Red Sox rout White Sox 14-2 behind Durbin and Abreu

The Boston Red Sox scored six runs in the first inning and six more in the sixth to beat the Chicago White Sox 14-2 at Fenway Park on Tuesday, August 4.

Caleb Durbin supplied the biggest early swing with a grand slam, Jarren Duran followed with a solo home run, and Wilyer Abreu homered in both the fifth and eighth innings. Boston finished with 15 hits and four home runs while extending its winning streak to six games.

The final line is confirmed by MLB’s official Gameday record: Boston won 14-2, outhit Chicago 15-6 and did not commit an error.

Boston decided the game before Chicago settled in

The first inning explains most of the result. Willson Contreras opened the scoring with an RBI single before Durbin drove a grand slam over the Green Monster. Duran then hit the next home run, giving Boston a 6-0 lead after seven batters.

That sequence changed how both teams could approach the rest of the game. Patrick Sandoval could attack the strike zone with a large cushion, while Chicago starter Davis Martin had little margin for another mistake. Martin ultimately allowed nine runs on 10 hits in five-plus innings.

Durbin finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs, two runs and a walk. The grand slam was his 11th home run of the season. Duran went 2-for-4, scored twice and added a stolen base.

The home runs were only part of Boston’s advantage

Abreu’s two solo shots were the most visible part of his night, but Boston also converted ordinary scoring chances. The Red Sox went 8-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left only two runners on base.

That efficiency matters when explaining why a game became a 12-run rout. Four home runs accounted for seven runs; the rest came through singles, doubles and productive at-bats throughout the lineup.

Boston’s second six-run inning arrived in the sixth. After Chicago had cut the lead to 7-2, Andruw Monasterio hit a two-run single, Ceddanne Rafaela followed with a two-run double, and Contreras and Masataka Yoshida each drove in another run. Abreu’s second homer in the eighth completed the scoring.

MLB’s team recap and play sequence confirms the run-producing plays and includes postgame comments from Boston’s interim manager.

Sandoval limits the damage; Bello earns an unusual save

Sandoval allowed two runs on six hits and four walks while striking out five over five innings. It was his first major-league win since May 7, 2024, before elbow surgery interrupted his career.

Chicago scored on Miguel Vargas’s sacrifice fly in the fifth and Braden Montgomery’s groundout in the sixth. The White Sox did not produce another hit after Sandoval left.

Brayan Bello handled the final three innings and retired all nine batters he faced. Because he completed three innings while preserving the lead, he qualified for the first save of his career despite entering a lopsided game. He needed 28 pitches and recorded two strikeouts.

Chicago’s new arrivals debuted in a difficult game

Brenton Doyle and Joey Bart made their White Sox debuts after joining the club near the trade deadline. Doyle recorded an infield single and an outfield assist. Bart went 0-for-3 with a walk.

Their first appearances were overshadowed by Martin’s early trouble and a bullpen that could not stop the sixth-inning rally. Chicago’s pitching staff recorded only two strikeouts, while Boston consistently put balls in play.

What the box score says about Boston’s form

The win moved Boston to 61-51 and Chicago to 59-53. It also gave the Red Sox a different type of victory after a series of comeback wins: they took control immediately and never allowed the game to become competitive.

That does not make one blowout predictive on its own. Large run margins can be driven by a small number of high-impact innings, and the next game begins at 0-0. Still, the combination of power and situational hitting was a useful sign for Boston. The lineup did not depend on one batter or one type of scoring play.

AP’s game report, distributed by The Washington Post, independently confirms the principal result, Durbin’s grand slam, Abreu’s two homers and Sandoval’s return to the win column.