Wilyer Abreu hit two home runs and the Boston Red Sox scored seven runs in the first inning en route to a 13-6 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.
Abreu hit an inside-the-park home run in the fifth and a grand slam in the eighth. Trevor Story and Jarren Duran also homered for Boston in the victory.
Cincinnati starting pitcher Chase Burns, the No. 2 pick in last year’s MLB draft, made his second major league start, but was pulled from the mound with one out in the first inning. Burns (0-1) allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks.
Story’s three-run homer highlighted Boston’s seven-run first inning, which included an RBI single from Abraham Toro, an RBI double from Carlos Narvaez, an RBI single from David Hamilton and a run-scoring single from Roman Anthony.
Each of the nine batters in Boston’s starting lineup had at least one hit, totaling 14.
Garrett Crochet (8-4) gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits in six innings, but earned the win. He struck out nine and walked one.
Austin Hays hit a solo home run and a two-run triple for Cincinnati.
The Reds scored three runs in the fourth to trim their deficit to 7-3. Hays’ triple scored Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz before he scored on Spencer Steer’s groundout.
Cincinnati made it 7-4 on McLain’s RBI single in the fifth, but Abreu’s inside-the-park home run increased Boston’s lead to 8-4 in the bottom of the fifth. His long drive to center field took a high bounce off the wall, allowing Abreu to jet home.
Cincinnati was within three again in the sixth after Hays’ deep homer to center, but Boston extended its lead to 9-5 on Duran’s home run in its half of the sixth.
Abreu’s grand slam stretched Boston’s advantage to 13-5 before Christian Encarnacion-Strand capped the scoring when he raced home from third on McLain’s infield single in the ninth.
Boston rookie Marcelo Mayer, who missed last weekend’s three-game series against Toronto while on bereavement leave, was back with the team and started at third base.
–Field Level Media
