HOUSTON -- All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 9-3 win over the Astros, complete with BSJ analysis and insight.
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Porcello turns in one of his better efforts: It looked like it might be a rough night for starter Rick Porcello, who yielded a solo homer to George Springer, the first hitter he faced. But that was the only run Porcello allowed over the first six innings. The Astros managed two against him in the seventh when he was lifted, but one was unearned. In between, Porcello pitched aggressively and issued just one walk until the seventh. His most impressive inning came in the third, when, thanks to an error and a walk, the Astros had two on and nobody out and the heart of the lineup due. But Porcello attacked the strike zone, mixing in his two-seamer with some breaking pitches and struck out Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, and Carlos Correa on 12 pitches to strand two baserunners. "That was a big inning, obviously,'' said Porcello. "Had some pressure coming in with those guys in the lineup, but we got some big outs. That could have been a momentum shifter so it was nice to shut them down with that threat.''
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Even in victory, the Sox were sloppy: Given the green light by their manager to be more aggressive this weekend, the Sox took things a little too far. Xander Bogaerts attempted to tag up -- way too late -- to advance to third on a flyout to deep center in the third and was thrown out. Later, Mitch Moreland appeared to slow up some after rounding first on a ball he hit into the left-field corner in the eighth, then made the fateful decision to try to stretch his single into a double, only to be cut down at second. And the problems weren't restricted to the basepaths: Moreland backed up on a groundout for an error in the third, and Eduardo Nunez, filling in at third for the night as Rafael Devers got the night off, butchered a chopper in the seventh, helping to lead to an unearned run for the Astros.
Martinez experiences back spasms: The Red Sox have dealt with enough injury setbacks this week and don't need another one, which is why it was concerning when Sam Travis hit for J.D. Martinez in the top of the ninth with two runners in scoring position. Ordinarily, Alex Cora would want Martinez up to add on to the four-run lead. As it turned out, there was a logical explanation: Martinez was experiencing back spasms. Cora said it wasn't related to any particular play or swing, but likely the result of the grind of the season. "Traveling, the workload the last few days, flying all the way here ... probably that's why,'' said Cora. "I told him, 'Hey man, we're up four, we've got the best closer in the game. If we can't shut it down without you, we don't deserve to win the game.''' As a bonus, Travis came through with a two-run single of his own, and with the day off Monday, Cora expects Martinez to be back in the lineup Tuesday night at home.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox led 3-1 in the sixth, but against Houston, that didn't feel entirely secure. So, in the sixth, Brock Holt's triple to straightaway center, scoring Mitch Moreland and Eduardo Nunez, opened the game nice and wide for the Red Sox and a batter later, Houston starter Charlie Morton was out.
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TWO UP
Brock Holt: Getting more regular playing time with both Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia on the DL, Holt has made the most of the chances. On Sunday, he had a two-run triple and a run-scoring single, giving him three RBI.
Matt Barnes: Barnes inherited two baserunners in the seventh, but recorded two quick outs to end the Astros' threat, then contributed a 1-2-3 eighth inning to get the ball to closer Craig Kimbrel.
ONE DOWN
Jackie Bradley: Bradley has been on the upswing at the plate over the last 10 days, but Sunday represented a step backward, as he had difficulty making contact (three strikeouts) during an 0-for-4 night.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"It felt like we needed to punch back a little bit.''
— Rick Porcello on the Sox getting a split after dropping the first two games of the series.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Bogaerts extended his on-base streak to 19-straight games.
- Holt's triple was his first since Aug. 18, 2015.
- Over the last 18 games, Andrew Benintendi has seven homers and an .821 slugging percentage.
- Porcello became the third American League pitcher to notch his eighth win this season.
- The Sox improved to 16-3 in series finales.
- Boston hasn't lost a series in its last five, going 4-0-1.