Never losing confidence, Levi went with his favorite pitch, a wicked curve. He threw it three straight times, each time the hitter missed, putting an end to the Braves best scoring chance.
“It was fun,” Levi said. “It was kind of like nerve-racking. I had to either strike him out or let him hit a groundball.”
The balls the Braves managed to put in play resulted in mostly outs. The Braves recorded just three hits, all singles. The Braves don’t play long ball.
“We don’t have a lot of size, we manufacture [runs],” Turner said.
Stillman made sure to stop the Braves during his 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four before giving way to Bill Crosson in the sixth.
By then, the Red Sox were on their way, one step closer for Rob Stillman to claim his second TOC as a coach.
In the fifth, Capoccia, a left-handed batter, went the other way to left-center field for his seventh homer of the year, giving the Red Sox a 3-0 lead.
“That was my favorite pitch right there,” said Capoccia, who went two for three with two runs batted in and an intentional walk.
Levi made it, 4-0, in the sixth. He singled to right, bringing home the speedy Jeremy Beltz from second.
This is where Rob Stillman might have done things differently with Capoccia waiting for his chance to bat.
“I should’ve held that last runner at third then we would’ve had the bases loaded and then they couldn’t have really walked in a run,” he said. “Maybe I should think better as a coach. I’m just trying to squeeze another run.
“You’ve got to have faith in your whole lineup, not just one guy.”
DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.
