HOUSTON --- The Red Sox picked an unlikely set of circumstances to salvage what looked like a lost weekend at Minute Maid Park.
Boston trailed early on Sunday afternoon against the Astros, who had Justin Verlander on the mound gunning for a three-game sweep. Houston had captured eight of Verlander’s last nine starts, a stretch dating all the way back to his second outing of the season on April 2. The right-hander cruised through his first two innings on just 24 pitches and [...]
HOUSTON --- The Red Sox picked an unlikely set of circumstances to salvage what looked like a lost weekend at Minute Maid Park.
Boston trailed early on Sunday afternoon against the Astros, who had Justin Verlander on the mound gunning for a three-game sweep. Houston had captured eight of Verlander’s last nine starts, a stretch dating all the way back to his second outing of the season on April 2. The right-hander cruised through his first two innings on just 24 pitches and looked in complete control.
What followed was a gritty display by the Red Sox offense that clinched a winning record on the road trip. Boston scratched single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and ninth to slip past the Astros, 4-1, in front of a sellout crowd of 41,502 fans.
Steve Pearce scored in the third thanks to an infield single, a wild pitch, a groundout to first and a sacrifice fly. Eduardo Nunez came home in the fifth thanks to a double and an error. Jackie Bradley Jr. walked and scored without the benefit of a hit in the ninth.
That resourcefulness has made Boston difficult to put away since August 2017. The Red Sox have played 69 series of at least three games and been swept only once, that coming last season in August at Tampa Bay. Boston also improved to 12-5 in series finales this season, capturing their eighth straight.
The Red Sox marched to a 14th come-from-behind win starting in the third. Pearce beat out an infield single, moved up on a wild pitch and went to third when Jackie Bradley Jr. bounced to first. Andrew Benintendi’s lazy fly to center was good enough to score Pearce from third, making it 1-1.
Rafael Devers made things simple in the fourth when he swung at a 1-and-0 fastball from Verlander. The towering drive sailed above the 409-foot mark, his seventh home run of the season. Devers recorded multiple hits for the 13th time in 22 games this month and has an extra-base hit in sixth straight.
Nunez improved for 8-for-20 in his career against Verlander by lashing a one-out double to left-center in the fifth. Benintendi’s two-hopper to second was booted by Yuli Gurriel and wound up in short right field, allowing Nunez to race all the way around. Boston enjoyed a two-run cushion and forced Verlander to throw at least 20 pitches for the third straight inning.
The Red Sox made it a three-run game in the ninth when Bradley drew a one-out walk, was balked to second and took third on a passed ball. Houston brought the infield in but Nunez broke his bat on a grounder to second, and the ball was hit too softly to retire Bradley at the plate. Tony Kemp could only go to first and it was a three-run game.
The afternoon didn’t start as brightly for Boston. Houston took a 1-0 lead in the first when Devers was unable to glove a hot smash to third by Carlos Correa. The ball caromed into short left field and Aledmys Diaz scored all the way from second on what was ruled an RBI infield single.
That was the only run allowed by Rodriguez, who stranded a pair in the second and left another man at third in the third. Rodriguez struck out five against a lone walk, the fifth time in 11 starts this season he’s issued one free pass or less. The Astros were held without a hit over their last 22 batters, stymied after Alex Bregman’s leadoff double in the third.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25