Jarren Duran wincing in pain created a moment of initial worry on Saturday night for the Boston Red Sox.
The All-Star outfielder appeared to suffer an injury, though not one that would keep him out of the series finale against the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon.
That scare didn't seem to affect him much as Duran continued his streak of playing in every game so far this season. The Red Sox outfielder roped a go-ahead home run off of Texas starter and former Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi as part of a three-hit day with a pair of RBIs, two stolen bases and a walk. Boston earned another win with Duran as a big reason why.
He also confirmed he's ready to keep playing after Saturday's incident.
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"Yeah, the side feels good," Duran told NESN's Tom Caron after the win.
Duran lit it up in the same park he won All-Star Game MVP honors less than a month ago. He credited Alex Cora for allowing him the chance to play instead of scheduling a day off.
"It's meant the most to me," Duran shared. "Coming out here and knowing that he's going to back me every single day and be in the lineup and help the team win is probably one of the most important things, you know, when you have a manager's support like that."
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For a team that's already waiting for Triston Casas and Vaughn Grissom to return to the lineup, the Red Sox could not afford to lose their sparkplug in a critical stretch of a playoff race. Instead, Duran quickly reestablished his impact and delivered Boston a series win.
Duran heads to Kansas City for a three-game series against the Royals as his team looks to replicate July success against the rising competitor in the wild card standings from the American League Central.
Featured image via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
