The Boston Red Sox won the first game of their three-game set against the Detroit Tigers, 5-2, at Fenway Park on Monday.
Boston improved to 36-31 on the season, while Detroit fell to 26-40.
You can view the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox did exactly what they needed to do on Monday. Josh Winckowski once again pitched like a big leaguer as a temporary member of the rotation and the offense did their job.
While it could be debated that Red Sox skipper Alex Cora left his rookie starter in for an inning too long, his performance gave the bullpen some rest, needing just 2 2/3 innings from relief options. The only time where the game got tense was in the eighth inning.
With two outs and a man on first, Cora elected to send in John Schreiber, who allowed a double to Javier Báez to move two into scoring position with the tying run at the plate. As usual, the Red Sox set-up man slammed the door shut, this time by striking out top prospect Riley Greene.
Offensively, the Red Sox racked up nine hits, four of which were extra-base hits while scoring five runs against a mediocre Tigers pitching staff. They got a lead early and added insurance runs along the way.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jarren Duran was extremely productive in the series opener against the Tigers. He got his night started with a lead-off walk, stole second base and scored. He led off the third inning with a double and scored for the second time in as many at-bats. Duran hit a single in the fourth inning and stole his second base of the game.
— Franchy Cordero recorded his first three-hit game of the season, including a double and two RBIs.
— Winckowski outperformed what a spot starter is expected to do. The rookie threw 6 2/3 innings, gave up seven hits, struck out two and walked one with two earned runs allowed. He did not feature electric stuff but the results speak for themselves.
WAGER WATCH
Cordero had +190 odds to drive in a run against Detroit on DraftKings Sportsbook. A $100 bet on the utility slugger paid out $290.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will play the second game of their three-game series on Tuesday against the Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET following an hour of pregame coverage, and you can watch it all on NESN.
