Boston, MA – Will Middlebrooks and Dustin Pedroia both had three hits and the Boston Red Sox took the second game of a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves, 8-4.
Middlebrooks hit his ninth home run and knocked in a pair of runs for the Red Sox, who have won six of their last seven games. Pedroia also drove in two with a second-inning double.
Franklin Morales (1-1) picked up his first win in his second start of the season, after spending the beginning portion of the season in the bullpen. Morales went six innings and allowed three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and a walk. He also struck out eight for Boston, which lost Friday night's game against Atlanta, 4-1.
"He came out throwing strikes," said Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine. "He was throwing strikes aggressively and mixing in the changeup. He wasn't afraid to throw that tonight."
Randall Delgado (4-8) had the shortest outing of his career, lasting only 1 1/3 innings after giving up four runs. He surrendered six hits and walked two before Boston chased the 22-year-old starter.
"When a young kid struggles with location, it snowballs on him fast, and it snowballed on him tonight," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said of Delgado's outing.
Brian McCann drove in Michael Bourn, who led off the game with a base hit, to give Atlanta an early lead, but it did not last long.
The Red Sox scored twice in the bottom half of the frame. Pedroia, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Adrian Gonzalez strung together three straight singles to tie the game before Middlebrooks smoked a double to put Boston ahead.
Boston tacked on two more runs in the second and another in the third on Pedroia's two-run double and Middlebrooks' solo homer, opening up a four-run lead.
"Like all good hitters, he's seeing the ball well right now," Valentine said of Middlebrooks.
Atlanta chipped away at the Boston lead in the middle innings. Jason Heyward led off the fifth with a base hit and scored on a two-out hit by Bourn.
After the Sox got the run back with an RBI double by Middlebrooks, the Braves got another run on a two-out double by Jones, which scored Dan Uggla.
Atlanta's best opportunity to tie the game came in the seventh. David Ross led off with a base hit before Andrelton Simmons doubled down the left-field line. Ross scored when Bourn grounded out and Martin Prado drew a walk to put the tying run on base. However, McCann lined out to Gonzalez at first base, who tagged first base to double up Prado and escape the jam.
Boston then put the game out of reach in the bottom of the seventh when Daniel Nava delivered a two-out base hit through the hole at second base to score Cody Ross and Ryan Kalish and give the Sox an 8-4 lead.
Vicente Padilla and Alfredo Aceves kept the Braves' bats quiet in the eighth and ninth to finish off the win.
Game Notes
Pedroia recorded his first three-hit game since May 11...The Red Sox have won 25 of their last 40 games and 10 of their last 14...Boston collected six extra-base hits, giving it a major league-best 264 on the season...Middlebrooks has reached safely in 20 of his last 21 games since May 23, hitting .385 (25-for-65) with four home runs and 33 RBI...Atlanta's designated hitter is batting .107 (3-for-28) in eight interleague games...Atlanta is 32-8 when scoring four or more runs in a game...Bourn, who went 3-for-5, has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games...Atlanta had a three- game win streak snapped...Delgado has lost his last three decisions.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.