*Photo from TSN*
The Sox are starting to roll. Connor Wong homered, Jarren Duran drove in a pair of runs, and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Cincinnati Reds with a 7-4 victory Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.
Having won series against the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and now the Reds, the Red Sox have won 8 of their last 10 games and have jumped to 42-36, currently occupying a playoff spot in the AL. They also improved their record on the road to 24-16, tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the second most road wins in baseball.
Duran said of the hot streak that "I think we're just playing baseball. You know how it is. It's always ups and downs, bumps and bruises. But I just think we're rolling right now and we got a really good thing going on with the team, and we're staying together and I love that. So we're just gonna keep the ball rolling."
Wong gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead in the 4th inning, hitting a two run home run to left field. Romy Gonzalez scored on a force out and error to pad the lead to 3-0 before Duran capped the inning with an RBI double to make it 4-0. In the bottom of the 4th, Jeimer Candelario got the Reds on the board with an RBI single that made it 4-1.
Duran hit an RBI single and Rob Refsnyder mashed a two run home run in the top of the 6th inning, making the Red Sox lead 7-1. In the bottom of the 6th, the Reds cut it to 7-4 on an RBI double from Tyler Stephenson and RBI singles from Santiago Espinal and Stuart Fairchild. The Red Sox held on from there to preserve the win.
Zack Kelly started a bullpen game for the Red Sox, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Brennan Bernardino allowed a run and Brad Keller gave up 3. Greg Weissert, Cam Booser, Chris Martin, Justin Slaten, and Kenley Jansen all had scoreless appearances, with Jansen getting the save.
Kelly said of working as a starter for the bullpen that "It's fun. I enjoy kind of changing the routine every now and then, keeps you on your toes. But it was good. Like we talked about, being in the bullpen is doing your job and handing off the baton. So just a good day all around for the boys."
Starting for the Reds was Nick Lodolo, who allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks in 4 2/3 innings, getting the loss as he battled blister problems during the game. Buck Farmer handled the next inning, allowing a run. Brent Suter pitched 2 1/3 innings, giving up a pair of runs. Nick Martinez pitched a scoreless 9th inning.
Lodolo said of the Reds losing two straight games and the series that "Any time you win the first game and can’t get one of the next two, it’s a missed opportunity. I definitely thought we played well enough to win or at least should have. We’ve got to keep going. It’s all we can do."
The Red Sox start a series at home against the Toronto Blue Jays Monday night, with Tanner Houck getting the series opening start. Carson Spiers is set to start on the mound for the Reds on Monday as they host a division rival in the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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