Marcell Ozuna, Chris Sale lead Braves to victory over Red Sox

Ozuna regained the MLB lead in home runs and RBIs as he enjoyed his second multihomer game of the season in the Braves’ 5-0 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday night at Truist Park. His latest power display backed Sale, who notched a season-high 10 strikeouts while facing his former team for the first time since being traded to Atlanta.

A little more than a year since he began saving a decaying career, Ozuna leads the Majors with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. He stands with Hank Aaron (13 homers and 39 RBIs in 1959) to be the only Braves player to ever hit 12-plus homers and drive in 38-plus runs through the team’s first 34 games.

Ozuna gave the Braves an early lead with his three-run homer in the first inning against Nick Pivetta. The veteran designated hitter added a solo shot in the third. His 50 homers since May 1, 2023 tie him with Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead within this span.

Sale tossed six scoreless innings while notching his first double-digit strikeout total of the season. This is the first time he tallied 10-plus strikeouts while throwing at least six scoreless innings since doing so for the Red Sox against the Angels on Aug. 8, 2019.