The Boston Red Sox continued their torrid stretch Tuesday night, rallying for a 7-3 victory over the Miami Marlins after Jarren Duran delivered a go-ahead grand slam in the 11th inning. Boston won its fifth consecutive game and ninth in its last 12.
The Red Sox have now won three straight series and 14 of their last 20 games, continuing their push during a critical stretch of the season. The game remained tied heading into the 11th before Boston finally broke through.
Willson Contreras opened the inning with a single, advancing automatic runner Wilyer Abreu from second to third. Jahmai Jones then drew a walk to load the bases. After Abreu was forced out at home on Andruw Monasterio’s grounder, Duran stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.
Duran connected on a sweeper from Miami reliever Cade Gibson and sent it over the wall for a grand slam, giving Boston a 7-3 lead and putting the Red Sox in position to close out the victory.
Alec Gamboa earned his first major league win after tossing 1 1/3 hitless innings. The victory went to Gamboa after Boston’s bullpen kept the Marlins off the scoreboard in the 11th.
Mickey Gasper played a major role in Boston’s offensive effort, recording his first career two-homer game. Gasper’s first home run came in the second inning, when he drove a pitch to right-center field to give Boston an early 1-0 advantage.
That was the only run Boston could manage against Miami starter Tyler Phillips, who kept the Red Sox in check for most of his outing. Phillips struck out seven batters while pitching 4 2/3 innings.
Gasper struck again in the sixth, launching his second homer of the night 418 feet to center field. The blast put Boston ahead 2-1 and gave Gasper his first multi-home-run performance in the majors.
Miami answered immediately. Heriberto Hernández hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 2-2.
Boston rookie Payton Tolle carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Xavier Edwards broke it up with a leadoff double. Tolle eventually loaded the bases, and Brian Navarreto brought home Miami’s first run with a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
Neither team could find the decisive hit in the late innings, sending the game to extra innings. Boston appeared to take the lead in the 10th when Connor Wong scored on a passed ball. But Miami answered when Navarreto scored on a third-strike wild pitch, tying the game once again at 3-3.
That set the stage for Duran’s dramatic 11th-inning blast. The Red Sox ultimately turned a tightly contested game into a four-run victory, extending one of the hottest stretches in baseball.
The Red Sox and Marlins will meet again Wednesday in the series finale. Boston will send right-hander Sonny Gray to the mound. Gray enters the matchup with a 16-3 record and a 2.79 ERA.
Miami will counter with right-hander Ryan Gusto, who is 0-3 with a 4.37 ERA. First pitch will give the Marlins an opportunity to bounce back, while Boston will look to complete another series victory and extend its winning streak to six games.
