Injuries and up-and-down play from a variety of players have prevented the Red Sox from enjoying smooth sailing for the majority of the season.
But Jarren Duran has been remarkably consistent for Boston, and he’s helped the club power through those obstacles.
For starters, Duran has been ready and eager to play for Alex Cora and company every day. The talented outfielder has yet to miss a game, as Sunday’s win over the Reds marked his 78th straight start in 2024. But Boston also has been able to count on great play from Duran, who currently sits in a tie for fifth in Major League Baseball in WAR (wins above replacement).
The finale in Cincinnati featured more of the same from the fourth-year pro, a deserving candidate for an All-Star nod. Duran went 3-for-5 with an RBI double and an RBI single, with the former extending his hit streak to 13 games. The 27-year-old has swung a potent bat amid the hot stretch, batting .404 with eight extra-base hits and nine RBIs.
But Duran isn’t focusing much on those gaudy numbers. He’s just pleased to be impacting winning.
“I would say as a team, we’re rolling really good,” Duran told NESN’s Jahmai Webster after the game. “We’re putting really good at-bats together and we’re coming together as a team. We’re picking each other up, you know? It’s not just one person. One through nine is doing the job. I’m so happy. We’re going to keep the ball rolling.”
The 2024 campaign is turning into a career year for Duran in terms of his play, as he’s made tremendous strides with his bat and glove and continues to be a menace on the basepaths. But as those remarks to Webster indicated, the Red Sox are seeing a new leader blossom before their very eyes.
Here are some more notes from Sunday’s Red Sox-Reds game:
— Duran isn’t the only player in the Red Sox clubhouse who extended a hit streak to 13 games Sunday. Connor Wong did so as well when he opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the fourth.
— The finale was the definition of a bullpen game for the Red Sox, who used eight (!) pitchers in the final contest of their six-game road trip. Opener Zack Kelly (one hit over 2 2/3 innings) was one of the six Boston relievers who logged a scoreless outing. But perhaps most importantly, not a single Red Sox pitcher surrendered a walk Sunday.
— The Red Sox will be glad to return home, but Rob Refsnyder might already be eyeing the club’s next trip away from Fenway Park. The veteran outfielder, who homered Sunday, currently ranks second in the big leagues in OPS (1.047), slugging percentage (.622) and batting average (.378) on the road this season.
— Kenley Jansen put the finishing touches on Boston’s series-clinching win over Cincinnati. The right-hander now is three saves away from leapfrogging Francisco Rodríguez on MLB’s all-time saves list.
— Thanks in part to the Kansas City Royals dropping a shutout loss to the Rangers in Texas on Sunday, the Red Sox will enter Monday with possession of the American League’s third and final Wild Card spot.
