The Red Sox' offensive woes continued for a third straight game, and so, unsurprisingly, did their losing streak.
The Sox mustered just seven hits -- all singles -- and lost, 2-1, to the Houston Astros, their third straight loss. It was the first game all season in which the Sox didn't have at least one extra-base hit.
The teams traded runs in the first, with the only Boston run coming on a bases-loaded walk to Hunter Renfroe.
Nick Pivetta allowed a run in a lengthy first inning of his own, and another in the fourth, but powered through six innings with a season-high 111 pitches, fanning nine. It was his first loss as a member of the Red Sox.
Not until the ninth inning did the Sox have a baserunner in scoring position.
WHO: Red Sox (32-22) vs. Houston Astros (30-24)
WHEN: 8:10
WHERE: Minute Maid Park
SERIES TO DATE: HOU 2-0
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nick Pivetta (6-0, 3,86) vs. LHP Framber Valdez (0-0, 2.25)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Hernandez CF
Verdugo LF
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Devers 3B
Renfroe RF
Dalbec 1B
Vazquez C
Arroyo 2B
ASTROS
Altuve DH
Correa SS
Bregman 3B
Alvarez 1B
Gurriel LF
Tucker RF
Garcia 2B
Straw CF
Maldonado C
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B8: Huge throw from Christian Vazquez to pick off Alex Bregman from second base to end the eighth.
B6: Surprisingly, Pivetta comes back out for the sixth and retires the side on 13 pitches. Finishes with 111 pitches, the most for any Red Sox starter this season.
T6: Rafael Devers has two hits tonight -- both of the infield variety.
B4: WIld pitch proves costly for Pivetta, who gives up the go-ahead run on a weak chopper to third.
T4: After walking in a run in the first with two outs, Valdez has set down 10 straight -- including the last four in a row swinging.
B3: Pivetta now in a much better rhythm, but that 35-pitch first inning is going to limit how long he remains.
B1: Pivetta wiggles out of a bases-loaded mess, but it takes 35 pitches to get through the inning.
B1: Nick Pivetta runs into trouble in the first, loading the bases. Yuli Gurriel ties it quickly with sac fly to RF.
T1: Bobby Dalbec grounds to short with the bases loaded and Framber Valdez is out of a jam. One hit would have broken the inning over. We'll see how big a squander that is over the course of the night.
T1: Bases-loaded walk to Hunter Renfroe forces in a run and gives the Red Sox their first lead of the series.
T1: The slumping Big 3 -- JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers -- all reach base in their first plate appearance of the night after going a collective 0-for-21 in the first two games of the series.
WHAT'S UP: The Red Sox have lost each of their last two games following a 3-game winning streak. The Red Sox are 7-4 in their last 11 games and unbeaten in their last five series (4-0-1)....The Red Sox have managed just three runs and 10 hits in the first two games of the series...: The Red Sox lead the majors in doubles (120) and extra-base hits (193)...They rank second in slugging percentage (.441), third in batting 257) and OPS (.758), and fourth in runs per game (5.00). The Sox are an MLB-best 28-3 (.903) when scoring four or more runs...They are 16-0 when scoring seven or more runs. The Sox are the only team with at least one extra-base hit in each game this season; Tuesday's came when Hunter Renfroe led off the fifth with a double...: Renfroe has at least one extta-base hit in each of his last five games, during which time he was 10-for-17 (.588) with six doubles and two homers.... Since the start of May, Renfroe leads the Sox in AVG (.316), slugging (.600), OPS (.930), hits (30), and runs (tied, 19) while ranking second in doubles (nine) and HR (tied, six). Renfroe leads MLB outfielders in ultimate zone rating (5.4), ranking first in assists (six) and is tied for fifth in defensive runs saved (five)...: At 16-9 (.640), the Sox own MLB’s thitrd-best road record behind Tampa Bay (20-8, .714) and Oakland (15-8, .652)...They are 6-1-0 in road series, with their only lost road series taking place at Texas last month. However, the Sox need to win the final two games of their current series to avoid another road series loss...Red Sox relievers rank sixth in the AL and 10th in MLB in ERA (3.74), after posting a 5.79 ERA in 2020....Starters, meanwhile, have thrown five or more innings 45 times, 3rd-most in the majors behind the A's and L.A. Dodgers, both with 46 such games...Sox starters have thrown five or more innings in 30 of the last 33 games. The Sox are 15-4 when their starter lasts six or more innings...Xander Bogaerts is 0-for-18 and hasn't had a hit since May 25 while Bobby Dalbec is 2-for-18 and Kike Hernandez is 0-for-20.....Nick Pivetta is one of only two starters with six or more wins and no losses this season (Kevin Gausman of the Giants is the other)...Pivetta is the first Red Sox starter to begin a season 6-0 or better since Jon Lester (6-0) and Clay Buchholz (11-0) both did so in 2013....Among AL pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched, Pivetta ranks in fifth in HR/9.0 IP (0.67)...He also leads Red Sox starters in opponent AVG (.215) and strikeouts (59)....Among Red Sox hitters, Hernandez is 2-for-4 with a homer in his career against Framber Valdez.
NOTES:
* The future of Brandon Workman, who threw a bullpen in Worcester Wednesday afternoon, remains uncertain with the organization. The Sox have until tomorrow to add Workman to the major league roster, or grant him free agency. "I spoke to Chaim (Bloom),'' said Alex Cora. "We're going through the process, talking about where we're at roster-wise, what benefits us and what doesn't. Conversations are ongoing.''
* The Sox are now 15th in the American League in walks and managed just one walk (against nine strikeouts) Tuesday night. "I don't think we're going to go up there and try to walk,'' said Cora, "because that's not what you want to do. You still want to be aggressive in the strike zone. But I think you fall into this trap that, yeah, we can put the ball in play. But if you swing at pitches at the edge of the strike zone, there's not much damage you can do. We've been talking about controlling the strike zone. Our big boys like to swing. But there are certain situations where the game will tell you that you're not going to get a pitch to hit, so just make sure it's in your zone and if it's not there, just take a walk.''
* Ryan Brasier is scheduled to throw to hitters again in Friday in Fort Myers and could be sent out on a rehab assignment sometime next week. Chris Sale threw 20 pitches off the mound, including three sliders. ''I talked to Chris today,'' said Cora. "He said that the first slider he threw to the backstop, the second one almost killed somebody and the third one was a good one. So he's making progress.