Jarren Duran’s three-run, inside-the-park home run punctuated a four-run fifth inning, helping the Boston Red Sox salvage their weekend series with a 5-2 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon.
Duran reached base in all four of his plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with a double and two walks alongside the homer. Nathaniel Lowe also had two hits as Boston supported starter Lucas Giolito (10-2), who worked around five walks to finish six innings of three-hit, one-run ball with six strikeouts.
Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth to post his 27th save. It was his 15th consecutive hitless appearance to post the save.
Alexander Canario was 2-for-4 with a homer for Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller (6-13) allowed four unearned runs, but struck out seven and gave up four hits and one walk over the first five innings.
After a two-on, no-out situation went to waste in the fourth, the Red Sox trailed 1-0 and had just two hits entering the game-changing inning.
Duran’s first career inside-the-parker came on a liner to right-center-field, splitting Pirates outfielders Oneil Cruz and Canario before rolling all the way to the wall and kicking around in the triangle area. The speedy left fielder circled the bases and scored standing up.
Romy Gonzalez had led off the inning by reaching on a throwing error and advanced to third on Carlos Narvaez’s ground-rule double down the right-field line two batters later. Roman Anthony’s grounder to shortstop produced the tying run. Alex Bregman was hit by a Keller pitch to set the table for Duran’s electrifying moment.
Ceddanne Rafaela beat out a one-out infield single to score Nathaniel Lowe, adding to the Red Sox lead in the sixth.
Canario greeted Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten with a solo homer to deep left-center in the seventh, but Garrett Whitlock struck him out with the bases loaded to end the following frame.
Giolito allowed just one hit as he cruised through the first three innings. After retiring the side 1-2-3 in the first on just six pitches, he benefited from center fielder Rafaela’s sliding catch to rob Nick Gonzales of a leadoff hit in the second.
The Boston starter, however, lost the strike zone and issued three consecutive two-out walks — all after Spencer Horwitz was caught stealing third base — in the fourth. A wild pitch allowed Gonzales to score the opening run.
