Wilyer Abreu was 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored to help the Boston Red Sox clinch a three-game series sweep of the host Pittsburgh Pirates with a 6-1 win on Sunday.
The Red Sox recovered from an early 1-0 deficit to score two runs in both the third and fifth innings and one in the sixth and eighth.
Abreu has reached base in 10 straight games.
Reese McGuire also drove in two runs while Jarren Duran scored two for Boston, which is 10-3 on the road this season.
Justin Slaten (1-0) was credited with the win as the third of four Boston relievers to combine for scoreless, four-hit ball behind Josh Winckowski, who pitched the first 3 1/3 innings and allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout.
Slaten fanned two across the sixth and seventh innings.
Ke’Bryan Hayes (2-for-3, one RBI) and Jack Suwinski (2-for-4) combined for four of Pittsburgh’s seven hits.
After two strikeouts helped Martin Perez (1-1) strand the bases loaded in a 27-pitch first, the Pirates offered their starter a run of support to take their first lead of the series.
The opening run came home as Connor Joe ripped a leadoff double off the base of the bullpen wall and scored on a Hayes sacrifice fly to right two batters later.
Pittsburgh saw its lead erased during a third-inning rally that saw Ceddanne Rafaela and Duran post consecutive one-out singles. Rob Refsnyder ripped a game-tying double into the left-field corner before Abreu put Boston in front 2-1 when he lined a single to center.
Despite the scoreless opening frame, Boston worked Perez’s pitch count and chased the left-hander after he threw 91 pitches across four innings of four-run, six-hit ball. Perez did match his season high of seven strikeouts.
The Red Sox tacked on insurance on the strength of McGuire’s pinch-hit, two-run single down the line in left after loading the bases with one out in the fifth.
After Refsnyder reached on catcher’s interference and stole second to begin the sixth, Abreu made it a 5-1 game on a line single to center.
In the eighth, Duran scored after Abreu reached on a dropped pop-up by Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz.
Pittsburgh also had multiple opportunities to cut its deficit erased on the bases, including Suwinski being thrown out from Refsnyder in right trying to stretch his sixth-inning single.
–Field Level Media