A couple of young players played big roles on Wednesday as the Boston Red Sox secured a series victory, beating the Houston Astros 4-1. While that’s a highlight for Boston, one cannot overlook the futility of the Astros’ offense in clutch situations.
Houston was 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position at Minute Maid Park in the afternoon contest. That happened after the team went 0-for-8 on Tuesday night, a 6-5 loss to Boston.
Houston Astros Fail In Clutch
It’s becoming quite a story in this otherwise successful stretch for the Astros. Getting timely hits has happened here and there, but not consistently enough. Yes, the Houston Astros are still leading the American League West Division. That’s due to their current winning ways, but it’s coupled with the Seattle Mariners unable to win much. The Mariners lost 6-3 on Tuesday night to the Los Angeles Dodgers on pinch-hitter Jason Heyward’s three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.
But the Astros had a couple of things working in their favor. Justin Verlander started for the first time since June, yet didn’t have a clean first inning. Jarren Duran, who’s been owning the Houston Astros at the plate, led off the top of the first inning with a double. Duran, who was 4-for-4 on Tuesday night, scored on Triston Casas’ one-out double for a 1-0 Boston Red Sox lead.
Alex Bregman, who returned to the Houston Astros lineup on Wednesday, smoked a pitch to left field for a solo home run. Bregman was Houston’s designated hitter, batting leadoff while Jose Altuve had a day off. That tied things up at 1-1 after the first.
Leadoff laser for Alex Bregman
His 20th home run of the season 🚀 pic.twitter.com/R2HpwvOhyX
— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2024
Boston rookie Ceddanne Rafaela smacked a one-out double, scoring Connor Wong from first base in the second inning. It put Boston up 2-1 and was a lead it never relinquished. Rafaela had an RBI double with two outs in the seventh, boosting the Red Sox lead to 3-1. Rookie David Hamilton homered off Houston Astros reliever Seth Martinez in the ninth to wrap up the scoring.
Verlander (3-3) went five innings, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out six. “I felt good,” Verlander told The Associated Press. “I felt like the stuff was pretty good and as the game went along the location started to hone in and the mechanics felt good. So I was happy about it.”
Rafaela was very happy with his efforts for Boston. “Those two RBIs right there with two outs were huge for the team,” Rafaela said after the game. Boston manager Alex Cora was effusive in his praise, too. “He’s been putting up good at-bats for two months already,” Cora said. “In the biggest moments he’s able to slow it down. He’s doing a lot of good things.”
In their seven-game road trip, which saw Boston also play in Baltimore, the Red Sox finished 4-3. They also got a measure of revenge for getting swept by the Astros at Fenway Park recently. “As a team that says a lot,” Rafaela said. “We can compete with the best teams in the game and for me are one of the best teams.”
Cooper Criswell permitted four hits and a run in 4 2/3 innings for Boston. Red Sox reliever Josh Winckowski (4-1) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win. Chris Martin struck out one in the ninth to pick up his first save.
Seventh Inning Disaster for Astros
So, the Houston Astros had opportunities to take a lead and even blow the game open. It didn’t happen.
For instance, let’s look at what happened in the seventh inning. Houston’s Jake Meyers and Mauricio Dubón hit back-to-back singles to start. No one was out and they moved to second and third base, respectively, when reliever Greg Weissert uncorked a wild pitch.
But pinch-hitter Jon Singleton struck out. Pinch-hitter Trey Cabbage walked to load the bases. Bregman and Alvarez were next, so the Astros had things set up offensively like they wanted. Well, Bregman swung at the first pitch he saw and fouled out.
Cora then replaced Weissert with left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino. He had Alvarez’s number, getting him to strike out on an outside pitch. Alvarez was so frustrated with his at-bat that he tossed his bat aside in disgust.
That pretty much summed up the Astros’ effort against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yet there is no rest for the team, which is in the midst of playing 18 straight days. They headed out to Baltimore, where they start a four-game series against the Orioles on Thursday night. Houston had not announced its pitching plans as of Wednesday afternoon. Word has been bandied about that the team might go to a six-man rotation right now. It would give starting pitchers a little more rest. Hopefully, it also would help a taxed bullpen get some rest as well.
Martinez had quite a 24-hour period of time. He was optioned back down to Triple-A Sugar Land, so Martinez headed down Highway 59 in Houston. Known as the Southwest Freeway in a stretch, it goes right into Sugar Land. Martinez didn’t make it down there for a long period of time. The Astros recalled him after reliever Kaleb Ort went on the paternity list.
But the club really could use outfielder Kyle Tucker back in the lineup soon. There has been a serious lack of offense from Astros outfielders in his absence. Chas McCormick has not been producing as he’s done in previous seasons. Alvarez splits time between playing left field and designated hitter. Meyers has been slumping lately, too. So, Tucker’s power and hitting ability is sorely missed. Hopefully, Tucker can come back in September and help the Houston Astros in a stretch run to the postseason.
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