Sonny Gray walked into Coors Field and made it look like a pitcher's park. The right-hander struck out 11 and allowed just 1 run over seven innings, carrying Boston to a 5-2 victory over Colorado on Tuesday night before 29,961 at Coors Field.
Gray went 7.0 innings, scattering 6 hits and 3 walks while throwing 93 pitches. The 11 strikeouts were the story. He allowed only a solo home run to Willi Castro in the second inning, and that was all Colorado could manage against him. Gray improved to 9-1 with a 2.95 ERA.
The Red Sox built their lead steadily. Eaton scored in the first when Wilyer Abreu tripled to center, giving Boston an early advantage it never surrendered. Abreu then homered to center in the fifth, a 443-foot shot that pushed the lead to 3-1. The sixth inning added two more: Eaton doubled to left to score Seigler, then Ceddanne Rafaela singled to left to score Eaton. Abreu finished 2-for-4 with a walk, 2 RBI and a run scored. Eaton was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.
Colorado's starter took the loss, falling to 0-2 after allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 5 walks over 5.0 innings with 3 strikeouts on 94 pitches. The Rockies managed only 8 hits total, with Ezequiel Tovar adding a solo home run to left in the ninth — a 380-foot shot — to account for the final margin.
Gray is now 9 strikeouts away from 2,000 career strikeouts, and 17 innings away from 2,000 career innings pitched. Boston fell to 31-45 despite the win snapping a two-game skid. Colorado, which had won its previous game, dropped to 31-48.