Boston proceeded to score four times in its final six trips to the plate, bashing its way to an 8-6 victory over Atlanta on a steamy Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.

By Bill Koch Providence Journal

BOSTON — No deficit feels insurmountable for this relentless Red Sox offense.

 Trailing the Braves by three runs in the third inning barely registered. Falling behind by two more in the fourth was another minor annoyance.

 Boston proceeded to score four times in its final six trips to the plate, bashing its way to an 8-6 victory over Atlanta on a steamy Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.

 The blistering Red Sox bats matched the rising temperatures on Memorial Day weekend, as Andrew Benintendi fell a double shy of the cycle and Mitch Moreland knocked home a pair of runs on the second of his two extra-base hits. It was the 17th time Boston has rallied for a victory this season, nearly half of the 36-win total that tops the big leagues.

 “In the dugout you felt the energy,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “They never put their heads down. They keep grinding.”

 Moreland hasn’t taken much time settling into his role as the full-time first baseman. His two-run double in right in the sixth gave the Red Sox a 6-5 cushion and Benintendi visited the same spot with a two-run triple in the seventh. That was enough insurance for the bullpen, which was forced to record 17 outs in relief of an ineffective Drew Pomeranz.

 “We’ve got such a deep team and a deep lineup,” Moreland said. “We’re never out of the game. You go up there relaxed and just try to make the most of it.”

 Said Benintendi: “Just trying to stay up the middle, use the other side of the field, stay inside the ball and try to drive something. I was able to do that today.”

 Benintendi’s leadoff homer in the fourth was just the second of his career against a left-handed pitcher, as he skied one to the bleachers in center off Jesse Biddle. It was the first of five unanswered runs by the Red Sox, as Hector Velazquez, Steven Wright, Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel combined to allow only one run in 5 2/3 innings. Wright’s three scoreless frames caught the eye, with the knuckleballer possessing the length required to potentially move into the starting rotation.

 “I just try to go as long as Alex needs me to go,” Wright said. “Today I was lucky enough to get some ground balls.”

 It was another frustrating afternoon for Pomeranz, as the left-hander departed early for the third straight outing. He was tagged for five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings and has required 273 pitches to record his past 32 outs. Velazquez allowed a pair of inherited runners to score courtesy of a Freddie Freeman single and a Nick Markakis sacrifice fly, giving the Braves a 5-3 lead.

“Thankfully, every time I pitch like crap we still find a way to win the game because our offense is so good,” Pomeranz said. “It’s really frustrating.”

 It was also a brief afternoon for Middleboro native Sean Newcomb, as the young Atlanta left-hander lasted just three innings. Boston bogged down  Newcomb in an interminable bottom of the third, erasing a 3-0 deficit while running his pitch count up to 88. Xander Bogaerts singled home Moreland after a one-out triple, Blake Swihart dunked an RBI single into short center and Christian Vazquez sent an RBI single through the right side to tie it 3-3.

 Dansby Swanson’s two-run homer to left in the second and Kurt Suzuki’s RBI double off the Green Monster staked the Braves to a 3-0 lead, but it wasn’t enough on this day. Ronald Acuna Jr. tagged a solo homer in the ninth against Kimbrel to lessen the final margin.