Duran's late dinger caps 4-hit night vs. Astros

HOUSTON – All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran was perfect out of the leadoff spot for the Red Sox, and that helped rally Boston to a much-needed 6-5 victory over the Astros to even up a three-game series Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.

“We had to grind,” manager Alex Cora said. “It felt like that game lasted five hours. Every pitch meant a lot.”

By winning, the Red Sox (66-59) climbed to within 3 1/2 games of both Kansas City (70-56) and Minnesota (70-56), who hold the second and third American League Wild Card spots.

Duran went 4-for-4 with a walk off Houston pitching, and his fifth and final at-bat was the most impactful, since it resulted in a tiebreaking home run with two outs in the eighth inning. Duran barreled a 99.8 mph fastball by righty reliever Kaleb Ort (1-1, 1.32 ERA), who took the loss, and lined it a Statcast-projected 367 feet to left-center.

“I was just trying to keep it short,” Duran said of his approach versus Ort, who had retired each of the first five hitters he faced. “That guy throws 100 miles per hour, so I was just trying to keep it short and simple, and put a good swing on it. I just happened to get one into the Crawford Boxes.”

“He's so dynamic, and so good,” Cora said of the left-handed Duran. “Kaleb was throwing the ball outstanding, and he just hits it the other way to give us the lead. He's becoming one of those guys that I bet people will pay to watch. You better get here early, because from the first pitch on, he can do something special.”

It helped that Boston found additional run support from further down in its order. Triston Casas -- activated just five days ago after missing nearly four months due to torn rib cartilage -- reached base in four of his five plate appearances, including a two-run home run off Astros starter Ronel Blanco.

“It felt great to get the first one out of the way,” Casas said of his first homer since returning. “Blanco has been establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the league. He gave me a pitch to pull, and thankfully it was up. He had just made a really good cutter, in and off the plate, and I was looking for that same pitch a little higher. Thankfully, I got it and had good timing.”

Duran scored a team-high three runs, and he was driven in twice by Casas. The slugging first baseman’s return has lengthened an already deep lineup, which featured six starters with an OPS above .800 on Tuesday. On the season, Boston ranks third in the AL in runs scored (624).

“I try to have the at-bats that the first baseman for the Red Sox should have,” Casas said. “I take pride in that title. I don’t take it for granted. I try to prove every day that I deserve it. Getting on base, hitting for power, getting hits, those are the requirements for that position, and that’s what I want to do for a really long time.”

“It doesn't even look like he missed a game,” Duran said. “To be able to do that at this level is crazy. That guy is an absolute machine.”

Casas credits Duran with adopting a similar approach.

“I think it's the way he's willing to take a walk,” Casas said of Duran’s evolution. “That’s the biggest thing for a young hitter. Early in his career, he was really jumpy. But now that he's calmed down and understands that he can take a walk, he's added power to his game and he's getting himself into really good counts.”

It was an underwhelming night for both starting pitchers, who took no-decisions. Blanco lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing 10 baserunners (six hits, four walks) and five runs. For the Sox, Nick Pivetta gave up six hits and five runs over five innings, with tying home runs from Jon Singleton and Yainer Diaz doing the most damage.

But in contrast to Monday, when Boston’s beleaguered bullpen gave up two late runs to turn a lead into a loss, Greg Weissert, Zack Kelly, Luis García and Kenley Jansen combined for four innings of scoreless relief on Tuesday. That kept the Astros at bay and allowed Duran to become the hero with his 17th home run.

“We turned the page really quick, and it starts with the leadoff hitter,” Cora said.