FENWAY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Wilyer Abreu highlighted a 2-for-3 night with three runs and his 20th home run of the season, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-0 win over the visiting Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
Sonny Gray (14-2) fired six scoreless innings as Boston won its seventh consecutive game. The right-hander allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock and Jovani Moran threw one inning apiece to complete the four-hit shutout. Moran walked the leadoff batter in the ninth, then struck out the next three batters.
Abreu cranked a third-inning solo shot to the right-center-field bullpen to lead the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game series.
Jarren Duran went 2-for-3 with a double and a run, helping Boston improve to 30-5 since June 25.
Chicago’s Miguel Vargas finished 2-for-3. Massachusetts native Sean Burke (7-6) allowed two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He fanned four and walked two as the White Sox took their third defeat in four games.
The Red Sox jumped out to a first-inning lead for the second straight game. Abreu hit a two-out single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Willson Contreras knocked an RBI single into left-center field.
Chicago nearly knotted the score in the third, but Sam Antonacci was tagged out at home on a 5-3-2 putout. Caleb Durbin made a diving stop on Vargas’ infield single. After the third baseman threw across the diamond, Contreras fired a strike to Connor Wong for the inning-ending out.
In Boston’s half of the third, Abreu continued his hot streak with a two-out solo homer. Burke struck out the first two batters of the inning, but the Boston right fielder socked a 3-2 pitch 390 feet to right-center.
Duran manufactured the third Red Sox run in the seventh, hitting a leadoff single, stealing second, reaching third on a throwing error and scoring on Andruw Monasterio’s sacrifice fly.
In the eighth, Abreu drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on Durbin’s two-out hit.
Contreras exited in the fifth inning due to an illness.
–Field Level Media