do this year if they are controlling pitch counts, etc.
– David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 1, 2021
Pache would then start the second inning with a plug and continue to be stolen from a home run and the Braves fell silently after that. Fwiw, that would have been a place opposite the Pache camp in many other parks. The third inning would feature Ozzie reaching second base with an eliminated in what was initially considered an error. Camargo and Ervin then set up consecutive walks to load the bases where William Contreras connected for two simple runs to make him a 4-1 Braves lead. The inning was rolled over again with Pache on deck again.
After Camargo’s and Phillips’ hikes loaded the bases, Contreras made two simple runs through pushing on the left side #Braves lead to 4-1, and again the Red Soxs are rolling in. This time with two eliminated.
Toussaint will start the third entry for ATL, who leads 4-1.
– David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 1, 2021
The sixth inning saw Braden Shewmake enter the table with a single and a stolen base with two outs, but Braves went quietly beyond that. The seventh inning saw Braves add a run thanks to some suspicious fielding (Boston had five mistakes on the day … ya spring training!).