PHILADELPHIA — Instant reactions as the Red Sox (55-49) fight and claw to a landmark, sweep-avoiding 9-8 victory in a back-and-forth, dramatic game in which Carlos Narváez won it with a two-run homer in the top of the 11th inning:

Wilyer Abreu homered twice and drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 to avoid a series sweep.

BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox. Chicago is 31-16 at home and 58-39 overall. The Cubs have a 44-7 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.

Anyone who has watched Alex Bregman’s first seven games back in the Red Sox lineup can see clearly that he’s not 100%. In the eyes of the club, that’s the price that has to be paid for his accelerated return.

Chicago Cubs rookie Cade Horton Horton left Sunday’s game in the sixth inning with a 1-0 lead, but the Cubs lost 6-1. It was Horton’s fourth no-decision of the season.

The Under is 2-0-1 in the last 3 matchups between the Red Sox and Cubs. Boston has been trending low, with the Under hitting in 5 of its last 6 games. Chicago has also leaned Under, going 6-1-1 in its last 8 contests. With Crochet on the mound, the Under has cashed in 4 of his last 6 starts. Stick with the trend.

All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 26th homer, one of five solo shots for the Cubs to back seven sharp innings by Shota Imanaga, and Chicago beat the Boston Red Sox 6-0.

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne's Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.