ATLANTA (AP) — Kenley Jansen became the seventh player in major league history to earn 400 saves, pinch-hitter Raimel Tapia hit a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Atlanta Braves 5-2 on Wednesday night.
Jansen, who had 41 saves last year in his only season with the Braves, faced four batters for his ninth save in 10 chances.
The 35-year-old right-hander trails Billy Wagner by 22 saves for sixth place on the career list. Jansen retired Sean Murphy on a shallow fly, gave up a double to Eddie Rosario, retired Ozzie Albies on a flyout and struck out Travis d’Arnaud to end it.
Facing reliever Nick Anderson, Tapia drove in Jarren Duran from second to make it 3-2. The run was charged to A.J. Minter (2-4).
Triston Casas hit a two-run homer 442 feet off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias to make it 5-2 in the ninth.
The Braves began the night leading the NL with an .809 OPS and a .465 slugging percentage, but didn’t score a run against Boston starter Brayan Bello (2-1) until Ronald Acuña Jr. hit his seventh homer, a 470-foot shot to left with an exit velocity of 113.9 mph to trim the lead to 2-1 in the sixth. It was Acuña’s longest homer of the season and the fourth-longest of his career.
Austin Riley followed with a single and scored from second on Eddie Rosario’s single to make it 2-all.
Bello allowed six hits and two runs in six innings. Josh Winckowski faced the minimum in the seventh.
Dylan Lee pitched 2 2/3 innings of hitless ball before Collin McHugh replaced him and gave up RBI singles to Kiké Hernández and Duran that put Boston up 2-0 in the fourth.
Lee, a reliever making his first start since Game 4 of the 2021 World Series, took the rotation spot of ace Max Fried, who went on the injured Tuesday with a strained left forearm.
The Red Sox snapped a two-game skid.
Bello was tough on the NL-best Braves early, giving up only singles to Michael Harris II in the third, Riley in the fourth and d’Arnaud in the fifth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: RHP Garrett Whitlock, on the injured list since April 25 with elbow ulnar neuritis, will throw a three-inning simulated game Thursday at Fenway Park. Manager Alex Cora said Whitlock will likely make a rehab start before he returns. … Triple-A Worcester placed RHP Bryan Mata on the injured list with a sore shoulder.
Braves: RHP Kyle Wright said there is no timetable for his return from shoulder inflammation and speculated he might need longer to recover than Fried, who hopes to return in July.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: After a day off Thursday, LHP James Paxton (0-0, 0.00) will make his Boston debut when the team begins a three-game home series against St. Louis. Paxton, who came off the injured list Wednesday, has been sidelined with a right hamstring strain.
Braves: After an off day Thursday, RHP Spencer Strider (4-0, 2.70) will face a yet to be announced starter when Atlanta opens a three-game series at Toronto.
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