Red Sox Notes: Jarren Duran’s Game-Changing Career Day Propels Boston

The Toronto Blue Jays had to see Jarren Duran as a menace Sunday for the havoc he caused from the top spot in the Boston Red Sox lineup.

But the perspective of Duran’s 5-for-5 performance, which included four doubles and three runs scored, was much different from Boston’s dugout.

“Fun,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters following a thrilling 5-4 win at Rogers Centre to a complete a three-game sweep, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “I mean, just putting the ball in play. That’s the beauty of that. You put the ball in play, you’re going to do some great things. He put pressure on them from the get-go and that was great.”

It was the first five-hit game of Duran’s career and he set the tone early. He led off the game against Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman with an eight-pitch at-bat, resulting in a bloop hit down the third-base line just out of the reach of a diving Matt Chapman. But instead of settling for a single on the play, Duran used his blazing speed to snag a double.

“He put pressure on them from the get-go and that was great.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora

Duran belted a double off the right-field wall in the top of the third. In his next plate appearance, Duran hit what looked like a single when he grounded a ball through the middle of the infield but he legged out another double.

Not only was Duran displaying his speed, he showed his ability to hit to all fields. He lined a double off the top of the left-field wall in the seventh and recorded a single on a dribbler in his final at-bat.

“The first one the baseball gods were looking out for me,” Duran told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “Just hitting the ball where it’s placed. (Gausman) is a really good pitcher and he was on today. His stuff was looking really good. Like I said, just put some good swings on the ball.”

Duran is turning into a doubles machine as after his showing Sunday. The 26-year-old is tied for sixth in Major League Baseball with 25 two-baggers despite having nearly 100 less at-bats than the players in front of him.

But unlike the power hitters ahead of him in that regard, Duran’s doubles are coming from instincts and a workman-like effort.

“I’m just reading the ball where it’s hit and trying to hustle as much as I can,” Duran said on if he’s always thinking double out of the batter’s box.

Here are more notes from Sunday’s Red Sox-Blue Jays game:

— A day after Alex Verdugo came up with a clutch play to end the game, the Red Sox outfielder delivered in the ninth inning again. This time it was in the batter’s box as he belted a go-ahead solo home run off Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano.

Verdugo now owns two of the four homers Romano has surrendered this season — the other being a walk-off round-tripper. It was also Verdugo’s first homer since May 1.

“Very aware,” Verdugo told NESN’s Jahmai Webster when asked about if he knew about his homerless streak. “I do this every year, though, man. I start off in April and hit a few homers and then for some reason, I go a month, two months of a drought. To get that swing and to just feel a nice barrel, felt big.”

— Nick Pivetta continues to excel out of the bullpen. After starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock only went one inning due to right elbow tightness, Cora used Brennan Bernardino and Kaleb Ort for a combined two innings before turning things over to Pivetta. The veteran right-hander pitched four innings of relief, letting up one run on two hits to go along with six strikeouts and two walks.

“Pivetta was great,” Cora said. “He was really good.”

— With Kenley Jansen, who was named Boston’s lone All-Star after the game, unavailable after closing out a win Saturday, Cora had a decision to make on who he wanted to put on the mound in the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead. He went with left-hander Joe Jacques over Chris Murphy and Jacques tossed a 1-2-3 inning to earn his first save in his major league career.

“You can’t let the moment get the best of you,” Jacques told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “You don’t want to go out there and panic. I was ready. I felt ready. I’ve been ready my whole life for moments like these. It’s all about capitalizing on opportunities.”

— The Red Sox are now an 7-0 against the Blue Jays this season, a stark contrast from the 3-16 they posted against their division rival last year. Boston overall is 16-11 this season versus American League East Opponents.

— The Red Sox have an off day Monday before opening up a three-game series with Texas Rangers on the Fourth of July. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.

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