Duran dazzles with glove, bat AND legs to propel Red Sox to victory

KANSAS CITY -- Jarren Duran did it with his bat, his glove and his legs on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium, lifting his Red Sox to a 7-1 victory.

While the game felt like many of the recent high-wire acts Boston has participated in of late over the first eight innings, Duran created breathing room by launching a three-run homer down the line in right in the top of the ninth. It capped a 2-for-3 night for Duran that included two walks, a double and a stolen base.

Duran, who made a sweet diving catch on a sinking liner in the second inning, came through with perhaps the biggest play of the game in the sixth.

With the Red Sox clinging to a 2-1 lead, Duran raced back, outstretched his glove arm fully and made a tremendous leaping catch off the bat of Salvador Perez to end the inning and prevent the Royals from tying the game.

Unlike in recent games, Boston was able to add on, scoring one run in the eighth and four in the ninth. It snapped a stretch of nine straight games in which the Sox had scored three runs or less.

On this night, the pitching was anchored by the bullpen, which got 17 big outs on a night lefty Ranger Suarez didn’t have his best stuff.

By taking the first two games in Kansas City, the Sox snapped a string of three straight series losses.