BOSTON — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 9-3 win over the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park on Monday:
1) The Red Sox improved to 47-45. They have won four straight games.
2) Roman Anthony hit his first Fenway Park home run. It went 418 feet into the center field bleachers. His two-run blast — which left his bat at 106.4 mph — gave the Red Sox a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning. He connected on a 90.7 mph fastball from Rockies left-handed starter Austin Gomber. It came right after Romy Gonzalez tripled with two outs.
It was his second career home run. His first MLB homer came June 16 at Seattle.
3) Starter Richard Fitts earned his first major league win. The Red Sox have won his past two starts after losing his first 10 starts dating back to his MLB debut last Sept. 8.
He tossed 5 ⅔ innings and allowed three runs (two earned runs), five hits and one walk while striking out six.
Per the Red Sox, Fitts is one of 65 Red Sox pitchers all time to not have a winning decision within his first 11 career appearances. Among the group, he’s the only Red Sox pitcher in team history with more than nine starts.
4) Fitts’ 33 four-seam fastballs averaged 96.8 mph, up from an average of 95.6 mph this season. He topped out at 97.9 mph.
He got 14 swings and misses: eight with his slider (which he threw 35 times), five with his four-seamer and one with his curveball.
5) Wilyer Abreu was in the lineup against a left-handed starter for just the fifth time this season. He entered 8-for-36 (.222) against southpaws. But he ripped an RBI double off Gomber, a lefty, to tie the game 1-1 in the second inning.
6) Ceddanne Rafaela has homered in three straight games. His eighth-inning blast went an estimated 407 feet to left-center field, giving Boston an 8-3 lead.
7) Romy Gonzalez’s 454-foot home run is tied for the longest Fenway Park home run this season. Mike Trout also hit one 454 feet June 2. Gonzalez’s blast put Boston ahead 9-3 in the eighth inning.
8) Abraham Toro stayed hot with a two-run double in the second inning to put Boston ahead 3-1. He has 11 hits in his past 31 at-bats.
9) Jarren Duran recorded his first career pinch hit RBI when he singled home Anthony in the seventh inning to give Boston a 6-3 lead.
10) Carlos Narváez’s arm was the one area of his defensive game the Red Sox felt needed to improve when they acquired him from the Yankees in December. He entered Monday in the 98th percentile in caught stealing above average (5). He threw out Tyler Freeman trying to steal second base in the first inning, his MLB-leading 18th caught stealing.
11) The Red Sox and Rockies will play again Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. Righty Brayan Bello (4-3, 3.42 ERA) will start for Boston opposite lefty Kyle Freeland (1-9, 5.49 ERA). It will be the Red Sox’ fourth straight game facing a left-handed starter.
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