BOSTON — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 3-1 win over the New York Mets on Monday here at Fenway Park:
1) Boston allowed its opponent to score first in six of its previous seven games. But the Red Sox struck first with two runs in the first inning against Mets’ Kodai Senga who had allowed just five earned runs in 44 ⅓ innings over his first eight starts.
2) Jarren Duran got the offense going against the Senga who went 6 innings. Duran led off the bottom of the first inning with a double and scored on Alex Bregman’s RBI groundout to second base. Trevor Story’s RBI single made it 2-0. Boston took a 3-0 lead in the second inning on Duran’s RBI triple.
Duran has gone 7-for-15 (.467) with two triples, a double, one homer, five RBIs, three runs, one steal, two walks and two strikeouts in four games on the homestand.
3) Hunter Dobbins made a couple of big pitches. With two runners on base, Dobbins got Juan Soto to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the third inning. Dobbins also struck out Tyrone Taylor looking with runners at the corners and one out in the fifth.
4) Lefty reliever Justin Wilson replaced Dobbins with runners at the corners and two outs in the fifth. He struck out Francisco Lindor swinging on a slider to finish off a 10-pitch at-bat.
5) Wilson also recorded the first two outs of the sixth. He gave up a leadoff single to Soto to begin the sixth inning. He then walked Pete Alonso. But he got Brandon Nimmo to ground into a 5-6-3 double play. Greg Weissert replaced Wilson and got Mark Vientos to fly out to right field to end the inning.
6) Wilson, Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten and Aroldis Chapman combined for 4 ⅓ scoreless innings. They combined to allow three hits and two walks while striking out five.
7) Bench coach Ramon Vázquez managed in place of Alex Cora who skipped the game to celebrate his daughter’s graduation from Boston College.
8) The Red Sox and Mets will play the second game of their three-game series Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. Righty Clay Holmes (5-2, 3.14 ERA) will start for the Mets. Right-hander Walker Buehler is expected to return from the injured list (right shoulder bursitis) to pitch for Boston.
