After a mediocre beginning to the 2016 season, the Boston Red Sox seem as if they have figured it all out now. 

The Red Sox won yet again on Wednesday night, defeating the Atlanta Braves by a final score of 9-4. It was Boston's fourth win in a row, as well as their fifth victory in their past six games. Boston continued their winning ways against Atlanta, winning their third in a row against the team. 

Steven Wright was victorious for the Red Sox, while Bud Norris picked up the loss. Boston improves to 12-9, while Atlanta is now a dismal 4-17. 

The Red Sox got things going right away in the first inning. In the top of the inning, Jackie Bradley Jr. made an absolutely sensational diving catch to rob Daniel Castro of a base hit, leading to Wright setting down the Braves in order.

Red Sox offense gets going early

On offense, Dustin Pedroia would get his first of three hits, and David Ortiz would double him home two batters later. The very next hitter, Hanley Ramirez, would get Ortiz home right after the double with a softly hit single to make the score 2-0 right away. 

The double was one of "Big Papi's" three on the night, and all three were historic. In his first double, Ortiz tied two baseball greats Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx with his 525th double, and would pass the two more legends with his next double. He also tied another legend in George Brett with his three extra base hits at 1,119. Ortiz continues to put his name in the record books in his farewell season. 

In the top of the second inning, A.J. Pierzynski would make history of his own. The catcher connected with his 2,000th career hit, which is remarkable for a catcher. Kelly Johnson would follow Pierzynski with an RBI single, scoring Freddie Freeman who had a leadoff double. 

In the bottom of the second, however, it got much worse for AtlantaRyan Hanigan led off the inning with a single, Bradley would walk, and Mookie Betts would hit a single loading the bases. This brought up the former MVP Pedroia, having just two grand slams under his belt. 

Pedroia wrapped a home run around the Pesky Pole in right field, making the game 6-1, and giving him three grand slams for his career. Pedroia had a big smile on his face rounding the bases and Brock Holt was shown in the dugout dancing. He made some comments after the game regarding the play to NESN. 

"I don't think I've ever done that before," said Pedroia. "I'm pretty serious most of the time, so it's good to have some fun every now and then."

The team wouldn't stop having fun during this game, and neither would Pedroia. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Pedroia connected with another home run, but this time, he hit it over the Green Monster. Pedroia ended the day with three hits, two homers, and five RBI's. 

Wright pitches a gem

Wright, on the other hand, was great once again. Many believe the knuckleballer has been the most consistent starter this season, and pitched well again tonight. He would finish seven innings allowing just one earned run, three hits, three walks, and struck out eight. His ERA is now an incredible 1.37 at a 2-2 record. 

Steven Wright walks off the mound in the third inning. (Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America)
Steven Wright walks off the mound in the third inning. (Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America)

In the eighth inning, the Braves got a huge load off their shoulders. The Braves had finally hit a home run, and it was their star, Freddie Freeman. Prior to the home run, the Braves had just three home runs as a team, and hadn't hit any since April 10th. 58 players in the league had more home runs than the Braves as a team, and Pittsburgh Pirates' star Andrew McCutchen had three home runs in one game on Tuesday night, the same amount as the Braves had as a team all year. The numbers are truly eye opening, and although they still continue to be horrible, they finally got one out of the way tonight. 

The Braves would get their fourth run on a Markakis RBI double off Matt Barnes, but Barnes would shut the door on the game, securing the Red Sox' twelfth victory. 

Up next

The Red Sox will look for their fourth straight win against the Braves in as many days Thursday night, as Clay Buchholz will go against Jhoulys Chacin. 

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About the author
Oliver P. Gold
A Providence, Rhode Island based sports journalist and blogger with expertise in baseball and basketball. Includes MLB, NBA and NCAA College Basketball. New England sports fan of Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and Providence Friars.