Atlanta @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 27, 2015 ) Boston 2, Atlanta 4

The Atlanta Braves are getting their offense moving and now get a shot at the American League’s worst pitching staff. The Braves will take their shots at the Boston Red Sox when the teams kick off a home-and-home interleague series with two games at Fenway Park beginning on Monday.

Atlanta put up five runs in a win over the New York Mets on Saturday and followed it up with eight in the first four innings of Sunday’s series finale. Unfortunately, the pitching could not hold out and the Braves went on to suffer their third loss in the last four games, 10-8. The Red Sox are losers of six in a row and allowed a total of 31 runs while being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. Boston is in last place in the American League East and dropped to 15-17 at Fenway Park with Sunday’s 13-5 setback.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, SportSouth (Atlanta), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Williams Perez (2-0, 2.70 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (4-6, 5.26)

Perez came out of the bullpen to pick up a save in the 11th inning at New York on Saturday but is still expected to make the start. The Venezuela native limited the San Diego Padres to an unearned run on four hits and a pair of walks in seven innings to earn a win on Wednesday. Perez is making his first start against Boston but held another AL East team – Tampa Bay – to one run over five innings on May 20.

Porcello is trying to pull himself out of a funk that has seen him suffer four straight losses while allowing a total of 20 runs in 24 2/3 innings. The New Jersey native was rocked for five runs on 10 hits at Baltimore in a loss on Wednesday. Porcello is making his second career start against Atlanta and is 12-7 with a 4.43 ERA in 26 career games – 24 starts – in interleague play.

WALK-OFFS

1. Braves 2B Jace Peterson has hit safely in eight straight games and doubled and scored in each of the last three.

2. Red Sox DH David Ortiz has homered in three of the last four games and boasts seven RBIs in that span.

3. Atlanta LHP Dana Eveland, who began the season in the Boston system, did not allow a run in any of his first three appearances for the Braves.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 6, Braves 5