After spotting the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, the Red Sox went on to outscore their visitors by a margin of 7-2 the rest of the way, taking the first game of their four-game series, 7-4.
The win was Boston's 10th in their last 11 tries and fourth straight at home.
With the game tied 3-3 in the eighth, Marwin Gonzalez provided a homer, his first extra-base hit of the season. J.D. Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk and Xander Bogaerts supplied a bloop two-run double.
Starter Nick Pivetta lasted just 3.2 innings, but four relievers combined to give the Red Sox 5.1 innings of work out of the bullpen with one run allowed.
WHO: Red Sox (9-4) vs. Chicago White Sox (6-7)
WHEN: 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: 0-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nick Pivetta (2-0, 3.27) vs. RHP Dylan Cease (0-0, 3.86)
TV/RADIO: NESN/FS1; WEEI-FM
LINEUPS
WHITE SOX
Anderson SS
Eaton RF
Moncada 3B
Abreu 1B
Mercedes DH
Collins C
Robert CF
Vaughn LF
Madrigal 2b
RED SOX
Hernandez CF
Verdugo RF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Gonzalez 1B
Arroyo 2B
Cordero LF
Plawecki C
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B8: Bloop, oppo double from Bogaerts scores two more. Two of the first four hitters in the Red Sox order have had four-hit days.
B8: Martinez works a bases-loaded walk in a 10-pitch at-bat, forcing in another run as Sox lead 5-3.
B8: Gonzalez hammers a sinker left at the top of the zone and sends it to the back of the Red Sox bullpen, snapping a 3-3 tie. First homer of the season. In fact, first extra-base hit of the season.
T8: Ottavino has his best outing of the season, fanning the side and throwing 10 strikes out of 12 pitches.
T8: Adam Ottavino on for Andriese, who gave the Sox three innings and allowed just one run (unearned). Andriese has been a nice mid-game bridge for the Sox out of the bullpen.
T7: Tremendous throw from Hernandez in left field to the plate, nearly nailing Tim Anderson at the plate. But ball isn't handled cleanly by Plawecki and the White Sox have tied it.
B6: Kiké Hernández connects for his third hit of the afternoon -- a sharp single to center -- scoring Plawecki and giving the Red Sox their first lead of the game.
B6: Kevin Plawecki, who was not happy about being rung up on a called third strike in his last at-bat, smacks a booming double to dead center with two outs in the sixth.
T5: Franchy Cordero picks up his second assist of the season with a strong throw on target to cut down Yermin Mercedes trying to stretch a single.
B4: Following a stretch that saw him three hitters in the span of nine, Dylan Cease gets himself locked in and fans four Sox hitters in a row, including the side in the fourth.
T4: That's it for Pivetta, who is lifted with two outs in the fourth. He was at 83 pitches. His short outing ends the Red Sox streak of 10 straight starts of at least five innings.
B3: Alex Verdugo's sacrifice fly to right scores Kiké Hernández from third, giving Verdugo seven RBI in his last three games.
B2: Red Sox take advantage of Dylan Cease's control lapse (two two-out walks) to fill the bases, but can't cash in as Kevin Plawecki lines out to right to strand three.
B2: Rafael Devers gives it a long ride, with the ball seemingly taking off, but hauls it in on the warning track, reaching up and making the catch on a ball that was otherwise heading for the visitor's bullpen.
T2: You can't hit it any farther than Yoan Moncada just did -- without hitting it out of Fenway. A long, flyball gets caught by Hernandez on the warning track, just in front of the 420 sign in the Triangle, stranding three.
T2: Nick Madrigal delivers a textbook hit-and-run single to the opposite field, and after yet another walk, the White Sox have runners and the corners.
B1: Jose Abreu starts a nicely-turned double play as J.D. Martinez hits into a 3-6-1 inning-ender.
T1: Nick Pivetta's control is lacking in the early going, and it costs it. Two walks quickly result in two early runs for the White Sox.
PRE-GAME STATS: The Red Sox own the AL's best record and biggest run differential (+23)....The Sox have a three-game home winning streak in progress.....The Sox have allowed three earned runs of fewer in 10 of their first 13 games....Sox pitchers have allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of the last four games.....The Sox are fifth in the AL in ERA (3.56) and 10 in the majors...The last four seasons in which the Sox had an ERA of 3.75 or lower through the first 13 games were 2018, 2013, 2007 and 2004 -- all championship seasons...Sox starters have thrown at least five innings in 12 of 13 games to date, including the last 10 straight....In those 10, Red Sox starters are 6-0 with a 3.06 ERA....The last time the Sox had a streak of longer than 10 games with five or more innings from their starters was in 2018....The Sox also lead the AL in runs scored (75), doubles (34), batting average (.273), OBP (.337), slugging percentage (.456) and OPS (.792)...J.D Martinez leads the majors with 16 RBI and doubles (seven)..,.,.He's also in the top three in extra-base hits (second with 12), slugging (second with .867) and OPS (third at 1.307)....Nick Pivetta has won each of his first four starts and is one of only nine pitchers to do that in team history and only the second in the last 60 years,,.Tim Wakefield is the other....The last pitcher to win his first five was Don Schwall (1961).....In the last four games, Red Sox relievers have allowed just two earned runs over 11.1 innings for a 1.59 ERA....Matt Barnes and Garrett Whitlock are still unscored upon.....The Sox have come from behind in six of their nine wins and have five victories in which they trailed after five innings. That equals their total for all of last season...The Sox are 14-6 in their last 20 games with the White Sox...Xander Bogaerts passed Freddy Parent for fourth place in most games started at shortstop for the Red Sox Thursday with his 908th game at the position. Only three others -- Nomar Garciaparra (951), Rick Burleson (987) and Everett Scott (1,081) have made more...Bogaerts has appeared in 982 games and is closing in on becoming just the 30th player to play 1,000 games in a Red Sox uniform...Adam Eaton is 5-for-11 in his career against Pivetta....Marwin Gonzalez is 1-for-3 lifetime against Dylan Cease with a homer...
NOTES:
- Alex Cora confirmed that the Red Sox will have Tanner Houck start the first game of the split doubleheader Sunday.
- Cora spoke about the struggles of reliever Adam Ottavino, who has allowed runs in three of his five appearances. "I still believe he can get lefties out -- there's no doubt about it,'' said Cora. "The sinker and the cutter. It's about keep working with him, sticking with him in those situations and about how we're going to attack lefties. We're working on that. His stuff is actually better than what it was last year in terms of movement and velo. We're going to try to keep getting him good matchups, for now, in the seventh and eight, combined with Darwinzon (Hernandez) and get him on the right track.''
- Cora said he's always enjoyed the Patriots Day weekend series at Fenway, dating to his time as a player. "When you play here, you know you're going to get that 11 a.m. game,'' said Cora. "I think that's one of the coolest things that we have. People love that game. Obviously, with where we're living, it's not the perfect day (with the weather). But that Monday is so special around here. And it was special for me because I knew I was always going to play that game, regardless. I love it. I love everything about it. We love this weekend. It's a fun weekend.''