BOSTON (Interstat) — Connelly Early pitched seven shutout innings and the Boston Red Sox erupted for six runs in the fourth inning Wednesday night to defeat the Atlanta Braves 8-0 at Fenway Park.

The victory before 34,093 fans in 2 hours 28 minutes lifted the Red Sox to 23-31. The Braves, who entered with the best record in the National League, fell to 37-19.

Early allowed four hits, walked none and struck out seven. He threw 92 pitches, 67 for strikes, in earning his fifth win against two losses. The left-hander retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced after a first-inning error briefly endangered his shutout.

Bryce Elder took the loss for Atlanta, allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits in four innings. The right-hander dropped to 4-3.

The decisive inning was the fourth, when Boston sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six times.

Masataka Yoshida led off with a single and Mickey Gasper walked. Nick Sogard sacrificed both runners into scoring position. Marcelo Mayer then reached on a fielding error by first baseman Matt Olson, allowing Yoshida to score the game’s first run.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled to left, scoring Gasper. Jarren Duran followed with a single to load the bases. Ceddanne Rafaela lined a single to left that scored Mayer and Kiner-Falefa, with a throwing error by catcher Chadwick Tromp permitting Duran to take third. Wilyer Abreu capped the outburst with a two-run single to center, scoring Duran and Rafaela.

Boston’s six-run inning matched its largest single-frame output of the season.

Early, who lost to Atlanta on May 15 in a 3-2 decision at Truist Park, was dominant from the outset. He faced the minimum in the first, second and third innings, aided by a double play in the first after an error by shortstop Marcelo Mayer allowed Mauricio Dubón to reach. Early retired the side in order in the fifth on three fly balls.

The Braves managed only two runners to reach scoring position against Early. In the second inning, Austin Riley walked and Jorge Mateo singled, but Ha-Seong Kim flied out and Tromp struck out to end the threat. In the seventh, Chadwick Tromp doubled with two outs but was left stranded when Ronald Acuña Jr. lined out to right.

Atlanta starter Bryce Elder labored through the early innings. He allowed a leadoff single in the first to Rafaela, who was thrown out at home trying to score from first on Willson Contreras’ sharp single to left. In the second, Elder made a throwing error on a Nick Sogard bunt single, allowing Sogard to reach third, but Marcelo Mayer flied out to end the inning.

Elder struck out two and walked one in his four-inning outing. He allowed 10 hits.

Ryan Watson relieved Early in the eighth and pitched two scoreless innings, surrendering one hit and striking out one.

Boston strung together 15 hits, its second-highest total of the season.

Jarren Duran went 4-for-5 with a solo home run in the eighth inning, his eighth of the season, off Atlanta reliever Carlos Carrasco. Duran also scored twice and drove in one run.

Ceddanne Rafaela collected three hits and drove in two runs. Marcelo Mayer had two hits and an RBI. Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in one run.

For Atlanta, Jorge Mateo had two of the team’s five hits. Chadwick Tromp doubled for the only extra-base hit by the Braves.

Atlanta relievers Carlos Carrasco, Dylan Dodd and Daysbel Hernández combined to allow two runs on six hits over five innings. Carrasco, who entered in the fifth, allowed two runs on five hits and struck out two.

The Braves, who had won nine of their previous 11 games, were held to a season-low five hits. The shutout was Atlanta’s second of the season, following a 2-0 loss to Washington on May 23.

Boston’s eight-run margin was its largest victory of the season.

The Red Sox snapped a two-game losing streak and evened the three-game series at one game apiece. Atlanta had won the opener Tuesday 7-6.

Boston also ended a five-game home losing streak, its longest at Fenway Park since dropping six straight in April 2023.

The Braves had won four of five matchups between the teams this season entering Wednesday, including a three-game sweep in Atlanta from May 15-17.

Boston left-hander Connelly Early, making his 12th start of the season, lowered his ERA to 3.12. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his past nine starts.

Atlanta had won its previous six games against left-handed starters before Wednesday.

The Red Sox bullpen did not allow a run over the final two innings. Watson retired the side in order in the eighth on a lineout to second, a lineout to center and a flyout to second.

Boston catcher Willson Contreras, making his first start at first base this season, handled three putouts and did not commit an error.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta Braves 5, Boston Red Sox 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Atlanta with a 54.20 percent probability to win. Atlanta had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5.