BOSTON (DA) — Curaçao’s Ozzie Albies ended a lengthy extra-base-hit drought in emphatic fashion Thursday, finishing with three hits, including a two-run home run, as the Atlanta Braves defeated Ceddanne Rafaela and the Boston Red Sox 10-2 at Fenway Park.
Albies went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a double, a home run and two RBIs, helping Atlanta improve its Major League Baseball-best record to 38-19.
The Braves second baseman doubled and scored in the fourth inning, singled in the fifth and capped Atlanta’s offensive outburst with a two-run homer in the ninth.
The home run and double were Albies’ first extra-base hits since he hit a solo homer May 4 against Seattle, ending a career-long streak of 20 games without an extra-base hit. His three hits matched his season high, and he recorded his 17th multi-hit game of the year, tied for the team lead.
Rafaela went 1-for-5 for Boston, which fell to 23-32 after losing five of six games during its homestand.
Ronald Acuña Jr. delivered the biggest swing of the game for Atlanta, hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning as the Braves broke open a 4-2 game with a five-run frame. Michael Harris II added a solo home run in the seventh before Albies went deep in the ninth.
Chris Sale earned the win for Atlanta, allowing two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts in five innings. The Braves improved to 21-9 on the road and 8-2 in rubber games this season.
Boston scored both of its runs in the fourth inning, with Caleb Durbin delivering an RBI double and Jarren Duran adding an RBI single. But the Red Sox were held scoreless over the final five innings as Atlanta pulled away.