All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' win over the Astros, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Devers returns with a bang: For the second straight night at Minute Maid Park, one hitter did all the damage in a Red Sox win. On Monday night, it was Jarren Duran knocking in all three runs; on Tuesday, it was Rafael Devers' turn. That feat was made all the more impressive by the fact that Devers wasn't on the active roster until an hour or so before game time, when the Sox activated him from the IL following a strained hamstring. But if Devers was at all rusty, he didn't show it. After a strikeout in his first plate appearance since last month, Devers cracked a run-scoring double in the fourth, then snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth. The Sox had just five hits all night, and Devers had two of them -- each producing a run. "The timing never went away,'' said Devers. "I kept my swing on time just hitting off the machine and taking BP while I was on the IL.''
Crawford continues to impress: Starter Kutter Crawford is establishing himself more and more with every outing, and Tuesday's was one of his best, especially considering the quality of the opponent. Crawford gave the Sox six strong innings and allowed just one run on seven hits. He's in the middle of a stretch in which he's made seven starts for the Sox and six have been strong. He endured a rough first inning in which the Astros nicked him for a run and had two runners on when he pitched out of trouble. After that, the only other real threat came in the fourth when the Astros had consecutive two-out singles. But he escaped that jam, too, and provided a quality outing.
Sox have Astros' number: The Red Sox' futility against A.L. East opponents has been well-documented, with a woeful 12-29 mark against teams in their own division. But when it comes to facing the defending American League champions and owners of the second-best record in the league, the Sox seem to bring their best. The win Tuesday night gives them a series win -- their first against any team since the end of June -- and brings the Sox record to 4-1 against the Astros with one game remaining Wednesday afternoon. "We've been playing against each other (in big games) since 2017,'' said Alex Cora. "We respect them. They're really good at what they do, and I know they respect us. It's always intense, whether it's April or August or in October. It's always cool to play them -- obviously, there's a lot of history. They're good, and it's fun to play them.''
TURNING POINT
Tanner Houck picked up another save, but his biggest challenge came not in the ninth inning, but in the eighth. After Austin Davis allowed a leadoff double and follow-up walk, Houck took over with one out with the potential tying run on second base and go-ahead run on first. He first got Aledmys Diaz to line out to left before retiring Jeremy Pena on a flyout to center. After that harrowing escape, the ninth inning -- bases empty -- was a relative breeze.
TWO UP
Bobby Dalbec: Dalbec is about to see his playing time get reduced with the arrival of Eric Hosmer, but he had some good at-bats with a walk and a sharp single.
Christian Arroyo: Filling in at short for Xander Bogaerts, Arroyo made all the necessary plays at the position and cracked a double in the seventh, extending his hitting streak to five games.
TWO DOWN
J.D. Martinez: Martinez was relieved not to be moved by the trade deadline, but his swing looked off as he went 0-for-4 with three at-bats ending in strikeouts.
Jarren Duran: Once again, no production from the leadoff spot with three groundouts to the right side and strikeout in a hitless night.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"Little by little, we're finding our stride. (Two) games is (two) games (out of a playoff spot). There's a lot of people there. We trust this team and now we just have to play good baseball for two and a half months.'' Alex Cora.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* When Kevin Plawecki threw out Jeremy Pena attempting to steal in the second inning, it was just the second time he'd thrown out a baserunner this season.
* After going more than a month without a save, Tanner Houck picked up his second in the last two nights.
UP NEXT: The final game of the series -- and the final meeting of the year between the teams -- takes place Wednesday at 2:10 p.m., with RHP Brayan Bello (0-3, 8.82) vs. RHP Jose Urquidy (9-4, 3.86)