HOUSTON -- All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 4-2 loss to the Astros, complete with BSJ analysis and insight.
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Pomeranz improves, but not enough: The pitching line may not wow anyone -- 5 innings, six hits allowed, four earned runs scored -- but lefty starter Drew Pomeranz took a modest step forward. After allowing 12 runs in his last three starts, covering 11.1 innings, Pomeranz showed a much better curveball and had better average velocity on all of his pitches. When he needed to, he pumped fastballs past Marwin Gonzalez and Jose Altuve, no easy feat. "I obviously didn't get the results I wanted,'' said Pomeranz. "But the curveball felt really good and I felt like I was locating the ball a lot better. I guess that's the small positive I take out of today. As a whole, I think it was a pretty big improvement from the last few (outings).'' Of the six hits allowed by Pomeranz, three didn't leave the infield.
Pedroia scratched last-minute: The doctor said there'd be days like these, and Dustin Pedroia experienced one Thursday. When he went out to do his pre-game work, Pedroia felt some discomfort in his surgically-repaired left knee, and it was decided to hold him out of the lineup. "I've got to be honest with them right now,'' said Pedroia. "This is part of it, so we can catch it before I have to be down for a while. This is part of it. They knew this was going to happen on certain days and today was one of those days. It's just hard going through it.'' Pedroia's surgery involved a major reconstruction of his knee -- this was no arthroscopic repair of a torn ligament -- and setbacks are to be expected. With Pedroia out, the Sox moved Brock Holt in from the outfield -- where he's been playing in place of Mookie Betts -- and put him at second, with Blake Swihart taking over in right.
Red Sox hit 'em where Marisnick was: The Red Sox were outhit 7-6 by the Astros, but probably barreled up more balls than the home team. It was simply their misfortune to hit a number of balls within range of Houston center fielder Jake Marisnick. In the top of the fifth, Blake Swihart pasted a ball into the left-center corner, but Marisnick ranged over the glove it. In the eighth, with Andrew Benintendi on first, Mitch Moreland hit a ball right on the screws, but Marisnick raced back the edge of the warning track in straightaway center to haul it in. Finally, in the ninth, with the potential tying run on first and two out, Swihart again nearly got all of a pitch and drove it to deep to center -- but couldn't get it past Marisnick, who made the catch for the game's final out. "He's one of the best in the game,'' sighed Alex Cora.
SECOND GUESS
Andrew Benintendi continued to run the bases with abandon. From first base, he took on a double to left by Bogaerts and ran right through a stop sign put up by third base coach Carlos Febles. On a bang-bang play at the plate, Benintendi was ruled safe and that call was upheld on a replay challenge. But with the Red Sox' two hottest hitters due next -- Moreland and J.D. Martinez -- and just one out, Benintendi would have been better off holding at third.
https://twitter.com/MLBReplays/status/1002362060183728128
TWO UP
Xander Bogaerts: The Red Sox shortstop continued to drive the ball for power, belting a hard-hit double to left-center in the third, accounting for the only two Red Sox runs of the night. He's slugging .519 for the season.
Steven Wright: Yes, there were three walks (one of which was intentional), but Wright continued to be effective out of the bullpen, giving the Red Sox three more scoreless innings in relief.
ONE DOWN
Mitch Moreland: Moreland has been arguably the Red Sox' most consistent hitter in recent weeks, but took a rare 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It obviously sucks to lose that game and give up those runs, but I've to take positives moving forward.''
— Drew Pomeranz.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Bogaerts extended his on-base streak to 16 games.
- Over those 16 games, Bogaerts has 12 RBI
- Wright extended his scoreless streak to nine-consecutive innings.
- Jackie Bradley Jr. extended his hitting streak to six games.
- The Red Sox added three more doubles to their MLB-leading total of 132.