HOUSTON -- All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Astros, complete with BSJ analysis and insight
HEADLINES
Hill's return not a good one: Lefty Rich Hill took the mound for the first time in more than a month, having battled a troublesome knee injury. Wearing a brace on his left knee, Hill immediately got into trouble in the first, allowing a single, a double, a run-scoring groundout and a sacrifice fly for two quick runs. The second inning wasn't any better when he hung a curveball on the inner half to newly-acquired Astro Trey Mancini, who smoked it for a two-run homer. Hill refused to use his long layoff as an excuse. "I didn't throw the ball well,'' he said, "and that's what it is. And that's what's frustrating. You go out there to pitch and compete. We can come up with a number of things that could have (gone) right or wrong, but at the end of the day, it's about results.'' It will be interesting to see Hill's role going forward. With Michael Wacha due to rejoin the rotation within the next 10 days or so, it's possible that Hill could be used as a quasi-opener, teamed with Brayan Bello. Or he could head to the bullpen himself.
Bello leaves with injury: The Red Sox' plan was to have rookie Brayan Bello become the bulk reliever after Hill, a role that suited him well last week when he relieved Austin Davis and showed some of his best stuff since being promoted. Bello came in for the fourth inning and fanned the first two hitters he faced before allowing a double to Mauricio Dubon and allowing an infield hit to Jose Altuve. Then, after getting two strikes on Jeremy Pena, Bello felt some tightness to his left groin. Alex Cora and a trainer were summoned to the mound, and after a brief consult, Bello came out of the game. Cora said postgame that Bello would be examined further Thursday in Kansas City, with the hope that it's something minor and he can make his next appearance.
Offense stagnant: Even when they were winning three in a row, and beating playoff-caliber teams in the process -- Milwaukee and Houston -- the Red Sox weren't producing a lot of offense. In fact, over their previous three wins, they had totaled just five runs. Thanks to some clutch hitting and some superb pitching to go with, the Sox won those low-scoring affairs. That wasn't the case Wednesday afternoon when they fell behind 4-0 by the second and couldn't play catch-up. The Sox produced only two hits -- and none over the first five innings -- against starter Jose Urquidy -- and didn't get on the scoreboard until Xander Bogaerts smacked a solo homer with one out in the ninth, long after the game had been decided. It certainly doesn't help that the Sox are playing without Trevor Story, who lengthens the lineup. In the meantime, the final three hitters in the lineup Wednesday were all hitting .225 or below.
TURNING POINT
After falling behind 4-0 after just two innings, it seemed apparent that this wouldn't be the Red Sox' day. Their one chance to climb back into the contest came in the sixth when, trailing 6-0, they got a leadoff single from Reese McGuire and a two-out double from Tommy Pham, sending McGuire to third. The Sox had their 3-4 hitters -- Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts -- due up next, and one big swing might have made a difference. Instead, Devers went down on strikes for the third straight time, stranding two baserunners, and the Sox' last best chance had come and gone.
TWO UP
Reese McGuire: Getting his first start since joining the Red Sox in a trade earlier in the week, McGuire had two of their four hits -- including the team's first of the afternoon in the sixth inning to snap Jose Uruqiidy's no-hit bid.
Xander Bogaerts: It didn't have much impact in the big picture, but his solo homer with one out in the ninth allowed the Sox to escape the embarrassment of being shut out.
TWO DOWN
Rafael Devers: The offensive hero in Tuesday night's win with a double and homer to account for the only Red Sox runs, Devers cooled considerably on Wednesday afternoon, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Jarren Duran: Duran couldn't ignite anything at the top of the order, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He's 4-for-28 over his last seven games.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"I pitched like crap -- that's the bottom line.'' Losing pitcher Hill.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
* The Red Sox finished their season series with the Astros by going 4-2.
* Boston is 21-7 against teams from the AL West.
* Christian Arroyo saw his five-game hitting streak come to an end with an 0-for-4 day at the plate.
* Yolmer Sanchez is now hitless in his last 26 at-bats.
UP NEXT: The Red Sox move on to Kansas City for the start of a four-game series. On Thursday night, they will start RHP Nick Pivetta (8-8, 4.47) vs. LHP Kris Bubek (2-6, 5.45) at 8:10 p.m.