After rallying from a two-run deficit in the ninth to tie the game, the Red Sox saw the game get away in the bottom of the ninth, losing to the Houston Astros, 4-3.
Carlos Correa sliced a bases-loaded, no-out single to right off Matt Barnes, scoring Aledmys Diaz with the winning run. It was the second straight loss for the Sox.
Boston had rallied in the top of the inning, scoring twice off closer Roberto Osuna with a two-run single from Christian Vazquez. But the Sox had first-and-third with no out, yet couldn't pull ahead.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth.
The Sox lost starting pitcher David Price just three hitters into the game with a case of flu.
WHO: Red Sox vs. Houston Astros
WHEN: 7:15 p.m.
WHERE: Minute Maid Park
SERIES TO DATE: Houston 1-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: Houston 3-1
STARTING PITCHERS: LHP David Price (2-2, 3.29) vs. RHP Brad Peacock (5-2, 3.59)
TV/RADIO: Fox/WEEI 93.7 FM
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
10:18 Impressive rally by the Red Sox who, in the span of five pitches, score two runs and put runners on the corners, all with no out. For the second night in a row, Vazquez gets to closer Roberto Osuna -- a homer Friday night and a game-tying, two-run double tonight.
9:55 The little things -- again -- cost the Sox. Had Chavis gotten more on that feed to second, the Sox might have doubled up Michael Brantley. Instead, the inning continues, and after a strikeout of Correa, an infield single scores a run.
9:45 Indecision on the part of Red Sox baserunners take the Sox out of the inning. Martinez went halfway when a pitch got past catcher Robinson Chirinos, but pulled up, but Andrew Benintendi was already hung-up between second, resulting in a rundown and an out on the bases.
9:38 J.D. Martinez pinch-hits. Here's why I don't like using Christian Vazquez as the DH -- with Leon now out of the game, Vazquez will catch and the Sox will then lose the DH. Granted, it's the seventh inning, but that spot is likely to come up one more time tonight and the Sox will have to use another pinch-hitter.
9:28 Four straight baserunners - a one-out walk, followed by three singles -- produce two runs as the Astros take the lead.
9:21 Lakins got ahead of Josh Reddick 0-and-2, but then fell behind 3-2, and on a full-count cutter, Reddick slapped a single into right field, scoring Correa with the first one of the game.
9:01 Effective -- and efficient -- two innings from Travis Lakins, who gets the Red Sox into the middle innings.
8:30 That's probably it for Brewer, who isn't stretched out much. Give the Red Sox 2.1 scoreless innings, with 45 pitches thrown.
8:20 More issues with situational hitting. Two runners in scoring position in the third and Sox strand them both with two at-bats; they're 1-for-7 tonight and 1-for-11 for the series.
8:01 Sox announce that Price was suffering from "flu-like symptoms.'' Certainly better than anything to do with the elbow. "It's not his arm,'' said Cora. "He's been battling the flu for four days and his progression the last four days wasn't the right one. I talked to him before the game and he said, 'I'm going to go out there and battle.' After I saw the first few pitches, shame on me if he goes out there and gets hurt with no energy and the way he was throwing the ball. We were pro-active, took him out the game. He'll get some treatment (in the clubhouse) and we'll see what happens.''
7:55 Red Sox waste a leadoff double by Devers. They're now 0-for-7 with RISP in this series to date.
7:45 Man, people criticize Tropicana Field, but this is twice in two nights that a ball has struck the rook at Minute Maid Park. Rafael Devers hit that a ton, but because of the ground rules, that ball is in play and he has to settle for a double.
7:33 Well, that's alarming. Three batters in, David Price removed from the game. Velocity was off 3-4 mph and something concerned the dugout. After a brief visit to the mound by Alex Cora, the pitching change is made. Assuming that this is elbow-related. Price, of course, just came off the IL with elbow inflammation, having made a strong start in Toronto last Monday in his first outing back.
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Benintendi LF
Betts RF
Moreland 1B
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Chavis 2B
Bradley CF
Vazquez DH
Leon C
ASTROS
Diaz 2B
Bregman 3B
Brantley LF
Correa SS
Gurriel 1B
Reddick RF
White DH
Stassi C
Kemp CF
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox played their sloppiest game of the season in a 4-3 loss to the Astros in the series opener Friday night, committing three errors leading to two unearned runs...The Sox are still 4-2 in their last six and 10-5 in their last 15 and 5-1-1- in their last seven series....The Sox are 11-4 in their last 15 games on the road, outscoring opponents 93-56 in that span....The Sox' record in series openers dropped to 5-12....After losing their first four road series of the season, they've won their last four....The Sox have hit 44 homers in their last 22 games (third most in MLB in that span)….They've also used home runs to score 47.2 percent of their runs in that span....Jackie Bradley Jr. has at least one extra-base hit in each of the last five games, including three homers. In that stretch, he's 7-for-22 with four RBI and six runs scored...Steve Pearce has a five-game hitting streak going 7-for-16 (.438) and has raised his OPS 184 points in that span...Xander Bogaerts has five homers, 17 RBI and 18 runs scored in the last 18 games...He's reached base safely in each of his last 17 games...The pinch-hit homer from Christian Vazquez in the ninth inning Friday was the first pinch-hit homer of his career...Vazquez has a career-high seven homers this season. He's hit those in 40 games, after hitting just 10 homers in the first 291 games of his career....Friday night marked the first time in 51 games this season that Rafael Devers didn't appear in a game for the Sox...Over his last 25 games, Devers is hitting .358 with a 1.004 OPS. He's tied for the major league in hits over that span with Pittsburgh's Josh Bell...Over the last 31 games, Mookie Betts, who had two hits in the series opener Friday night, has a slash line of .347/.463/.562 with 11 doubles and five homers. In that time, he's he was more walks (26) than strikeouts (18) and has scored 29 runs...Over his last five starts, David Price has a 2.17 ERA and has limited opponents to a .210 batting average...Including the postseason, Price is 4-0 with a 2.66 vs. Houston since joining the Sox...He's thrown at least five innings in each of his last seven starts, with six or more innings in five of them....Jake Marisnick is just 1-for-12 (.083) with five strikeouts against Price while Michael Brantley is 6-for-22 (.222)...Alex Bregman is 3-for-7 with a homer...Pearce is 4-for-7 with a homer against Brad Peacock while Bradley is just 1-for-5 with two strikeouts..
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- As expected, the Astros placed OF George Springer on the DL with a left hamstring strain. Springer injured himself chasing a fly ball in foul territory in the top of the eighth inning Friday night and came out of the game. OF Derek Fisher has been recalled from Triple A to take his spot on the roster.
- J.D. Martinez is out of the lineup because Alex Cora had planned to play him in just two games this series. Martinez missed all four games in Toronto (the first because of illness), then returned to the lineup Friday night, but wasn't himself at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a walk.
- INF Dustin Pedroia, who cut his night short after four innings Friday night with soreness in his left knee in his minor league rehab assignment, is not in the lineup for Double Portland. Pedroia will remain sidelined through the weekend and be re-examined on Monday.
- Nathan Eovaldi threw a second bullpen Saturday afternoon. Next up for him on the upcoming homestand: a simulated game at Fenway.