G71: Red Sox 8, Atlanta 4

Atlanta - 100 011 100 - 4 10  0
Red Sox - 221 010 20x - 8 14  1

Will Middlebrooks continues to scorch opposing pitchers. Tonight, he singled, doubled, and homered - giving him 10 hits in his last 14 at-bats. Dustin Pedroia broke out of his slump (9-for-62, .145) with three hits, and Daniel Nava's seventh inning single brought in two runs that gave Boston a bit of (unneeded, as it turned out) insurance.

Morales (6-7-3-1-8, 86) allowed a first inning run, but Boston struck back with two. Pedroia singled with one out and Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled with two down. Adrian Gonzalez's single tied the game and Middlebrooks's double gave the Sox a 2-1 lead.

Pedroia's double scored Mike Aviles and Nava in the second and Middlebrooks donged to left (#9) in the third. In the fifth, Gonzalez singled, went to second on Middlebrooks's base hit, and scored on Cody Ross's double.

Atlanta whittled the lead down to two runs, trailing 6-4 at the stretch. In the home half of the seventh, Ross doubled with one out and Ryan Kalish walked. They moved up to second and third on a wild pitch and both scored on Nava's hard single to right.

Atlanta did not threaten in the last two innings. They managed only a one-out single against Vicente Padilla in the eighth (on a 49-mph eephus pitch!), and went down in order against Alfredo Aceves in the ninth.

Boston is 8-2 since June 12. They are tied for fourth place with the Blue Jays, 5.5 GB New York.

Randall Delgado / Franklin Morales

Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Saltalamacchia, C
Gonzalez, 1B
Middlebrooks, 3B
Ross, RF
Kalish, CF
Aviles, SS

Morales had a great outing against the Cubs last Sunday (5-4-2-0-9, 80). Delgado's game log is here.