TAKEAWAYS: Red Sox outlast rain, Braves to take game one

By the score of 7-1, the Braves dropped game one against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Here are some takeaways.

Wait, What?

The Braves began the game in their usual fashion, by scoring. What was an early 1-0 lead could've and perhaps should've been more. Ozzie Albies scored on Sean Murphy's RBI single, but with the bases loaded, Boston got out of the inning thanks to one of the strangest plays you'll ever see.

Marcell Ozuna lined to second, where Christian Arroyo made the snag as the ball neared the ground. Arroyo certainly felt like he caught it in the air, and he then tried to double Matt Olson off second. Umpire Mike Estabrook made a "safe" gesture as Arroyo stepped off the bag and turned to throw to first. Distracted by the call, Arroyo locked up and his throw to first rolled down the right-field line. Austin Riley scampered home, and for the moment, the Braves thought they had another run on the board and the bases loaded.

The Red Sox argued, and the umpires conferenced. They ruled that the ball was caught in the air, which replay suggests Estabrook did call, with his "safe" gesture being him calling Olson safe at second. The Braves may debate whether Arroyo got it in the air or on the bounce, but multiple replays are inconclusive.

What I don't like is how it played out from there. Austin Riley didn't tag up (Matt Olson and Sean Murphy did), so the logic behind him being called out on appeal at third holds water. The part that doesn't hold water for me is how protracted this process was. The umpires conferenced and seemed to basically tell the Red Sox that Ozuna was out and that the play wasn't technically over, with the Red Sox having all the time in the world for manager Alex Cora to come onto the field and instruct his pitcher to step off and throw to third. That part bothers me.

Triple Trouble

The main highlight for the Braves tonight was this defensive gem/Boston baserunning nightmare in the third inning.

Adam Duvall and Masataka Yoshida really did a number out there, but the end result was an 8-3-5 triple play, Atlanta's first triple play since 2004 and 41st overall. After that, though, the game really turned in Boston's favor.

Red Yellow Alert

The Yellow Red Sox have been playing well of late, and their lineup just kept putting pressure on the Atlanta pitching staff tonight. Every inning was a battle as Boston put 24 men on base in their eight innings of offense. A nifty play by Orlando Arcia and the aforementioned triple play squashed two rallies, but Boston cashed in several others, with Yoshida's two-run eighth-inning homer past Pesky's Pole punctuating the evening. This also accounted for the first runs allowed by Daysbel Hernández in his young career.

Charlie Morton just seemed off from the start, and his trademark curveball was particularly a concern. He allowed four runs in 3.2 innings. Michael Tonkin then came on in the fourth and honkytonked his way through 2.1 innings, allowing another run. Hernández got touched up a little in his second career outing, with Joe Jiménez the only Atlanta pitcher looking sharp. He dominated actually, throwing one of the best innings any reliever has tossed this season.

It was a similarly frustrating night for the Braves offensively. They piled up nine hits, but could do little with them, with multiple two-out rallies amounting to nothing and no home runs hit. It really felt like one of those nights.

Interleague Ennui

With the loss, the Braves fall to 21-18 against the American League. That's nothing to be ashamed of, but certainly it's a less impressive mark than their record against the NL (43-17). Note that Atlanta has lost more games to AL opposition this season than to NL foes. They've also been swept twice by AL clubs (Houston and Toronto), something no NL team has managed.

This probably isn't enough data to really draw any meaningful conclusions from, but it stands out just a little. Obviously the AL East is excellent this year, with all five teams over .500 and contending for playoff spots. (Quietly Baltimore has surged into first place ahead of the fading Rays, with the Orioles owners of the AL's best record.) But the Braves will have a shot to get one back tomorrow night as they conclude their business with the Red Sox for the season. And the good news, if you buy into these stats, is that the Braves only have two more interleague series after this (against the Angels and the Yankees, both at home). So there's that.

On Deck

The same two teams play again tomorrow night at Fenway. Spencer Strider gets the ball for Atlanta (11-3, 3.78 ERA, 2.88 FIP), while Boston counters with righty Brayan Bello (7-6, 3.60 ERA, 4.36 FIP). For what it's worth, Bello pitched against the Braves earlier this season and got the win. Boston has never faced Strider before.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 Eastern, and the game is set to be televised nationally on ESPN. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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