Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered to back a strong start by Jon Lester, and the struggling Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Saturday.
The Red Sox could breathe a little easier after dropping eight of the previous 11, even if things got tight toward the end.
Saltalamacchia had two hits, including a two-run homer off Jeff Samardzija in the fourth, and Boston was sailing along with a 4-0 lead when the Cubs made their push.
Luis Valbuena belted a three-run homer in the seventh inning for his first hit with Chicago, but the rally stalled.
