ATLANTA — Marcell Ozuna saved up his torrid begin with two extra homers and Chris Sale pitched six shutout innings in opposition to his former crew, main the Atlanta Braves to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Purple Sox and a sweep of their two-game interleague sequence Wednesday evening.
Ozuna hit a three-run shot within the first inning and added a solo drive within the third off Nick Pivetta, who was roughed up in his first begin since coming off the injured listing.
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The slugger often known as “Large Bear” handed Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead along with his eleventh and twelfth homers, and he additionally tops the massive leagues with 38 RBIs. He drove one to the warning monitor in his closing at-bat and heard chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the gang at Truist Park.
Ozuna shrugged off the adulation, which is a far cry from a 12 months in the past when he was struggling badly and his time in Atlanta seemed to be winding down.
“Even for those who do nice, you must be on the identical degree,” he mentioned. “Do not get comfy.”
Sale (5-1) pitched for the Purple Sox from 2018 to 2023 — a tenure that started with a World Collection championship however was largely marred by accidents earlier than he was traded to Atlanta in December.
It was unusual going through his former crew, however he rapidly settled in.
“I respect these guys. I like these guys,” Sale mentioned. “However we’re right here to win.”
The left-hander certain appears to have regained the shape that made him one in all baseball’s most dominant starters. He fanned 10 for the 82nd double-digit strikeout recreation of his profession and received a giant carry from left fielder Jarred Kelenic, who leaped above the yellow line on the 385-foot mark to grab away a possible homer by Garrett Cooper.
“I went into the offseason on a mission,” Sale mentioned, “I received after it. I knew I needed to do it this 12 months.”
Talking of comebacks, look how far Ozuna has come. On this date a 12 months in the past, he was hitting .146 and appeared on the verge of being launched by the Braves. He rebounded to put up 40 homers with 100 RBIs, and he is on tempo for even loftier numbers this 12 months.
Orlando Arcia additionally went deep for the Braves. Dylan Lee and Ray Kerr adopted Sale to finish the seven-hit shutout.
Pivetta (1-2) made his first look since April 3 after being sidelined with a proper elbow pressure.
He appeared to get by way of the primary with no hassle when Austin Riley hit into what was dominated an inning-ending double play. However the name was overturned when the replay confirmed Riley getting his foot to the bag simply forward of the relay throw.
Matt Olson reached on a dribbler that went for an infield hit, and Ozuna adopted with a 372-foot shot that hardly cleared the right-field wall. Three pitches later, Arcia made it back-to-back homers with one other opposite-field shot to proper.
As an alternative of getting out of the inning unscathed, Pivetta discovered himself in a 4-0 gap — a uncommon slipup by a Boston rotation that has been stellar this season. He lasted 4 innings, giving up seven hits and all 5 Atlanta runs.
“Austin beating that ball out is a large play,” Braves supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned. “That offers us 4 runs, which is just about the distinction within the recreation.”