Jarren Duran didn’t hide from the moment after Thursday night’s sixth inning unraveling in Boston’s 5-4 win over the Athletics. He owned the frustration, and he owned the language that came with it.
The Red Sox outfielder blew up after a failed sacrifice fly attempt left Willson Contreras held at third base on a ball that traveled just 245 feet. Duran was seen yelling and gesturing toward Contreras and interim third base coach Chad Epperson, with the frustration spilling over in the dugout as the inning ended scoreless.
Contreras, who later delivered the game-winning home run in the eighth, said afterward that he wasn’t taking Duran’s reaction personally.
"I saw him doing some stuff, but I would not take that personally. I love the guy, and we need the guy here. We need his energy, and I don't know, I haven't talked to him yet, but it's nothing personal," Contreras said postgame, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne.
Duran, meanwhile, didn’t try to dress up what was clearly a rough night. He’s in the middle of a down season, hitting .195/.252/.337 after receiving downballot MVP votes just two seasons ago, and he said that slump has been weighing on him.
"Yeah, I f-----g suck," Duran said. "Of course I'm pissed at myself. I can't even do a f-----g job for this team."
He also said the play itself was "nothing." Duran added that people didn’t need to know the details and said it was something the team works on.
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