Braves Beat Buchholz, Red Sox 5-3
By The Sports Xchange
BOSTON -- Nick Markakis, one of the few bright spots in Atlanta's disastrous start, delivered four hits and drove in three runs and rookie Mallex Smith added two RBIs as the Braves ended their eight-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.
The win, which snapped a four-game Red Sox winning streak, salvaged the fourth game of the two-city four-game series between the teams and lifted the woeful Braves to 5-17 on the season.
Markakis, just 6-for-41 with three RBIs lifetime against Clay Buchholz coming into the game, had three hits off Buchholz and doubled home two runs in the second inning and singled home another in the fourth. He also doubled in the first and singled in the eighth, going 4-for-5.
Smith, who also had three hits, stroked a long RBI double in a three-run second and singled home a run in the sixth before doubling in the eighth. He was caught stealing twice, once on an overturned call at second base.
Freddie Freeman added three singles and a walk for the Braves.
Veteran right-hander Jhoulys Chacin (1-1) went five-plus innings for his first win as a Brave. Five relievers finished up, with Arodys Vizcaino pitching the ninth. He struck out the first two hitters then gave up a run on two hits, the RBI on the second hit of the game by Dustin Pedroia. He then got Xander Bogaerts to ground out to end it as Vizcaino got his second save.
Buchholz (0-3, 6.51) allowed exactly five runs for the fourth time in five starts (he didn't yield a run in the other one) and heard boos when he left the mound in the seventh.
Hanley Ramirez drove in the other two Boston runs with an RBI single in the first inning and a run-scoring double in the third. He added another single in the sixth.
The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in a strange first inning that saw Bogaerts reach second thanks to the new neighborhood call on a David Ortiz grounder, only to vacate the base and be tagged out for the second out of the inning.
Ramirez bailed his teammate out with his first RBI single, scoring Dustin Pedroia who had doubled.
Buchholz stranded a pair in the first inning but didn't escape the second, when the Braves scored three.
With one out, Jace Peterson walked and Erick Aybar reached on a bunt single. Smith, 6-for-44 when he came up, hit a ground-rule double that wound up costing the Braves a second run on the hit. Markakis took care of that with his two-run single.
The Red Sox got a run back in the third when Bogaerts doubled with one out and scored when Ramirez hit one high off the wall. Ramirez was about to be hung up between first and second when Smith's throw was wild.
A walk, a groundout and an RBI single by Markakis made it 4-2 in the fourth.
NOTES: Struggling RHP Bud Norris, 1-4 with an 8.74 ERA after lasting just 1 1/3 innings on Wednesday night in Boston, may not make his next scheduled start against the Mets in new York. "We're still hashing through that and talking though that kind of stuff to see what's best for him, and what's best for us," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "But I think the No. 1 priority is to get him fixed." ... Red Sox LF Brock Holt, 1-for-12 in the first three games against Atlanta, was out of the lineup. He failed to reach base for the first time all season on Wednesday. ... Friday makes the 30th anniversary of Roger Clemens' first 20-strikeout game, against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. ... LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, yet to pitch because of a knee injury, made his first minor league rehab start for Pawtucket on Thursday night. ... LHP Henry Owens makes his second 2016 big league start when he opens a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Friday night at Fenway. ... RHP Aaron Blair will pitch for the Braves in a matinee against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
