HOUSTON: Immediate thoughts following Wednesday’s Red Sox 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park:
1) Boston fell down 66-56. The Astros got better, going 68-53. The Astros prevailed 2-1 in the three-game series. However, Boston prevailed 4-2 in the season series.
2) Red Sox starterAfter giving up two runs in the first inning, Walker Buehler settled down. Jeremy Pea hit a 358-foot home run to left field to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Yainer Diaz was subsequently given two walks and an RBI single by Buehler.
From the last out of the first inning to the second out of the sixth, he retired 15 of the next 16 batters. He allowed a two-run home run to Diaz and walked Victor Caratini with two down in the sixth inning, making it 4-1 Houston.
3) During the eighth, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was sent off. It was Cora’s fifth ejection this season and his 22nd in his managerial career.
By the top of the sixth inning, Cora had already departed the dugout to talk to the umpire crew. Hunter Brown, the starting pitcher for the Astros, was then suspected of balking. Houston was ahead 2-1 and Jarren Duran was at third base when it happened.
First of all, according to Cora, they got it right. They made the correct call. The only thing that comes to mind is that we’ve seen this scenario before: the umpires urge the pitchers to declare after a routine windup. If you have a normal windup, you are exempt from declaring. If you have a hybrid windup, that is. In order to avoid misleading the runner, you must declare at that point. However, during the past two years, we have witnessed instances where the pitcher has been asked to declare because it is a routine windup. That was all.
Duran was sent from first base to second after Brown had previously balked earlier in the sixth inning.
“Then, in the seventh,” Cora remarked, “I went out there just to educate myself to be honest with you.” I informed him of this. I’m curious and want to learn. I’m not sure whether he understood my sarcasm. I wasn’t. Then he tossed me out as I was making my way back.
4) As Astros righty Bryan Abreu was closing with Josh Hader on the injured list, Masataka Yoshida and Romy Gonzalez singles to start the ninth inning. Abreu managed to get away, which resulted in pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder striking out swinging, Wilyer Abreu popping out, and Ceddanne Rafaela striking out on a foul tip.
5) Buehler had a first-pitch lineout to center field, a two-pitch groundout to shortstop, and a one-pitch groundout to second base during his four-pitch inning in the fifth. He pitched six innings in total, striking out three batters and giving up four walks, four hits, and four runs.
6) In the second inning, the Red Sox reduced it to 2-1. To start the inning, Trevor Story doubled. He was hit home by Ceddanne Rafaela’s RBI single to center field with two outs.
7) The third basemanIn the fourth, Alex Bregman made a fantastic barehanded play on a slow ground ball from Yainer Diaz along the line. For the first out of the inning, Bregman hit a pitch to Romy Gonzalez, first baseman.
8) The Red Sox start a three-game series against the Marlins at Fenway Park on Friday after taking Thursday off. Boston will start righty Lucas Giolito (8-2, 3.77 ERA). The starting pitcher for the Marlins has not yet been revealed.
