Jason Heyward homers in 4-1 loss to Boston Red Sox
Mar 6, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward (22) makes a catch in the fifth inning as the Braves beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
It was another slow offensive day for the Atlanta Braves in their 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, but it was nice to see Jason Heyward pick up a couple of hits including anther home run.
Heyward went 2-4 in the leadoff spot in the lineup with a home run during the sixth inning off of Junichi Tazawa. Obviously it’s nice to see Heyward squaring up the ball early and often, but that his performance was about the only nice thing that came from Atlanta hitters today.
The only other players to get in the hit column were Chris Johnson and Ramiro Pena with one hit apiece.
The pitching was another matter for Atlanta, with many players hitting the mound and doing a pretty good job of it. Alex Wood had another good outing as he tries to land a spot in the Atlanta starting rotation, throwing three shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and strike out two batters.
In a piece by David O’Brien for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wood talks about how good he felt today:
"“I definitely felt pretty darn good today,” Wood said after allowing two hits – singles by Grady Sizemore – in three scoreless innings of a 4-1 Braves loss. “I really felt like my rhythm and timing of everything was so fluid today, like it was the middle of the season for me. Had all three (pitches) working. Whenever I can do that I usually have a pretty good day.”"
Anthony Varvaro gave up a few hits and a run, but also managed to strike out three batters in two innings, while Cody Martin was tagged with the loss after allowing three hits, three runs and a walk while recording just two outs.
Other guys to throw for the Braves were David Carpenter, Atahualpa Severino, J.R. Graham an Mark Lamm. These four guys combined to throw 2.1 shutout innings.