All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Astros, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Sox flip the script: More times than they would care to count, the Red Sox have given games away in the late innings this season. They've lost five games in walk-off fashion, and there have been a handful more in which they've either given up a late-inning lead or allowed the opposition to break a tie and go to a victory. But Monday night, in the first game of a seven-game homestand, it was the Red Sox taking control in the late innings. After the Astros took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh, the Sox tied it in the bottom of the inning on a solo homer from Trevor Story. But the real fireworks came in the eighth when doubles from Kike Hernandez and J.D. Martinez allowed them to take the lead again. Then, Xander Bogaerts provided a cushion with a two-run homer into the Monster Seats, giving them a three-run lead. From there, Hansel Robles took care of business in the ninth. Until Monday night, the Sox had been a 1-4 after being tied after seven innings.
Whitlock returns to form: Garrett Whitlock's last start was far from his best, as he allowed three runs on four hits and four walks in just three innings. The Sox gave him an extra day of rest in the aftermath of that start in Atlanta, and it seemed to pay off in a big way Monday night. Whitlock gave the Sox five strong innings, allowing just two runs on three hits. He yielded a solo homer to Chas McCormick to lead off the fifth, and after allowing a double and walk to start the sixth, the bullpen allowed an inherited run to score, charged to him. He retired 15-of-17 hitters at one point and showed far better control than in his last outs. He's now made five starts for the Sox and has limited the opposition to just two runs or fewer in four of those five. The debate about how he can best impact the Sox -- starter or reliever? -- rages on, but the bottom line is that Whitlock is effective no matter what role he's assigned.
TURNING POINT
The game seemed in danger of getting away from the Red Sox bullpen in the seventh. The Astros took their first lead of the night when Jose Altuve singled home Jason Castro to put Houston up 3-2. But after hitting the first batter he faced, Matt Strahm, in relief of Matt Barnes, proceeded to strike out both Alex Bregman and Jordan Alvarez with two baserunners aboard, ending the Astros' threat. In the bottom of the inning, the Sox then got a game-tying homer from Trevor Story and took off from there.
TWO UP
Trevor Story: It was quite a night for Story, who had a walk, a stolen base, and most of all, his first homer at Fenway as a member of the Red Sox. The homer, leading off the seventh, tied the game at 3-3. Finally, Story also made a rangy play in the third, going far to his left to take a hit away from Alex Bregman.
Matt Strahm: The Sox needed some length from their lefty in the seventh, and he gave them five big outs, three of them by strikeouts. From the start of the season, Strahm has arguably been the team's most consistent and effective reliever.
TWO DOWN
Alex Verdugo: The outfield continues to struggle at the plate. He was 0-for-4 and didn't hit a ball hard. Verdugo stands in danger of dipping below .200, with his current .205 mark.
Matt Barnes: Called upon for the start of the seventh, Barnes wasted no time getting himself in trouble, allowing a leadoff double, and after, a sacrifice, a run-scoring single in a brief, but unimpressive outing.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Yeah, I heard it. If I struck out, it wouldn't have helped my cause.'' — Xander Bogaerts, who was greeted with chants of "Re-sign Xander'' from the crowd before he homered in the eighth.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* Xander Bogaerts has five RBI over his last four games.
* After going 111 at-bats without a homer, Trevor Story has now hit two in his last 17.
* J.D. Martinez extended his hitting streak to 17 straight games and has reached base safely in his last 33 games dating back to the end of last season.
* The two-homer game for the Sox marked just the 5th time this season that the Sox have hit multiple homers in the same game.
* After losing the first game in each of their first three series, the Sox have seven of nine first games in series.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Astros continue with the middle game of the series Tuesday at 7:05 p.m., with RHP Nate Eovaldi (1-1, 3.15) matched up against RHP Jose Urquidy (2-1, 4.40).