HOUSTON: Immediate thoughts following Monday’s Red Sox 7–6 loss to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park:
1) The Red Sox dropped to 65-55 overall and 26-33 away after losing their third consecutive game. The Astros got better, going 67-52.
At home, Boston had begun the month with a three-game series sweep over the Astros.
2) Bennett Sousa, a left-handed reliever, came into the game after Connor Wong doubled with two outs in the ninth and struck out Roman Anthony swinging.
Romy Gonzalez singled with two outs in the eighth inning and was thrown out at second base while attempting to steal with Rob Refsnyder at the plate, setting up the rally. Gonzalez’s attempt to steal this year is now 4-for-7.
Because lights-out closer Josh Hader was out with shoulder pain, Houston turned to Enyel De Los Santos, who is playing for his second team this season and making his Astros debut, for the final out of the eighth and the first two outs of the ninth, followed by Sousa.He is being tested.
3) In his first at-bat after returning to Houston, Alex Bregman hit a home run. On the third ball he saw from starter Cristian Javier, the former Astros great smashed it, sending it 350 feet to left field. After singling to start the game, Anthony scored on the blast.
4) Red Sox starterIn just four innings, Garrett Crochett struck out five batters despite giving up five runs, seven hits, and one walk. The Astros were up 3-2 after Christian Walker doubled for two runs in the third inning. Houston led 5-2 after Crochet let up a two-run home run to Chas McCormick in the fourth inning.
5) Crochet’s four innings was his shortest appearance of the season.Additionally, Crochet allowed up to five runs in a start for the third time this season. Additionally, he allowed five runs in six innings on June 7 against the Yankees at New York and five runs in six innings on June 30 against Cincinnati at home.
6) Crochet’s fastball velocity increased from his season-average of 96.2 mph to a peak of 98.8 mph and an average of 96.9 mph. However, he threw his heater less frequently than normal and experienced no swings or misses. On Monday, he used his fastball 31% of the time, compared to 39.5% this season. Eight swings and misses with his sweeper and four with his cutter rounded up his total of twelve swings and misses.
7) The Red Sox reduced a 7-2 deficit to 7-4 with four runs in the seventh inning. The Red Sox had four extra-base hits in an inning for the fourth time this season. After the first two batters were retired, everything went wrong.
It was 7-3 after Abraham Toro hit a single home run. Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela then trimmed it to 7-4 with consecutive doubles. Roman Anthony hit a two-run homer to right-center field to make it 7-6.
8) It was Anthony’s third home run of the season. With an exit velocity of 102.9 mph, it covered 398 feet.
9) The other former Astro who hit a home run was not Bregman. Abraham Toro was selected by Houston in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and he played in 93 games for the Astros between 2019 and 21. His bomb traveled to right-center field 398 feet.
10) The second game of the three-game series between the Red Sox and Astros is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:10 p.m. Boston will start Dustin May (6-8, 4.93 ERA) against Spencer Arrighetti (1-2, 7.43 ERA), a righty for Houston.
