HOUSTON - All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 5-4 win over the Astros, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Price adds another quality start: David Price may not have been the equal to Justin Verlander, but he turned in a strong effort, limiting the Astros to three runs over six innings. He yielded a run-scoring triple to left-center to Marwin Gonzalez in the second, then a two-run homer to Alex Bregman in the third. After that, Price was almost perfect. "This is a place where I've had some success,'' said Price, "and a team I've had some success against. So I just went out there and tried to execute pitches and take it one pitch at a time.'' Price was particularly effective with his two-seam fastball, which got him a number of groundouts and some weak contact on some swings. "He's competing,'' said Cora. "That's a tough lineup over there. You've got to be very precise, you've got to be good. And he was good tonight.''
Martinez puts on a clinic: J.D. Martinez twice came to the plate with a runner on second base in the first six innings, and twice drove tough pitches from Verlander into right-center, delivering the first two runs of the night for the Red Sox. Both times, Verlander came inside to him in an attempt to tie him up, but Martinez is expert at fighting off inside pitches and driving them to the right of second base. The two run-scoring singles boosted Martinez's RBI total to 50 for the season.
Benintendi continues to set the tone at the top: With Mookie Betts sidelined since last weekend and on the DL until at least the end of next week, the job of leadoff hitter has been given to Andrew Benintendi, who has gotten on base regularly while continuing to provide extra-base pop from the top, as Betts had been doing. Benintendi had begun to turn his season around at the plate even before Betts went down with his abdominal injury, but the ability to provide some power in the leadoff position has eased the loss of Betts. Over his last 16 games, Betts has six homers and a slugging percentage of .737.
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TURNING POINT
After the Astros went up 3-1 with a two-run homer from Alex Bregman, it looked like another long night for the Red Sox. But David Price settled down and retired 12 of the next 13 hitters he faced -- the only baserunner against him came via a walk -- and kept the game closer, buying time for the Sox to build their seventh-inning comeback.
TWO UP
Christian Vazquez: Vazquez hadn't homered all season, but in the seventh inning, with the Sox down by a run, the catcher absolutely crushed a pitch from Will Harris, off the façade behind the seats in left, tying the game.
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Craig Kimbrel: Kimbrel was supremely efficient in the ninth protecting a one-run lead, needing just 11 pitches to retire the Astros in order, with strikeouts recorded.
ONE DOWN
Rafael Devers: The third baseman continues to spiral downward at the plate, with an 0-for-4 night that featured three swinging strikeouts and an infield popup.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Two or three times a game, I try. But I just got lucky on this one.''
— Brock Holt, who called Benintendi's two-run homer into the second deck in right moments before it happened.''
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Jackie Bradley Jr. saw his seven-game hitting streak come to an end.
- The Sox have now won each of Price's last five starts.
- The game marked the fourth time this season the Red Sox have come back to win when trailing after six innings.
- Boston improved to 25-3 when scoring the first run.
- The homer by Vazquez snapped a streak of 52 homerless games, covering 181 at-bats.