The Red Sox wasted a terrific start from David Price, as their bullpen failed to hold a 2-0 lead, falling to the Houston Astros 6-3.
Ryan Brasier allowed two inherited runners and one of his own to score as the Astros overtook the Sox 3-2 in the seventh. After the Red Sox came back to tie it 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single from J.D. Martinez, things got worse.
Joe Kelly yielded four hits, a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch to the first five hitters in the eighth as the Astros scored three times.
Price, making his first start in more than a week after injuring his left wrist, allowed just two hits in 6.1 innings, striking out 10 and walking two.
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
10:19 Hard to imagine a worse inning than the one turned in by Joe Kelly, who allows four hits, a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch to the first five hitters he faced.
10:11 A little surprised that the Astros sent George Springer there, with the bases loaded and no out. Ball was hit to shallow right and Mookie Betts had time to set himself for the throw. But Houston made the right call, as throw home was off-line some and Springer scored easily.
9:40 This is what concerns people when it comes to the Red Sox bullpen: Brasier entered in a big high-leverage spot and promptly allowed to run-scoring doubles in the span of three hitters and just seven pitches, turning a 2-0 lead into a 3-2 deficit.
9:27 That's it for Price, who leaves runners at first and second with one out for Ryan Brasier. This was among the best starts by any Red Sox starter this season.
8:40 A terrific offensive season for Xander Bogaerts continues. He belts his 20th homer of the season into the center field bleachers, leaving him one shy of his career high of 21, set in 2016. And that gives him 90 RBI, topping his previous career high of 89, also set in 2016.
8:03 It doesn't appear as though David Price is having any difficulty in returning after missing a start. It's his first start in more than week, but Price has looked sharp through three innings, with six strikeouts and one hit allowed. Four of the six strikeouts have been called, with Price showing pinpoint command with his fastball.
7:55 Credit to Gerrit Cole, who had to wait out a 13-minute delay before the start of the bottom of the second (thanks to a chance of umpires, with Brian O'Nora having taken a foul ball to the mask and leaving the game), but came back and got three outs in the span of eight pitches.
7:25 It doesn't take long for the Red Sox to scratch out a run: a leadoff single by Mookie Betts, a nicely-executive hit-and-run with Andrew Benintendi slashing an opposite-field single to left as Betts takes third and a first-pitch sacrifice fly to right by J.D. Martinez. Red Sox are 64-11 when they score first
WHO: Red Sox vs. Houston Astros
WHEN: 7:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox are coming off a 5-2 road trip, having split with the White Sox and swept the Braves. They stand at 97 wins, and have a magic number of four to clinch a playoff spot, while the magic number to clinch first place stands at 13. The Sox have won seven of their last nine and sit three games away from their first 100-win season in 72 years. Of the 21 games remaining on the schedule, 15 are at Fenway, where the Sox have compiled a .727 winning percentage (48-18). The two teams last met at the end of May, with the Sox earning a split of a four-game series at Minute Maid Park...Tonight marks the return to the starting rotation of David Price, who was skipped in his last start having being struck on the left wrist in his last start on Aug. 29. Price will be making his second start of the season against the Astros. He got a win on June 2 in Houston when he six innings and allowed three runs. The Sox have won each of his last nine starts and are 10-0 in his last 10 Fenway starts...The Sox have been surehanded of late, with just one error in their last nine games and only three in the last 17...Boston comes into the game leading MLB in runs, runs per games, average, slugging, OPS, doubles and extra-base hits. Meanwhile, Mookie Betts leads the majors in WAR and batting average and is second in runs, OBP, slugging and OPS. With his next homer, he can become only the second Red Sox leadoff hitter to reach 30 homers...With his next homer, J.D. Martinez can become just the fourth Red Sox player to hit 40 homers in his first season with the team. He leads MLB in RBI, hits, slugging percentage and total bases...Astros starter Gerrit Cole ranks second in strikeouts and fourth in opponent batting average. He beat the Sox on June 1 when he went seven innings and allowed three runs on four hits...Houston has won five straight and is 12-3 over his last 15. The Astros own the best road record in baseball (47-21, .691).
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP David Price (14-6, 3.60) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (13-5, 2.86)
TV/RADIO: NESN, MLBN/WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Betts RF
Benintendi LF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Moreland 1B
Kinsler 2B
Nunez 3B
Leon C
Bradley CF
ASTROS
Springer RF
Altuve 2B
Bregman 3B
Correa SS
White DH
Gurriel 1B
Reddick LF
Maldonado C
Marisnick CF
NEWS AND NOTES
- The Red Sox announced that Dustin Pedroia would not return to action this season. "We went through all the steps during the whole year, but we ran out of time,'' said Alex Cora. The Sox also revealed that Pedroia underwent a previously undisclosed arthroscopic surgery to clean out scar tissue at the end of July.
- Chris Sale will return to the mound Tuesday at the Red Sox' ''opener'' - scheduled to throw two innings or about 40 pitches. He'll then pitch three innings five days later as he comes back -- a second time -- from mild shoulder inflammation.
- The Sox will have infielder Brandon Phillips take some ground balls at first base this week to try to expand his versatility.
- Brian Johnson appears have to have been moved to the bullpen on a permanent basis, as the Sox attempt to see whether he can be utilized as a matchup lefty in relief.