ATLANTA — Rick Porcello combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, Jackie Bradley Jr. hit his first homer and the Boston Red Sox shut out Atlanta 1-0 on Monday night, giving the punchless Braves their sixth straight loss.
The Braves’ home-run drought reached 14 games, matching the longest streak in their Atlanta history.
UP NEXt
WHO: Boston Red Sox (Price 2-0) at Atlanta Braves (Wisler 0-1)
WHEN: 7:10 p.m. Tuesday
TELEVISION: NESN
INSIDE
Tom Caron says it’s too early to worry about David Price and Craig Kimbrel. D6
Porcello (4-0) won his fourth straight start, allowing only four hits with two walks. Porcello gave up a double to Jeff Francoeur with one out in the seventh and left the game after walking Freddie Freeman. Robbie Ross Jr. stranded runners on first and third by striking out pinch-hitter Erick Aybar to end the inning.
Julio Teheran (0-3) allowed only two hits before Bradley pulled a belt-high fastball over the right field wall for his first homer in the seventh.
The Braves hit their last home run on April 10 and have only three for the season, easily the fewest in the majors.
The Braves also went 14 games without a homer Sept. 11-26, 1970, their fifth season in Atlanta. They haven’t had a longer span without a homer since a 16-game streak in September, 1946, when they were based in Boston, according to STATS.
Closer Craig Kimbrel, returning to his former Atlanta home, struck out Freeman to cap a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
Teheran allowed one run on six hits and three walks in seven innings. He set a season high with eight strikeouts.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez shuffled his lineup with Freeman hitting sixth for the first time since 2012. Adonis Garcia hit third and A.J. Pierzynski hit fourth.
Freeman, the normal No. 3 hitter, took a .177 average into the game and had two hits with a walk. One of the hits was a bunt single toward third base against a defensive shift.
The move down in the order is expected to be temporary. “We’ve got to do our best for him to get out of this thing and get going,” Gonzalez said.
A large turnout of Red Sox fans cheered when David Ortiz was used as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. Braves fans cheered when Arodys Vizcaino struck out Ortiz. The Red Sox also rested Hanley Ramirez after arriving at their team hotel in Atlanta at 5:30 a.m. after Sunday night’s 12-inning win in Houston.
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