Nothing separated these teams for three innings. Then Caleb Durbin swung, and the game was effectively over. His two-run homer to left in the fourth — 379 feet, González scoring ahead of him — gave Boston a lead it would not relinquish, and the Red Sox walked away from Rate Field with a 2-1 victory and their sixth consecutive win.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| CWS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Durbin went 1-for-4 with 2 RBI, his ninth home run of the season. Hitting .225 on the year with 39 RBI, he has provided Boston with timely power all season, and Thursday was no exception. The swing came from a tied game and gave the Red Sox a two-run cushion that proved to be exactly enough.
Chicago answered in the fifth. Andrew Benintendi reached on an infield single to catcher, scoring Acuña to cut the deficit to 2-1. But that was as close as the White Sox would get. Boston's bullpen — four relievers covering 4.2 innings — allowed nothing more, and Aroldis Chapman worked a clean ninth for his 19th save of the season, carrying a 2.28 ERA.
Anthony Kay absorbed the loss, falling to 6-4. He gave up both Boston runs over 5.1 innings, allowing 4 hits and striking out 4 on 92 pitches. The White Sox managed 7 hits on the night but could not convert after Benintendi's fifth-inning single. Patrick Sandoval started for Boston and went 4.1 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits with 5 strikeouts. Tyron Guerrero earned his first win of the season, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in relief.
Boston improved to 43-48, riding a six-game winning streak. Chicago fell to 47-45, dropping their third straight.