Duran sets the pace on both sides to guide Red Sox out of skid

BOSTON -- The Red Sox were at one of their lowest moments on Monday. After losing a split doubleheader to the Blue Jays to put them at five straight losses during this tough homestand, Boston risked taking itself out of realistic postseason contention if things snowballed any further.

Jarren Duran, the club’s best player all season, was unbowed.

“Tough day,” Duran said afterwards on Monday. “It’s baseball and it happens. I think we’re fine. I think we’ve just got to get back on the horse and realize we’re a good team and we can play with anybody. We’ve proven it all year. It’s just a matter of us believing in ourselves again.”

Duran backed up his words on Tuesday night, creating belief early and often while fueling the Red Sox to a 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays at Fenway Park.

Duran joined the 20-20 club by belting the fifth leadoff homer of his career and his third leadoff blast this season. He also made two assists in the outfield on a night when the Red Sox threw out three Toronto baserunners.

There was also some history to Duran’s performance. He became the first player in MLB since at least 1901 to record 40 doubles, 10 triples, 20 homers and 30 stolen bases in a season.

“I mean, that’s pretty crazy but it’s just a stat,” said Duran. “It doesn’t really mean anything. It’s gonna be broken eventually. Guys like [Bobby] Witt [Jr.] can do that in his sleep. It’s a cool honor, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t do anything for the team unless I’m helping them win.”

Duran has had his fingerprints in many of the wins the Red Sox have had this season, so it was fitting he led his team out of a losing streak.

The Red Sox needed to create some good vibes at Fenway, given the way the homestand had gone up until that point. Duran’s leadoff homer did the trick.

“Yeah, I mean, it's always good to jump ahead like that, especially after a day like yesterday, where we lost two games, but I feel like we came out ready today,” said Duran. “We have a positive mindset in this clubhouse. We’re not worried.”

With their first win since Aug. 21, the Red Sox (68-64) reduced their deficit to four games behind the Twins for the third American League Wild Card spot.

“We’re still competing,” said shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela. “We still want to get to the playoffs.”

For the Red Sox, one of the best parts about getting to the playoffs would be getting the chance to see Duran perform on that stage for the first time in his career.

“Every night you’re in awe of the things he’s doing,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “We act surprised, but we should expect this. That’s what he’s doing now. He set the tempo right away and got a pitch in, hit it hard and from there we just kept going.”

Duran made a play on defense before his home run, too.

In the top of the first, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smashed a hard grounder into center and thought he could reach second. Duran had other ideas, throwing him out trying to stretch a single into a double. He added one more defensive gem, too.

In the second inning, Duran played the carom perfectly on a drive off the wall by Will Wagner, hitting Rafaela with a textbook relay throw. Rafaela did the rest, firing a strike to Danny Jansen to nail Joey Loperfido at home plate.

“He had a great game not only offensively but defensively,” said Cora. “The relay, that kind of changed the game. The throw to second to get Vladdy [in the first] also. Like I’ve been saying all along, he’s one of the best players in the big leagues.”