The Red Sox’s season may be off to a rocky start, but the sun popped out in Friday’s home opener at Fenway Park and for at least one afternoon, the noise surrounding the team was silenced.
Boston ran away with a 6-2 win over San Diego with a strong, bounce back outing from Sonny Gray as well as a pair of home runs from Marcelo Mayer and Wilson Contreras to snap a five-game losing streak.
Gray rebounded after a tough opening start in Cincinnati with six strong innings, allowing just four hits and two earned runs while striking out four. The pitcher really only ran into trouble in the fifth inning when Ceddanne Rafaela lost a deep fly ball in the sun, allowing the Padres to later plate two runs and even the game.
Mayer shined in his first Opening Day start at Fenway, going 2-for-2 with a double off the monster and a two-run blast into the bullpen to blow the game open in the sixth.
After a dreadful series in Houston to drop the team to 1-5 heading into the home opener, Boston’s offense finally got going again in the bottom of the third as Rafaela knocked in Mayer from second on a single out in center.
In the fourth, Caleb Durbin — who started the season 0-19 from the plate — mercifully broke through in front of the home fans, hitting a single to drive in Jarren Duran and give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.
After cruising through the first four innings, Gray hit his first rough spot in the fifth when Boston’s defense once again caused issues on the field. Rafaela lost a deep shot in the sun from Miguel Andujar — which was ruled a triple — and Gray couldn’t recover, giving up a double off the wall from Luis Campusano as the Padres tied it at two.
The righty would settle back down, getting through the next two innings before handing it off to the bullpen for the final three innings.
With the game turning San Diego’s way in the later innings, one of Craig Breslow’s big offseason acquisitions came through to swing the momentum back. Wilson Contreras blasted a 423 foot home run over the Green Monster off of Micheal King to give the Red Sox a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Later that inning Mayer stepped up against a lefty pitcher in Wandy Peralta and sent a shot into the bullpen to blow the game open.
Boston’s bullpen — now with a three-run lead — leaned on Greg Weissert and Slaten to bridge the gap to the ninth, and they both sent the Padres packing with 1-2-3 innings.
Aroldis Chapman closed down shop, striking out one and walking one before getting a pop fly to right to give Boston its second win of the season.
The Red Sox will return to Fenway for two more games against the Padres on Saturday and Sunday. Connolly Early and Ranger Suarez are set to take the mound this weekend.