Abreu's 2 HRs, including clutch go-ahead shot, ignite Red Sox at Wrigley

CHICAGO -- The Red Sox had scored just one run in their first 24 innings coming out of the All-Star break and were in danger of getting swept at Wrigley Field.

Perhaps Wilyer Abreu was feeling that a bit as he stepped to the plate in the top of the seventh, his team down by a run. Boston’s home run leader this season offered a bunt attempt on the first pitch, putting him down in the count.

It was Abreu’s most fortuitous swinging strike of the season. On the next pitch, he struck again -- this time with a towering, two-run homer to right that fueled the Red Sox to a 6-1 victory on getaway Sunday.

Normally not one to show a lot of emotion on the field, Abreu flipped his bat and shouted at his teammates as he rounded the bases. His clutch shot not only gave the Red Sox their first lead of the game, but the first of the three-game series.

Boston (54-47) now rides into a three-game series in Philadelphia with some momentum regained, having won 13 of its last 16.

“Obviously, a big home run, and a big moment for us to keep the streak going or to start a new one,” Abreu said. “But for me, it was very important to get the team those runs to help us win.”

Who knows what would have happened if Abreu’s bunt had been successful. He likely would have had a single, placing runners on first and second with nobody out.

“He tries to bunt, trying to get on base because the third baseman was playing in the shortstop position,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “We like it, [and] we don’t like it. It doesn't matter. He’s trying to get on base. And then he got a good pitch and pulled it in the air. Wily’s a good player, a good defender and a good hitter.”

• As Trade Deadline approaches, Red Sox looking to add pieces

Two innings later, Abreu unleashed another pull shot to right, his 20th homer of the season, to put the game on ice. In his rookie season a year ago, Abreu had 15 homers in 399 at-bats. He already has five more longballs this season in 122 fewer at-bats.

“I feel very good physically,” Abreu said. “And also, I feel that experience has been the key for me. I feel like the experience has helped me a lot this year compared to last year.”

After a pair of losses coming out of the break cooled their 10-game winning streak, the last thing the Red Sox needed was to be swept in the first series of the “second half” for the second straight season.

Last year, however, the Red Sox didn’t have Alex Bregman on their team.

In the top of the eighth, Cora had his veteran leader pinch-hit for Masataka Yoshida against lefty Drew Pomeranz. Bregman responded with a three-run shot to left field to break open the game in what had been a tense weekend for the Red Sox.

It was Bregman's first pinch-hit appearance since 2022, and also the fifth game he’s appeared in since coming off the injured list weeks before he originally thought he would be able to.

After going 3-for-16 in those first four games, Bregman had this to say after Saturday’s loss.

“Yeah, getting there. I’m gonna get it squared away here, and get back to rolling,” said Bregman.

And that’s what happened, thanks to a long day of work before he even stepped to the plate.

“Just looked at some mechanical things before the game and kind of used today as a training day to getting back to feeling good,” Bregman said. “And I was in the cage with [assistant hitting coach] Dillon [Lawson] for the majority of the game, just hitting and trying to get back in the right spot mechanically after being away for two months. Big credit to our hitting staff for noticing that and helping me out with it.”

While the day was punctuated by the late-game home runs, ace Garrett Crochet bought time for the offense to find itself, gutting his way through six strong innings in which he gave up one run on eight hits while walking two and striking out five. The lefty threw 100 pitches, 64 of them for strikes.

“Having that guy on our side every five days, [we had a] two-game losing streak, and he comes in and goes 100 pitches, six innings and gave us a chance to win,” Cora said. “That’s why we traded for him, and that's why we paid him the big bucks.”