Wilyer Abreu hit a pair of home runs and Garrett Crochet threw six quality innings to help the visiting Boston Red Sox earn a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
Crochet (11-4) allowed just one run on eight hits while striking out five and walking two for Boston, which salvaged the series after being outscored 10-1 in two straight losses to Chicago.
Alex Bregman clubbed a three-run homer in the eighth to break the game open for the Red Sox. Garrett Whitlock, Jordan Hicks and Jorge Alcala combined to throw three scoreless innings of relief for Boston.
Cade Horton allowed two hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings for Chicago, striking out four and walking three, before Ryan Pressly (2-3) surrendered Abreu’s first home run in the seventh. Nico Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson each recorded two hits for the Cubs, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Trevor Story walked to begin the seventh against Pressly, before Abreu launched his 19th home run of the season to give Boston its first lead of the series.
Drew Pomeranz allowed Jarren Duran’s walk and Roman Anthony’s single in the seventh. Two batters later, Bregman pinch-hit for Masataka Yoshida and connected on his 12th home run of the season, pushing Boston’s lead to 5-1.
Ethan Roberts relieved Pomeranz and surrendered Abreu’s second home run of the game, a 391-foot solo shot.
Chicago struck first in the second, as Ian Happ laced a one-out single to right to score Swanson, who also singled.
The Cubs threatened to add on with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, as Hoerner singled and Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki worked back-to-back walks. Crochet then got Carson Kelly to ground out to end the inning.
Duran walked to begin the sixth and then advanced to third with two outs, before Caleb Thielbar replaced Horton. Thielbar preserved the one-run lead by striking out Yoshida on three pitches.
–Field Level Media
