G53: Atlanta 7, Red Sox 1

Atlanta - 030 030 001 - 7  9  0
Red Sox - 000 001 000 - 1  4  1

It was a crappy Sunday afternoon. The Red Sox's woes started before the game even began.

Mookie Betts was removed from the original lineup because of "tightness" in his left side. Then Chris Sale did not make it out of the fifth inning (4.1-5-6-3-8, 91). When Sale was pulled, the Red Sox not only trailed 6-0, but they did not even have a hit yet.

Tyler Flowers's second home run of the year gave Atlanta a 3-0 lead in the second after Sale had allowed a walk and a single. Sale also gave up a walk and a single to start the fifth. One run scored on Charlie Culberson's single and (after another walk) two more scored on Freddie Freeman's double.

The Red Sox got their first hit off Mike Foltynewicz (7-3-1-3-7, 113) when Andrew Benintendi doubled with one out in the sixth. Mitch Moreland tripled with two down and that's how the lone Red Sox run scored.

MFY: The Yankees beat the Angels 3-1, cutting the Red Sox's lead to one game.

Mike Foltynewicz / Chris Sale

Betts, RF Benintendi, CF
Benintendi, LF Bogaerts, SS
Bogaerts, SS Moreland, 1B
Moreland, 1B Pedroia, 2B
Pedroia, 2B Devers, DH
Devers, DH Nunez, 3B
Nunez, 3B Swihart, LF
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

Note: Mookie Betts was scratched from the original lineup with "left side tightness".

Chris Sale has allowed more than two runs in only one of his last five starts (2.02 ERA). And, somehow, the Red Sox are only 3-2 in those games. Give the guy some support!

And Joe Kelly has been pretty damn good since March 30:

            IP    H    R   BB    K      ERA  MFYs PUNCHED
G1         0.1    1    4    3    1   108.00       0
G2-G52    24.1   10    1    6   26     0.37       1

MFY: Angels/Yankees, 1 PM. New York is 2 GB.