Brock Holt Hits For Cycle as Red Sox Snap Losing Skid

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Brock Holt, the ultimate utility man, singlehandedly lifted the Boston Red Sox to victory over the Atlanta Braves Tuesday afternoon. The youngster became the first Red Sox player to hit for the cycle since John Valentine did it in 1996. Perhaps more importantly though, with a 9-4 triumph, the Red Sox snapped a seven-game losing skid.

Holt lead an uncharacteristic offensive rampage as the Red Sox belted out a season-high 18 hits in what was a rare win for the club. It’s important to keep in mind that this was accomplished with Hanley Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia on the bench.

With Pedroia on the bench due to knee soreness, Holt filled in at second and led off. He hit a double in the first, a single in the fifth, a homer in the seventh and then ripped a triple in the eighth to complete the cycle. In going 4-for-4 at the plate, Holt knocked in two runs and scored a pair.

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The performance was downright amazing. Holt continued on in serving as one of Boston’s most consistent offensive players and is making a case for an All-Star bid.

“It’s a pretty special day. It’s something I’ll remember for a while,” said Holt following the game.

“Any time a guy hits for the cycle he’s had a stellar day,” said manager John Farrell.

Mookie Betts smacked three hits in the game. Xander Bogaerts, Pablo Sandoval, Mike Napoli and Alejandro De Aza all added two hits each.

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Wade Miley pitched for the Red Sox and cruised, picking up his sixth win of the season. Miley tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out a total of eight Braves. Koji Uehara pitched a meaningless ninth, but did surrender two runs.

“It’s always great to get the run support like we did today,” Miley said of the offensive outburst.

The Red Sox and Braves will shift to Atlanta on Wednesday for a two-game series.

Next: Red Sox Losing Skid Reaches Seven Games