Franklin Morales had his second spot start for Josh Beckett who is on the DL and once again he showed a lot of promise. I think a lot of people have Franklin Morales on their radar now that did not before, in a very good way.
Morales didn’t have the best first inning, however he only allowed one run to score and settled down real well after that. Morales started the game with a single and a walk and then a double steal. With no outs, it seemed like Morales was in store for a bad inning. McCann hit an RBI single to score the Braves first run and there still were no outs. However, Morales got the next two batters to strike out and then got Chipper Jones to line out to end the inning. Morales did not allow another run to score until the 5th inning. He truly looked like a starter. In the 5th, Morales gave up an RBI single to Bourn. In the 6th, Morales gave up his third and final run with an RBI single to Chipper Jones. Morales left the game with a quality start and a real good chance for the win. Scott Atchison came out in the 7th and struggled for the first time that I can remember this season. He gave up a single, a double and then an RBI sac grounder to allow the Braves final run to score. Andrew Miller took the mound with one out and got the job done when he got McCann to line into a double play. It was a quick outing, but very effective. Padilla pitched himself a scoreless 8th inning and then was followed by Aceves pitching a 1-2-3 9th inning to lock down the win.
The Red Sox offense hit early and often last night. The bats ended up chasing the Braves’ starter Delgado after 1.1 innings. In the bottom of the 1st, Gonzo scored the first Sox run with an RBI single. Will Middlebrooks scored the 2nd run of the inning with an RBI double. Sox 2-1. In the 2nd, the Sox scored two more runs with an RBI double from Dustin Pedroia. Sox 4-1. In the 3rd, Will Middlebrooks hit a solo HR to give the Sox a 5-1 lead. That was Middlebrooks’ 9th HR of the season. Cody Ross got in on the RBI action in the 5th with a RBI double to give the Sox a 6-2 lead. In the 7th, Daniel Nava hit an RBI single to score the Sox final two runs.
It was a great night at the plate for the Sox in general and a great night for Will Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks was a triple shy of the cycle hitting a double, a HR and then a single. He is sure showing why he should be an everyday third baseman.
Red Sox 8 Braves 4 BOXSCORE
WP: Morales (1-0) LP: Delgado (4-8)
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