CHICAGO — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 6-1 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday:

1) Boston improved to 54-47. The Cubs dropped to 59-40.

2) The Red Sox didn’t hold a single lead through the first 24 innings of this series before Wilyer Abreu hit a two-run homer with no outs in the seventh to put them ahead 2-1.

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Abreu also hit a solo homer in the eighth inning to put Boston ahead 6-1. It was his fifth career multi-homer game and fourth this season.

3) Alex Bregman broke the game open with a pinch-hit three-run home run in the eighth inning, making it 5-1 Boston. Bregman pinch hit for Masataka Yoshida against lefty Drew Pomeranz. He connected on an 83.4 mph knuckle-curve and sent it 402 feet to left field.

Bregman is 3-for-7 with two home runs in his career as a pinch hitter.

4) For a third straight game, the Cubs scored first against Boston. Ace Garrett Crochet allowed hits to Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson to lead off the second inning. Crow-Armstrong was caught stealing third after a rundown that Crochet initiated. Swanson reached second on the rundown and scored on Ian Happ’s RBI single to right field, making it 1-0 Cubs.

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5) Crochet allowed one run, eight hits and two walks while striking out five in 6 innings. It marked his 10th start in which he has allowed one or zero runs in 6 or more innings. He escaped a bases loaded jam in the fifth inning when he got Carson Kelly to ground into a force-out. He also pitched around a leadoff double in the sixth to keep it 1-0.

6) Center fielder Jarren Duran collided with left fielder Masataka Yoshida when Yoshida caught Ian Happ’s fly out to end the bottom of the fourth inning. Luckily, neither player was injured. It was Yoshida’s first start in the outfield since Oct. 1, 2023. Manager Alex Cora initially had Yoshida as the DH and Roman Anthony as the left fielder. But he had them swap positions because Anthony felt “under the weather.”

7) Despite being under the weather, Anthony stroked two hits out of the DH spot.

8) Carlos Narváez’s 111.2 mph double in the eighth was the hardest hit ball of his career.

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9) The Red Sox offense did little against Cubs rookie starter Cade Horton who entered 3-3 with a 4.45 ERA. Horton allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out four in 5 ⅔ scoreless innings.

10) The Red Sox will begin a three-game series against the Phillies in Philadelphia on Monday. Righty Walker Buehler (6-6, 6.12 ERA) will start for Boston opposite right-hander Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.36 ERA).

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