BOSTON (Interstat) -- Jarren Duran hit a three-run homer in the third inning, Jake Bennett earned the win in his major league debut and the Boston Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Friday night at Fenway Park. Duran’s blast to right-center field scored Carlos Narváez and Caleb Durbin, erasing a 1-0 Houston lead. Carlos Correa had given the Astros the advantage earlier in the third with a solo home run. Bennett (1-0) allowed five hits and one earned run over five innings, striking out three. Aroldis Chapman recorded his sixth save with a scoreless ninth. Houston’s Mike Burrows (1-4) took the loss, giving up three runs on eight hits in six innings. Roman Anthony, mired in a season-long slump, collected three hits for Boston, which improved to 13-19. The Astros fell to 12-21. Interim manager Chad Tracy won his first game at Fenway after replacing Alex Cora last weekend. Attendance was 34,630. Time of game was 2:26. The teams continue the series Saturday.

BOSTON (Interstat) — Jarren Duran hit a three-run homer in the third inning and Jake Bennett tossed five solid innings in his major league debut, leading the Boston Red Sox past the Houston Astros 3-1 on Friday night at Fenway Park. Carlos Correa homered for the Astros, who outhit the Red Sox 11-10 but could not overcome Duran’s blast. Bennett, making his first big league start, allowed one run on five hits while striking out three to earn the victory. The left-hander retired the side in order in the first and second innings before running into trouble in the third. Boston, which entered the game with a 12-19 record, snapped a two-game losing streak after returning from a 3-3 road trip. The Red Sox had lost the final two games of that trip before Friday’s win. Houston fell to 12-21 with the loss. The game remained scoreless through two innings. Boston’s Bennett worked around a two-out walk in the first and a double-play groundout in the second. Houston starter Mike Burrows allowed only a single to Brice Matthews in the second and was equally sharp early. Houston struck first in the top of the third. Correa led off by driving a 2-2 pitch from Bennett over the fence in left-center field for a solo home run, his third of the season, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead. Yordan Alvarez followed with a groundout, and Isaac Paredes singled sharply to left. But Christian Walker grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. The Red Sox answered immediately in the bottom of the third. Catcher Carlos Narváez drew a leadoff walk. Caleb Durbin singled to center, sending Narváez to third. Duran then stepped in and crushed a Bennett pitch to right-center field for a three-run homer, his second of the season, putting Boston ahead 3-1. Duran’s homer scored Narváez and Durbin. The Red Sox added a single from Willson Contreras and a single from Roman Anthony, but Wilyer Abreu grounded into a double play to end the inning. Burrows settled down after that, retiring the Astros in order in the fourth and fifth innings. Burrows took the loss, falling to 1-4. He went six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Bennett improved to 1-0. Boston’s bullpen held the lead after Bennett exited. Zack Kelly worked 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth, giving up two hits but stranding a runner. Danny Coulombe recorded one out in the eighth before giving way to Aroldis Chapman. Chapman earned his sixth save with a perfect ninth. He struck out one and allowed one hit, a double by Correa that represented Houston’s final threat. Houston had multiple opportunities to cut into the lead. In the sixth, the Astros put runners on first and second with one out after Paredes singled and Jose Altuve reached on a soft grounder. But Yainer Diaz flied out to center and Cam Smith struck out swinging to end the inning. In the eighth, Houston threatened again. Christian Walker led off with a single, and Altuve popped out. Diaz doubled to center, putting runners at second and third with one out. Smith popped out to first base, ending the inning. Correa led the Astros with three hits, including the homer and a double. He drove in the only Houston run. Yainer Diaz added two hits, including a double. Paredes had two singles. For Boston, Roman Anthony had three hits, raising his average after a slow start. He entered the game hitting .208. Anthony doubled in the fifth and singled in the eighth. Boston’s win came under interim manager Chad Tracy, who replaced fired manager Alex Cora last weekend. Tracy earned his first Fenway Park victory. The Red Sox had lost three straight at home before Friday. The Astros dropped to 2-4 on their current road trip. They lost the opener of the three-game series, but had won the season series against Boston earlier in the year. The two teams met three times at Minute Maid Park from March 30 to April 1, with Houston sweeping that series. Houston’s offense has struggled recently. The Astros averaged 4.3 runs in their previous 10 games before Friday. Boston’s pitching staff had allowed 5.2 runs per game over its last 10. The game featured strong defensive plays. In the second inning, Boston’s Marcelo Mayer started a double play to erase a Trevor Story single. In the fourth, Houston’s defense turned a double play to end a Boston threat. In the sixth, Boston’s defense turned a double play to extinguish a potential rally. The total attendance was 34,630. The game lasted 2 hours, 26 minutes. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Boston 4, Houston 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Boston with a 57.40 percent probability to win. Houston had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 4 went over the over/under line of 9.

BOSTON (Interstat) — The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, two teams saddled with identical 12-19 records, open a three-game series Friday at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT. The forecast calls for clouds and a game-time temperature near 52 degrees. Houston right-hander Peter Lambert is expected to start for the Astros. Lambert (1-1) has posted a 2.35 ERA over his last two outings, including a six-inning, three-hit shutout in a win at Cleveland on April 22. In his most recent appearance Thursday, a no-decision in Houston’s 11-5 victory at Baltimore, he allowed two earned runs over 4 1/3 innings. The Red Sox will counter with an as-yet-unnamed starter. Boston catcher Willson Contreras enters the game swinging a hot bat. Over his last four games, he has two home runs and eight RBIs, including a 2-for-4 performance with a homer in Wednesday’s 8-1 loss at Toronto. Contreras is hitting .286 over his past seven games. The series marks the second meeting between the clubs this season. Houston swept a three-game set in Houston from March 30-April 1, outscoring Boston 23-7. The Astros won the most recent matchup 6-4 on April 1. Houston snapped a two-game skid with Thursday’s win in Baltimore, a game in which catcher Christian Vázquez went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Boston, meanwhile, has lost four of its last six. The Red Sox were held to one run in each of their last two games against the Blue Jays. Both teams are looking to climb out of the American League cellar. A simulation by Interstat projects a 4-3 Boston win. Following Friday’s game, the teams play again Saturday and Sunday. The Astros then return home for a three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers, while the Red Sox travel to Detroit for a three-game series against the Tigers.