David Price didn’t get his first postseason win, but he and four other Red Sox pitchers were good enough to stymie the Astros and help give Boston a must-have 7-5 victory in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series to even it at 1-1 going back to Houston.
Price was lifted one out shy of registering his first postseason win as a starter (0-9). In 4.2 innings, Price allowed four runs on five hits. All of them came with two outs — an RBI double by George Springer and a two-run homer by Marwin Gonzalez. Price then retired five in a row but was lifted with two outs in the fifth inning. It was, however, the first time his team won one of his postseason starts.
Matt Barnes (1.1 IP), Ryan Brasier (1.0) and Rick Porcello (1.0) pitched 3.1 hitless innings with only one walk. Porcello was especially effective.
Craig Kimbrel gave up back-to-back hits and a run in the ninth, but got the save.
Offensively, the Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead with RBI singles from Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers in the first.
Jackie Bradley had a three-run double in the third to give the Red Sox the lead for good. They padded the lead when Mookie Betts scored on a passed ball in the seventh, and his RBI double in the eighth.
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Top of the ninth
Craig Kimbrel coming in.
Pinch-hitter Gattis pops out to second.
Reddick strikes out.
Springer doubles and goes to third on wild pitch.
Altuve with an RBI single. RUN: Red Sox 7, Astros 5.
Bregman flies out to deep left.
GAME OVER.
Bottom of the eighth.
Devers singles on the first pitch.
Kinsler with a terrible swing on his third strikeout.
Bradley strikes out.
Moreland, pinch-hitting for Vazquez, singles to right.
Rondon in.
Betts finally breaks through with an RBI double to right center. RUN: Red Sox 7, Astros 4.
Tony Sipp in.
Benintendi flies out.
Top of the eighth
Porcello entering the game.
Nice play by Pearce and Porcello on a tough one in the first base hole.
Porcello, at his nasty best, whiffs Gonzalez and Correa.
https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1051660095296327680
Bottom of the seventh
McCullers in.
Betts walks. Look for the Red Sox to be aggressive on the basepaths now.
Benintendi strikeout/wild pitch advances Betts.
Passed ball moves Betts to third.
Wow, Martinez strikes out with a runner on third and less than two outs. WOW.
Well, he's bailed out when another passed ball scores Betts. You don't see that very often. Walk, wild pitch, passed ball, passed ball. What is this, Little League? RUN: Red Sox 6, Astros 4.
Josh James in the game.
Bogaerts walks on four pitches.
Pearce grounds out.
Top of the seventh
Ryan Brasier coming into pitch.
From the Red Sox: "Red Sox LHP Chris Sale reported a stomach illness today and was admitted to MGH for observation this afternoon. He will be kept overnight for evaluation and any further updates will be released when available."
Springer flies out to right.
After a long at-bat, Altuve lines out to center.
Rick Porcello is warming.
Bregman walks for the third time in this game, sixth in one-plus games. Ends string of six-straight Astros retired.
Gurriel grounds out to short.
Springer doubles and goes to third on wild pitch.
Bottom of the sixth
Kinsler 0 for 3 after a groundout.
Bradley eventually retired after a bit of a circus involving an overruled ball in play.
Vazquez grounds out.
That's 10-straight Sox retired.
Top of the sixth
Correa grounds out to short.
Maldonado pops out.
Reddick is robbed on a great backhand by Devers.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1051646391406088193
Bottom of the fifth
Bregman makes another great play to retire Bogaerts.
Pearce strikes out quickly.
Devers taps out.
Seven-straight Sox retired by Cole.
Top of fifth
Nice play by Devers to nip Altuve at first.
Bregman walks for the second time in the game and the fifth time in 1.5 games.
Price goes to 3-0 on White. ... Ball four.
That's it for Price. Barnes coming in. Price now can't win the game, even if he's leaving with the lead.
Barnes strikes out Gonzalez to leave two stranded.
Bottom of the fourth
Betts grounds out weakly to the pitcher.
And then two fly outs to center. Sox have their own three up, three down.
Top of the fourth
Maldonado strikes out.
Reddick lines out.
Pop out to right.
Three-up, three down for Price. 64 pitches/43 strikes.
Bottom of the third
Martinez strikes out, which actually surprises me each time it happens.
Bogaerts singles as he tries to make up for his miscue.
Pearce hits a double off the wall that bounces Gonzalez off it. Second and third, one out.
Devers walks to load the bases again.
Kinsler strikes out AGAIN on three pitches. Brutal.
Bradley bails out Kinsler by doubling down the left-field line to score three runs and the Red Sox get the lead. RUNS: Red Sox 5, Astros 4.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1051632084199100423
Vazquez strikes out.
Top of the third
Bregman fouls out.
Gurriel singles.
White flies out to right.
Price's arm slot is starting to get a little lower. That's why he has control issues and leaves the ball up.
Price leaves a few up and Gonzalez homers to left. RUNS: Astros 4, Red Sox 2.
https://twitter.com/DingerTracker/status/1051626779755069441
Correa flies out on another ball left up.
Bottom of the second
Back-to-back flyouts to center to start.
Benintendi flies out right in front of The Wall.
Top of the second
Price continues to work ahead and gets Gonzalez to ground out to second.
Ball in third base hole, Bogaerts took his time and Correa beat it out. Not sure why Bogaerts basically looked at the ball, took a crow hop and then threw.
Maldonado blisters a ball down the LF line for a double. Second and third, one out.
Reddick pops out.
Springer does it again ... muscles a two-out double to right field to score two. Bogaerts' boner looks even worse now. RUNS: Red Sox 2, Astros 2.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1051622130750763008
Altuve strikes out.
Bottom of the first
Betts rips a double off the wall in dead center.
https://twitter.com/MLBBarrelAlert/status/1051615734462332928
Benintendi quickly follows with an RBI single to right center. RUN: Red Sox 1, Astros 0.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1051616832593977344
Martinez is the third-straight batter to hit the ball hard off of Cole, but it's right at Altuve at second.
Bogaerts hits a tapper back to Cole but he throws it over first and into the camera well. Second and third, one out.
Four-pitch walk to Pearce to load the bases.
After a close possible strike three, Devers bounces an RBI single to left. RUN: Red Sox 2, Astros 0.
Kinsler goes down on three pitches. Can't catch up the 99 mph heat.
Colin McHugh, who pitched the ninth last night, warming for Houston.
Bradley bounces out to second. Good start for the Sox all around.
Top of the first
First pitch is a ball, high and away, but Price comes back and gets Springer to pop out.
Gets ahead 1-2 on Altuve. Price loses and walks him.
The good thing so far is that Price is not being afraid to throw inside. He just hasn't spotted it great yet.
Bregman walks as well. ... Not again for these Red Sox pitchers.
Finally gets the inside corner with the heater ... Gurriel takes strike three.
With the crowd on its feet, Price strikes out White. Two walks, but back-to-back strikeouts in the inning. Fenway is pumped.
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- Alex Cora changed up three spots in the lineup from Game 1 to Game 2, sitting Eduardo Nunez (3B), Brock Holt (2B) and Sandy Leon (C) and replacing them, respectively, Rafael Devers, Ian Kinsler and Christian Vazquez. "I feel like Ian, the last two games, he put up good at-bats and obviously, defensively, he's a plus for us,'' said Cora. "I feel like he can get one of those breaking balls up in the zone and hit it off The Monster, you know? He can put pressure on them, if he gets on, to run. With Raffy, it's kind of the same deal. He only had three at-bats against (Cole) this year. He put up good at-bats against (Luis) Severino. We know how talented he is, the upside of him. Hopefully, he stays disciplined and can put good swings on the ball and get on base.
- As for the change behind the plate, it was pointed out that Price had actually pitched better with Leon catching over Vazquez, but Cora said noted that the Sox can be "creative'' when it comes to pinch-hitting in big spots. "Christian caught him last year,'' said Cora, "and they're comfortable. It's just a matter of sticking with the game plan, make him go to spots where he can be successful and maneuver the game for five or six innings, hopefully seven.''
- Cora remained mum on his Game 3 starter -- it will be either Rick Porcello or Nathan Eovaldi -- noting "we're all in'' for Game 2, with either available out of the bullpen if necessary.
- Mitch Moreland (hamstring) is "coming along,'' according to Cora, and will start one or some of the games in Houston.
- Cora cleared up some confusion about the challenge of Houston catcher Martin Maldonado's glove in Game 1, saying that didn't come from the Red Sox dugout, but rather the umpiring crew.