The Boston Red Sox picked up a 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on the road on Sunday, and Jaren Duran's triple in the fourth inning broke a long drought for the Red Sox.
Jared Duran's triple in the fourth inning was his 10th of the season, which is first in MLB and the most in a Red Sox season since Jacoby Ellsbury hit 10 in 2009, according to ESPN. Duran went on to score on a double play to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the game.
Duran's 10 triples show what he brings to the Red Sox, and he has provided confidence that he is a young piece for the future for the franchise. It says a lot that he is in the same category as Jacoby Ellsbury, who had some great years with the Red Sox. Duran also walked in the game, having a productive day by getting on base twice.
In the bottom of that fourth inning, the Red Sox fell down 3-1 after Paul DeJong hit a three-run home run off of Justin Slaten. David Hamilton it a home run in the fifth to bring it to 3-2, then Garrett Cooper tied it with an RBI ground out in the sixth inning. Chicago would take the lead on an RBI single in the seventh inning by Gavin Sheets, and the game would stay at 4-3 until the ninth, when Boston tied it on a Reese McGuire sacrifice fly.
The game went to extra innings, where Jamie Westbrook hit a sacrifice fly for a 5-4 Red Sox lead, then Rob Refsnyder hit an RBI single to make it 6-4. The Red Sox split the four-game series with the White Sox and leave Chicago at 33-33 overall. While the win on Sunday was good to get, it is a source of frustration for Red Sox fans that the team can't seem to get over .500 for an extended period of time.
Jaren Duran provides Red Sox optimism for long-term
Duran had a solid 2023 season, but he is on track for a career best season in 2024. So far this season, he is batting .263 with a .331 on-base percentage and a 116 wRC+, according to FanGraphs. He is also providing a lot of value on the defensive side. He is playing a lot of center field, where he has six defensive runs saved and five outs above average. He also plays a good amount of left field, where he has four defensive runs saved and two outs above average. Altogether, Duran has 10 defensive runs saved and six outs above average, which is very good.
The Red Sox are hovering around .500, but there clearly is some young talent on the roster that provides optimism for the future. Up next is a tough series against the Philadelphia Phillies that starts on Tuesday at Fenway Park. A series win would be a bit of a statement against one of the best teams in the league.
