ATLANTA — After an off day meant to serve as a break from their worst stretch of the season, the flailing Red Sox were in need of a spark Friday night. They got one from a unlikely place.

Trevor Story came to the plate in the fourth inning having gone 16-for-122 (.130) with 43 strikeouts and just two extra-base hits (including one against a real pitcher) in a 32-game stretch dating back to April 22. It was a stretch that he acknowledged had been the worst of a 10-year big league career. But all that mattered little when a Braves starter Grant Holmes slider caught too much of the plate and Story took launch, hammering the pitch 431 feet with an exit velocity of 109 mph. Suddenly, with a 2-1 lead, the Red Sox — and Story — could breathe.

“Just felt good to get one in that fashion,” Story said. “It has been a tough month. Feels like six months.”

Story started the season hot, hitting .337 with five homers, 15 RBIs and an .894 OPS through 23 games. But in the month-plus since, he has been a black hole in Boston’s lineup. The strikeouts and uncompetitive plate appearances have piled up along with Boston’s losses. In many ways, Story has been the poster boy for the Sox’ downturn in recent weeks.

Friday, then, represented what might be the start of something big for both the team and Story, who said he felt like he was on the verge of breaking out of his slump in Milwaukee despite a 2-for-11 line that didn’t reflect much success.

“I’m always looking for little moments to build on,” said Story, a historically streaky hitter. “They have been few and far between this year but hitting the ball like that can go a long way. But like I said, it’s more about the process of the at-bats and me sticking to my plan.

“The last series there in Milwaukee, not much to show for it, but just how I’m feeling in the box and the competition within the at-bats, I feel really good about.”

The Red Sox have given Story a relatively long leash despite his struggles. Manager Alex Cora has sat Story in favor of David Hamilton just three times in 36 games, hopeful he’d break out of his offensive woes but still appreciative of his steadying presence in the middle of an inexperienced infield and his leadership behind the scenes. Friday, though, even Cora acknowledged the long stretch of poor at-bats had weighed heavy.

“We need to be careful because we’re cheering for him so much that he feels the weight of us, like he needs to do it instead of breathing and sticking to the process and the results will happen,” Cora said.

Story’s contributions to a 5-1 Red Sox win didn’t end with his big blast. In the bottom of the seventh, with two men on base and two outs in a two-run game, Story made a nifty backhanded stab on a sharp Matt Olson grounder hit at 112.7 mph before firing toward first. It was there that first baseman Abraham Toro — who Story called the “player of the game” after a three-hit performance — stretched out and dragged his toe across the first base bag for the inning-ending out that was overturned by replay review. Story helped save the lead he created.

“I hate to say it, but it was like, ‘Here we go again,’” said a relieved Cora. “We got the call and it was like, ‘OK, finally. We got a break.’”

“He’s a great defender. That ball was hit hard. He got it, took his time. Obviously, the throw wasn’t perfect but to keep that ball in the infield… That ball goes by, Ozzie (Albies) had a good jump at first base on a 3-2 count and they’d probably send him. It’s probably a tie game.”

The Red Sox don’t expect Story, a .262 career hitter, to have a super high average or get on base at a ridiculous rate. But with Alex Bregman out indefinitely due to a quad strain, they’ll gladly take some power from the right side. As much offensive upside as Marcelo Mayer and (eventually) Roman Anthony have, they’re both left-handed hitters. Getting Story, Kristian Campbell and others going to balance out a lefty-heavy lineup could ignite a sleepy offense.

“We’re all gonna step up, especially the righties, to try to cover that production,” said Story. “It’s gonna be tough, but if we can all be the best versions of ourselves or something close to it, we’ll be in good shape. I know the type of player I can be and I’m confident that’ll show up. We’ve got a lot of guys in here that can do something similar.”

With Mayer playing third in Bregman’s absence and there being little in the way of ready-made middle infield replacement options in the organization, the shortstop position is likely Story’s to keep for a while. He can only hope performances like Friday’s will help him earn it.

“(Wins) are always welcome, for sure,” he said. “Especially after a five-game losing streak. ”That one felt like 10. Hopefully, we can start creating momentum.”