Jarren Duran had two hits and scored the game-winning run as the visiting Boston Red Sox beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 on Saturday.
The Red Sox trailed 3-2 after seven innings but tied the score on Rob Refsnyder’s RBI single in the eighth. Boston took a 4-3 lead when Rafael Devers hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Duran to score later in the inning. Both runs were scored against Cincinnati reliever Justin Wilson (1-1).
Duran’s hits were both singles. He has hit safely in 12 straight games.
Duran also made a catch that robbed Stuart Fairchild of a game-tying home run in the ninth.
Spencer Steer and Elly De La Cruz each homered for the Reds.
Steer opened the scoring by hitting a two-run home run in the first inning. It was his ninth home run of the season and came one batter after Jeimer Candelario reached base on an infield single.
De La Cruz extended Cincinnati’s lead to 3-0 in the third when he hit his 13th home run. Both homers came against Boston starting pitcher Nick Pivetta. The Reds have hit five home runs in the first two games of the three-game series.
De La Cruz had three of Cincinnati’s 11 hits. TJ Friedl, Jonathan India and Jake Fraley each had two hits in the loss.
Zack Kelly (2-1) earned the win after recording the final out in the seventh. Kenley Janson gave up a single in a scoreless ninth to record his 14th save.
Dominic Smith hit his third homer run for Boston. It came in the fifth inning and sliced Cincinnati’s lead to 3-1.
Boston pulled within a run when Connor Wong’s RBI double drove in Wilyer Abreu in the sixth to make it 3-2. Abreu (ankle) was activated from the 10-day injured list before the game on Saturday and went 1-for-3. Wong’s double extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
–Field Level Media