In a tie game in the seventh, Xander Bogaerts doubled home Mookie Betts, giving the Red Sox a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros, avoiding a sweep for the Sox. The win also snapped a two-game losing streak.
Two innings earlier, Bogaerts had drove in Betts when his windblown popup in shallow right managed to fall in. Two batters earlier, Michael Chavis had cranked his eighth homer of the year over everything in left, measured at 420 feet.
The Astros scored three runs off Chris Sale, who lasted 5.1 innings and issued five walks. A two-run homer into the center field bleachers by Carlos Correa was the big blow off the lefty.
WHO: Red Sox vs. Houston Astros
WHEN: 1:05 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: Houston 2-0
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP Chris Sale (1-5. 4.24) vs. LHP Wade Miley (4-2, 3.51)
TV/RADIO: NESN/WEEI 93.7 FM
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
4:40 Epic 11-pitch at-bat between Matt Barnes and Correa, won by Barnes who gets Correa to swing through a curveball for the first out of the inning.
3:51 Mixed start for Sale, who leaves after 5.1 IP, having given up three runs. He walked five and hit a batter with 10 strikeouts.
3:34 Red Sox get some help from the elements as a stiff breeze blows a pop-up from Bogaerts just beyond the grasp of second baseman Yuli Gurriel, as Betts scores from second with the tying run.
3:28 Chavis cranks a solo homer on the first pitch, and like his first seven, this one was not cheap. Over everything in left, measured at 420 feet.
3:02 Reddick has had a good approach with Sale, taking him the other way both times today and doubling to left.
2:47 Four-seamer to Carlos Correa could not have been more center-cut -- right down the middle, and Correa belts it into the CF bleachers for a two-run lead.
2:33 Sloppy second inning from Sale, who issues a leadoff walk, hits Jake Marisnick on the foot and throws a wild pitch -- enabling a run to score -- on a cross-up with Christian Vazquez.
2:27 JD Martinez, getting a rare start in left field, plays the carom nicely and makes a strong throw as Yuli Gurriel holds at third on Josh Reddick's Wall double.
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Chavis 2B
Betts RF
Bogaerts SS
Martinez LF
Vazquez C
Pearce 1B
Devers 3B
Nunez DH
Bradley CF
ASTROS
Springer RF
Bregman 3B
Brantley DH
Correa SS
Gurriel 2B
White 1B
Chirinos C
Reddick LF
Marisnick CF
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have lost two straight and three of their last four...The Sox will try to avoid being swept in a three-game series today for the first time since last August when they dropped three in a row at Tampa Bay....In his last 16 games, Christian Vazquez is hitting .431 with an OPS of 1.119 with four doubles and two homers....Among A.L. catchers, he's third in the majors in average and fifth in OPS....He also leads American League catchers in caught stealing percentage (42.9 percent) and has thrown out six of the last eight runners attempting to steal....Over the last 17 games, during which they're 12-5, the Sox lead the big leagues in OBP (.371) and are second in runs scored per game (4.71)….In three starts this month, Chris Sale has a 1.29 ERA and has allowed opposing hitters to bat just .127 with one walk in his last 21 innings. He's has 31 strikeouts and no walks in his last two outings...Sale is just the second pitcher since 1900 to strike out 30 or more batters and walk none n a two-start span. The other is Dwight Gooden (1984)….As a staff, Red Sox pitcher lead with the majors with a 9.99 strikeouts per nine innings....In the month of May, they have 162 strikeouts and just 31 walks...The Sox issued six walks last night, snapping a stretch of games in which they didn't allow more than three over 15 consecutive games, the longest such streak for any team this season....Andrew Benintendi has a three-game hitting streak and has scored 11 runs in his last 13 games...Mookie Betts also has a three-game hitting streak and is tied for second in the A.L. in runs scored...He's scored 11 times in the last nine games....Rafael Devers has seen his batting average drop almost 40 points in recent days as he battles through a 15 at-bat hitless streak...Eduardo Nunez is 0-for-8, but is batting .356 in his career against Houston with four games and 10 RBI in 20 games....Steve Pearce comes into today with just seven hits all season...He's currently 0-for-8...Jackie Bradley Jr. comes into today still looking for his first homer. He's gone 147 at-bats without one, dating back to last Sept. 20 against the Yankees... Sale has carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning in each of his last two starts...He's recorded double figures in strikeouts in four of his last five starts, including each of his last three...George Springer has had some success against Sale, going 5-for-14 (.357) with one homer...Michael Brantley is just 8-for-38 with 12 strikeouts lifetime against Sale... Pearce is 7-for-19 with two homers in his career against Wade Miley....Nunez is just 2-for-11 in his career against the former Sox lefty.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- Michael Chavis was the surprise choice to hit leadoff with Andrew Benintendi getting the day off. "I mean, I was watching the other side (Houston with George Springer)...why not?'' asked Alex Cora. "Swing hard and hit it out of the ballpark...see what happens.'' Cora added that he was trying to bunch together his righthanded hitters vs. Wade Miley. "I feel like Wade will go to the same spot regardless of who he's facing -- down and in,'' said Cora. "Everything in. Hopefully, we can run into a few cutters or hanging slider and hit it off the wall.''
- Cora hinted that, with the Red Sox in a stretch that will see them play 33 games in the next 33 days, he'll begin mixing and matching lineup combinations to provide some rest for players. The fact that the Sox are playing their next four on turf in Toronto only heightens that need.
- David Price returns from the IL Monday with a start against the Blue Jays. Cora hopes to get five or six innings from him for his first start since May 2.
- The Sox will need to make a roster to get Price on the 25-man roster. It's likely either RHPs Josh Smith or Ryan Weber will be optioned to Pawtucket to make room.