Red Sox 5, Pirates 2

 

If it takes a Jarren Duran three-run, inside-the-park home run to snap the Sox out of their recent losing streak, so be it. Truth be told, it's never a bad time for a Jarren Duran three-run, inside-the-park home run. Today, Boston finally figured out a way to beat Pittsburgh and avoid an embarrassing sweep at home by the worst team in the NL Central (fun fact: I had a Pirates season ticket in 1993, so I have a pass to say things like "worst team in the NL Central"). 

Giolito went six full innings with one run and six hits and six strikeouts. Bregman finally snapped out of his hitless streak with a single in the 4th.  

Now things will get interesting. If we struggled with Pittsburgh, going 1-2, we're really going to have fun with Cleveland (68-67), who arrive in Fenway tomorrow for a three-game series. Brayan Bello (10-6, 2.99) will start against rookie Parker Messick (1-0, 0.66), making his third major-league start. 

After Cleveland, we have Arizona (68-69) and the A's (63-74). The Yankees lost today, so the Sox now trail them by a half game. New York has a three-game road series at Houston (75-62), and then will host AL East-leading Toronto followed by AL Central-leading Detroit. Hopefully, Boston can capitalize on some probable upcoming Yankee losses while we play a trio of .500-ish teams, and take back second place in the AL East, setting things up for a final showdown with New York in Fenway, October 12-14.