Ozuna scores twice, Sale shuts out former team as Braves beat Red Sox 5-0

Marcell Ozuna continued his torrid start with two more homers and Chris Sale pitched six innings against his former team, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox and a sweep of their interleague series of two matches Wednesday evening.

Ozuna hit a three-point shot in the first inning and added a solo drive in the third against Nick Pivetta, who was roughed up in his first start since coming off the injured list.

The slugger known as “Big Bear” passed Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead with his 11th and 12th home runs, and he also leads the major leagues with 38 RBIs. He drove one to the warning track in his final at-bat and heard chants of “MVP!” MVP!” from the crowd at Truist Park.

Ozuna shrugged off the adulation, a far cry from a year ago, when he was struggling mightily and his time in Atlanta seemed to be coming to an end.

“Even if you do well, you have to be on the same level,” he said. “Don’t get comfortable.”

Sale (5-1) pitched for the Red Sox from 2018-23 — a tenure that began with a World Series championship but was largely marred by injuries before being traded to Atlanta last winter .

It was strange against his old team, but he settled in quickly.

“I respect these guys. I love these guys,” Sale said. “But we are here to win.”

The left-hander appears to have rediscovered the form that made him one of the most dominant starters in baseball. He fanned 10 for the 82nd double-digit game of his career and received a big boost from left fielder Jarred Kelenic, who jumped over the yellow line to the 385-foot mark to snatch a potential home run from Garrett Cooper.

“I went on a mission in the offseason,” Sale said, “I pursued it. I knew I had to do it this year.

Speaking of comebacks, look at how far Ozuna has come. On this date a year ago, he was hitting .146 and seemed on the verge of being released by the Braves. He’s bounced back to hit 40 homers with 100 RBIs, and he’s on track to even higher numbers this year.

Orlando Arcia also went deep for the Braves. Dylan Lee and Ray Kerr followed Sale to complete the seven-hit shutout.

Pivetta (1-2) made his first appearance since April 3 after being sidelined with a strained right elbow.

He appeared to get through first with no problem when Austin Riley threw what was ruled an inning-ending double play. But the call was overturned when the replay showed Riley putting his foot in the bag just before the relay.

Matt Olson took a dribbler that hit the field for a hit, and Ozuna followed with a 372-foot shot that barely cleared the right-field wall. Three pitches later, Arcia hit back-to-back homers with another opposite-field shot to right.

Instead of coming out of the inning unscathed, Pivetta found himself in a 4-0 hole — a rare mistake from a Boston rotation that has been excellent this season. He lasted four innings, allowing seven hits and all five of Atlanta’s runs.

“Austin beating that ball is a huge play,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “That gives us four points, which is pretty much the difference in the game.”

TRAINERS ROOM

Red Sox: In addition to Pivetta’s return, the Red Sox activated Romy Gonzalez from the 10-day injured list and started him at first base. He had been out since April 11 due to a strained left wrist.

Braves: C Sean Murphy hit in the cage as he heads toward a return to the lineup. Murphy hasn’t played since the season opener on March 29, when he strained his left oblique on a pitch.

FOLLOWING

Both teams are off Thursday. The Red Sox return home to open a three-game series Friday against Washington, with RHP Tanner Houck (3-3, 1.99 ERA) facing Nationals LHP Patrick Corbin (0-3, 6.45 ERA). RHP Charlie Morton (2-0, 3.50 ERA) takes the mound for the Braves Friday to start a weekend in New York. The Mets will go with LHP Jose Quintana (1-3, 5.20 ERA).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb