NEW YORK — Christian Vázquez hit two more homers and Martín Pérez gave Boston’s patchwork rotation a much-needed lift Thursday night, leading the Red Sox to a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets.
Pérez (1-1) overcame four walks and some shaky defense behind him, allowing only two hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings for his first win with the Red Sox. The left-hander signed a $6.5 million, one-year contract as a free agent in December.
Vázquez connected twice off Steven Matz (0-1), including a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch in the fourth that put Boston ahead 3-2 and left a frustrated Matz shaking his head.
Boston loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth and added an insurance run when Edwin Díaz hit José Peraza with a pitch.
Heath Hembree worked out of trouble in the seventh, and Matt Barnes did the same in the eighth. Brandon Workman, on the mound for the third straight day after throwing 30 pitches Wednesday, got three outs for his second save — both in the last two nights.
Workman whiffed slugger Pete Alonso with a runner on second to end a game that took 3 hours, 49 minutes.
The Mets, who went 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position Wednesday, stranded nine overall this time.
The Red Sox have won two in a row following a four-game skid. They split four consecutive games against the Mets, with the road team winning each one.
Vázquez hit a leadoff shot to left field in the second. His only other multihomer game in the majors came last September at Philadelphia. He joined Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk (1973) as the only Red Sox catchers to hit four home runs in the first seven games of a season.
Vázquez also launched a tying home run in the seventh inning Wednesday night and a two-run single in the eighth that helped Boston rally for a 6-5 victory.
Jeff McNeil laced a two-run single off Pérez in the third to give the Mets a 2-1 lead.
NOTES: LHP Eduardo Rodríguez still isn’t close to being able to return from a heart condition he developed as a symptom of COVID-19. Boston Manager Ron Roenicke said Rodriguez hasn’t been cleared to start pitching again, and when he does it will take him time to get back into game shape. … 3B Rafael Devers and 1B Mitch Moreland were rested against the left-hander. Devers pinch hit in the ninth and struck out with the bases loaded against Díaz before remaining in the game and making a tough play at third for the first out of the bottom half.
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