Here are the Talking Points from the Red Sox' 5-2 loss to the Braves. Check out the Game Story here.
PLAYER OF THE GAME - Pedro Ciriaco
Remember Pedro Ciriaco? I can't blame you if you don't. He was a bit of a bright spot for the Red Sox during a 2012 season that basically had no bright spots. But you might remember Ciriaco from now on. He smacked three singles Wednesday night, two of which drove in runs that tied the game. It's pretty rough that the Sox allowed that to happen with a pitcher on deck each time.
STARTERS REPORT - Not a bad start for Joe Kelly. It won't go down in the record books, but Kelly pitched five solid innings before he put the first two men on in the sixth. The relievers couldn't get him out of the jam, as Alexi Ogando allowed the tying run, and then Junichi Tazawa, Tommy Layne and Craig Breslow let the game get away in the seventh and eighth. Overall, Kelly gave up two runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts. But you'd like to see him go deeper in games. Justin Masterson has been deemed ready to go, but Kelly hasn't pitched badly enough to relinquish the spot in the order yet.
Alex Wood didn't get the win, but he won the duel with Kelly. Wood finished the sixth inning and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out seven.
TURNING POINT - With a man on first and no outs in the sixth inning, Juan Uribe hit a soft grounder to Xander Bogaerts, who made a great bare-handed play and fired to first base. The throw was a bit low but it was definitely a makeable scoop for Mike Napoli; however, he couldn't come up with it. Would the runner have been safe? It was close either way. But that put two men on and chased Kelly from the game. Ogando came on and the Braves tied things up and didn't look back.
WHAT I LIKED - I had to think about this one for a bit. Umm . . . uhh . . . Mike Napoli? He had a home run and also walked. That followed two hits on Tuesday. It would be nice if he could get going again. There wasn't a whole lot else to like from the Sox perspective.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE - It's easy to second-guess the decision now, but if I'm John Farrell I'm intentionally walking the No. 8 hitter Pedro Ciriaco in the fourth inning to get to the pitcher Alex Wood. Ciriaco had a single earlier in the game so he was at least comfortable up there against Kelly, and with a man on second base with first base open, it just seems like the mathematically smart play. Farrell has made plenty of questionable in-game decisions and this one is added to the list. Managing in the National League is more complicated than in the American, that's for sure.
WHAT'S NEXT - The Red Sox and Braves close out their series on Thursday as Clay Buchholz takes on Shelby Miller. Buchholz comes into the game at 3-6 with a 4.22 ERA. Miller has had a great year for the Braves: 5-2 with a 2.02 ERA.