Kutter Crawford threw a career-high seven innings and Connor Wong went 3-for-4 with two doubles as the Boston Red Sox eased past the San Francisco Giants 6-2 on Wednesday.
The Red Sox scored twice in both the third and fourth innings before adding on in the fifth and seventh.
Three two-out RBIs, including Jarren Duran’s run-scoring triple in the fourth inning, helped Boston to its fourth straight win and second to begin the three-game series.
Crawford (2-1) held up his end on the mound, striking out six while allowing two runs on four hits and two walk.
For San Francisco, Tom Murphy’s solo home run in the third opened the scoring, while Mike Yastrzemski had the only other RBI.
Crawford retired six consecutive batters following Jung Hoo Lee’s game-opening single before Murphy cranked a solo shot over the Green Monster to begin the third. It was the first homer allowed by the Boston starter this season.
The Red Sox did not capitalize on Giants opener Erik Miller and reliever Daulton Jefferies (0-2) walking three across the first two innings, but they got going in the bottom of the third. Devers hit a wall-scraping double to left field, bringing home Ceddanne Rafaela. Rob Refsnyder’s RBI grounder gave Boston a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth, Yastrzemski’s bunt single brought the visitors back even after Michael Conforto walked and Thairo Estrada smacked a high wall-ball double to left — all with two outs.
Boston’s half of the same frame resulted in two more runs to move to produce a 4-2 edge.
After Wong doubled and moved to third on newcomer Dominic Smith’s grounder, Enmanuel Valdez went the opposite way for a go-ahead double to left before crossing the plate on Duran’s triple down the right field line two batters later.
Smith recorded his first RBI in a Boston uniform in the fifth, with his two-out liner to center off Luke Jackson increasing the lead to 5-2.
Crawford cruised into the late innings, retiring 10 of the final 11 batters he faced following Yastrzemski’s hit. A defensive highlight saw Wong pounce on Matt Chapman’s swinging bunt to help strand a baserunner in the sixth.
The Red Sox continued opening the game up two outs into the seventh, as Wong doubled to deep center to drive home Wilyer Abreu from first.
Chris Martin and Greg Weissert each pitched a scoreless relief inning for Boston.
