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It was an offensive onslaught for the Boston Red Sox, who improved to 21-27 on the season with a 7-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Boston was powered by left fielder Jarren Duran, who made his mark on the game both at the plate and in the field.
Duran has been one of the most disappointing players, not only on the Red Sox, but across all of baseball. The 29-year-old outfielder entered play on Tuesday hitting .181/.247/.301, with a weighted runs created+ (wRC+) of 50 that ranked the sixth worst among qualified hitters.
Duran made an immediate impact on Tuesday night, walking on four pitches to lead off the game against Kansas City starter Bailey Falter. After working the walk, Duran was immediately able to put the Red Sox in scoring position. With right fielder Wilyer Abreu at the plate, Duran took off for second, sliding in safely to remain a perfect 10- for-10 on stolen base attempts on the year. He moved to third on a single by Abreu and came around to score when first baseman Willson Contreras singled to left, giving the Red Sox an early 1-0 lead.
Duran's big night at the dish continued in the top of the ninth with the Red Sox leading 3-1 and looking to add some insurance runs. After a pair of singles off the bats of second baseman Nick Sogard and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Duran stepped to the plate with one out and provided the knockout punch for the Red Sox offense. The lefty took a 90.4 mph up-and-in fastball from Kansas City reliever Eli Morgan and launched it just inside the right field foul pole for a three-run home run to give the Red Sox a 6-1 lead.
Overall, Duran went 2-for-3, walking and scoring twice, driving in three en route to the win.
Duran's impact extended well beyond his big night at the plate as he made two game-changing plays defensively in left field. The first came in the bottom of the second inning as Duran made a sprawling grab to take a hit away from Kansas City second baseman Nick Loftin.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kansas City mounted its best threat of the night against Boston starter Ranger Suarez. Catcher Carter Jensen kicked off the inning with a leadoff double, followed by a single off the bat of third baseman Maikel Garcia, who was thrown out at second. With a man on third and only one out, interim manager Chad Tracy was aggressive with his bullpen, pulling Suarez after just 4.1 innings, turning to Zack Kelly to face the top of the Royals lineup.
Kelly got the first batter he faced, star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., to fly out to right field, leaving the Kansas City threat up to veteran Salvador Perez. The 36-year-old turned on a middle-in cutter, hitting it 101.9 mph on a line to left when Duran made the play of the game: a leaping grab to steal extra bases from Perez, ending the Kansas City threat.
With the win, the Red Sox secured their fifth series victory of the season. They'll go for the series sweep in Kansas City on Wednesday night. Connelly Early will get the start for Boston opposite former Red Sox starter Michael Wacha. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium set for 7:40 p.m. ET.
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Duran has been one of the most disappointing players, not only on the Red Sox, but across all of baseball. The 29-year-old outfielder entered play on Tuesday hitting .181/.247/.301, with a weighted runs created+ (wRC+) of 50 that ranked the sixth worst among qualified hitters.
Duran made an immediate impact on Tuesday night, walking on four pitches to lead off the game against Kansas City starter Bailey Falter. After working the walk, Duran was immediately able to put the Red Sox in scoring position. With right fielder Wilyer Abreu at the plate, Duran took off for second, sliding in safely to remain a perfect 10- for-10 on stolen base attempts on the year. He moved to third on a single by Abreu and came around to score when first baseman Willson Contreras singled to left, giving the Red Sox an early 1-0 lead.
Duran's big night at the dish continued in the top of the ninth with the Red Sox leading 3-1 and looking to add some insurance runs. After a pair of singles off the bats of second baseman Nick Sogard and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Duran stepped to the plate with one out and provided the knockout punch for the Red Sox offense. The lefty took a 90.4 mph up-and-in fastball from Kansas City reliever Eli Morgan and launched it just inside the right field foul pole for a three-run home run to give the Red Sox a 6-1 lead.
Overall, Duran went 2-for-3, walking and scoring twice, driving in three en route to the win.
Game-changing plays in the field
Duran's impact extended well beyond his big night at the plate as he made two game-changing plays defensively in left field. The first came in the bottom of the second inning as Duran made a sprawling grab to take a hit away from Kansas City second baseman Nick Loftin.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Kansas City mounted its best threat of the night against Boston starter Ranger Suarez. Catcher Carter Jensen kicked off the inning with a leadoff double, followed by a single off the bat of third baseman Maikel Garcia, who was thrown out at second. With a man on third and only one out, interim manager Chad Tracy was aggressive with his bullpen, pulling Suarez after just 4.1 innings, turning to Zack Kelly to face the top of the Royals lineup.
Kelly got the first batter he faced, star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., to fly out to right field, leaving the Kansas City threat up to veteran Salvador Perez. The 36-year-old turned on a middle-in cutter, hitting it 101.9 mph on a line to left when Duran made the play of the game: a leaping grab to steal extra bases from Perez, ending the Kansas City threat.
With the win, the Red Sox secured their fifth series victory of the season. They'll go for the series sweep in Kansas City on Wednesday night. Connelly Early will get the start for Boston opposite former Red Sox starter Michael Wacha. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium set for 7:40 p.m. ET.
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Remember to join our RED SOX on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Red Sox fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
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