NEW YORK (Interstat) — Eduardo Rivera pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings and Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida each hit two-run homers as the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Mets 4-0 on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field. Rivera allowed one hit and struck out three. Danny Coulombe, Jovani Morán, Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert combined for 5 1/3 innings of relief, allowing two hits and striking out five. Morán earned the win, improving to 2-2. Freddy Peralta, who struck out six, took the loss, falling to 5-8, after giving up two runs on three hits over 4 1/3 innings. Monasterio homered in the fourth inning, scoring Caleb Durbin. Yoshida added a similar blast in the eighth, also driving in Durbin. Boston collected six hits, while New York managed three. Rivera was named the game’s top performer. The Red Sox improved to 45-48, the Mets dropped to 40-56. The game, played before 38,371 fans, lasted 2 hours, 57 minutes. Boston has won two straight after taking Friday’s opener 6-2.

NEW YORK (Interstat) — Eduardo Rivera pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings, and Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida each hit two-run home runs as the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Mets 4-0 on Saturday evening at Citi Field. The Red Sox have won seven consecutive games and improved to 45-48. The Mets fell to 40-56. Boston also won the series opener 6-2 on Friday. Rivera, the top star for Boston, allowed one hit, struck out three and walked none in his shortest outing of the season. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 3.18 with his second win against two losses. Monasterio opened the scoring in the fourth inning. With one out and Caleb Durbin on second after a walk, Monasterio drove a 1-1 fastball from Mets starter Freddy Peralta over the left-field wall for his fifth home run of the season. Durbin had reached on a walk earlier in the inning. Peralta (5-8) allowed three hits and two earned runs over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking four. He threw 52 balls and 8 strikes in his outing, part of a afternoon when Mets pitchers combined for only eight strikes. The Mets mounted little threat against Boston’s bullpen. Danny Coulombe tossed two hitless innings. Jovani Morán, the winning pitcher, worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out one. Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert each pitched one inning, combining for four strikeouts while allowing two hits. Boston added two insurance runs in the eighth inning. Durbin led off with a single to left field, and Yoshida followed by launching a fly ball to right field that cleared the wall for his third home run of the season. The homer came off a Mets reliever and gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead. The Mets’ offense managed only three hits all night. Jorge Polanco singled in the fourth inning, and Francisco Alvarez singled in the fifth and seventh innings. Alvarez also walked in the ninth inning, but the Mets stranded eight runners and went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position. New York’s best scoring chance came in the seventh inning. With two outs, Eric Wagaman walked and Alvarez singled to right field. Bo Bichette then walked to load the bases, but A.J. Ewing was called out on strikes on a pitch that was confirmed after a challenge, ending the inning. Boston’s defense also turned a key double play in the eighth. After Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor drew consecutive walks to start the inning, Carson Benge flied to right field, advancing Soto to third. Jorge Polanco then grounded to third baseman Caleb Durbin, who started a 5-4-3 double play that ended the threat. The game lasted 2 hours 57 minutes in front of 38,371 fans at Citi Field. Boston’s winning streak is its longest of the season. The Red Sox have outscored opponents 45-14 during the seven-game run. Monasterio finished 2 for 3 with the home run, a triple and two RBIs. Yoshida went 1 for 3 with the home run and two RBIs. Durbin reached base three times with a single, a walk and a hit by pitch, scoring twice. For the Mets, Freddy Peralta took the loss. Relievers A.J. Minter, Huascar Brazobán and others combined for two innings of one-hit relief. The Mets have lost four of their last five games and are 9-20 in their past 29 contests. Boston next faces the Mets in the series finale Sunday before returning home for a six-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles. The Mets travel to Philadelphia for a three-game series starting Friday. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Boston Red Sox 7, New York Mets 6. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Boston with a 53.60 percent probability to win. The Mets 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 8.5.

AP Sports Preview NEW YORK (Interstat) — The Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, two teams mired in the bottom of their respective divisions, meet Saturday afternoon at Citi Field. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. under cloudy skies with temperatures around 85 degrees. Boston (43-48) enters the second game of this interleague series riding a wave of momentum. The Red Sox have won five straight games, including a 2-0 shutout of the Mets on Friday night. Their recent surge has been fueled by a pitching staff that has allowed just one run over the past three games combined. Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (3-8, 4.87 ERA) will start for Boston. Sandoval is coming off a strong outing Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, earning the win after allowing one earned run over 4 1/3 innings in a 2-1 victory. He struck out five and scattered five hits. New York (40-54) counters with lefty Sean Manaea (4-9, 5.10 ERA). Manaea’s season has been defined by inconsistency. He tossed seven innings of two-run ball in a win over Kansas City on Thursday, striking out six. But in his prior start, he was roughed up for six earned runs in five innings against Atlanta. Manaea has allowed three or more earned runs in four of his past six outings. The Mets offense has shown signs of life recently, scoring 25 runs during a three-game sweep of Kansas City before Friday’s shutout loss. Tyrone Taylor homered and Jared Young drove in a run in Thursday’s 7-3 win over the Royals. Boston’s bullpen has been a strength during this winning streak. Closer Aroldis Chapman threw a scoreless inning Thursday against Chicago, and the Red Sox have allowed a combined one run over the last three games out of the bullpen. A simulation by Interstat projects a 7-5 Boston victory. The Red Sox have won eight of their last 10 games overall. Their only losses in that span came against Washington. The Mets have split their last 10 games. Following Saturday’s contest, the teams conclude the series Sunday afternoon. Boston then returns home for a six-game homestand against Tampa Bay and Baltimore. The Mets head to Philadelphia for a three-game series starting Friday.