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BOSTON -- Question: What do the Red Sox have in common with other failing businesses?
Answer: All the meetings in the world won’t change a damn thing, if you just keep running out the same product. Hours after Red Sox manager John Farrell met with his players for at least the third time this season, Dustin Pedroia emerging from the session to proclaim that the team would commence winning, another night of losing ensued.   The Sox fell, 4-2, to the Atlanta Braves for their seventh straight loss to drop a season-worst 11 games below .500.
Rick Porcello, pitching on a cool, damp night, lost his fifth straight decision. Porcello allowed just six singles in 6 1/3 innings, but four of them came in one inning, the fourth, in which Porcello wild-pitched home a run and former Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski singled in another. Porcello left with the bases loaded in the seventh and was charged with another run when Jace Peterson singled off reliever Robbie Ross. The Sox, meanwhile, grounded into double plays in each of the first three innings against Braves starter Williams Perez, who departed after six scoreless innings, in which he allowed just five hits, all singles. The only time the Sox placed two baserunners on against Perez was in the sixth, an inning in which he picked off Mookie Betts after Betts had led off with a single. Pedroia and Brock Holt drew two-out walks, but Hanley Ramirez grounded into a force play. Boston got on the board on a home run by Xander Bogaerts in the seventh off Braves reliever Dana Eveland, who began the season with Boston’s Triple-A team in Pawtucket. Pablo Sandoval followed with a double, bringing on right-hander Nick Masset, who retired Mike Napoli on a ground ball and Betts on a pop to second. Sandoval doubled again with two out in the ninth off Braves closer Jason Grilli. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons threw away Napoli’s grounder, and Betts lined a single to make it 4-2, but pinch hitter Alejandro De Aza tapped out to the mound to end it.
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