The home run was the fourth hit of the night for Altuve, his first career walk-off home run, and came on a night that he also beat out a bunt single, doubled, singled, stole second and scored.
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But Alexi Ogando entered for relief of Miley in the seventh and promptly gave up a game-tying homer.
Altuve is riding a 15-game hitting streak at home, batting. “The hanging slider to [Evan] Gattis (which Gattis hit for a home run), the 3-2 slider to Tucker in the first inning (that Tucker hit out), and then he’s trying to get a groundball and a two-seamer that didn’t quite get to the area for the two-run homer [by Tucker]…” The sixth inning woes would only continue for McHugh as Bogaerts would single, still with no outs, to shallow right field bringing Pedroia in for the score and cutting the Astros lead down 4-2.
On Thursday the Astros will have Lance McCullers (4-3, 2.52 ERA) on the mound in search of the series sweep. Miley took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning in his last start on Friday against the Angels but did not factor into the decision.
– Tommy Layne, pitching in his fourth consecutive game, relieved Tazawa and stopped the bleeding, getting Preston Tucker to ground into the shift for the final out.
Any and all positive emotions that the Boston Red Sox managed to conjure up within their fan base with a strong run prior to the All-Star break have been wiped away over the last five games.
– Breslow worked a ideal eighth before taking the loss in the ninth.
The Astros have scored 16 runs over their last two games, after scoring a total of just 10 runs over their previous seven games.
“We … scored all of our runs on the home run, which we can do that from time to time”, manager A.J.
– Boston added a second run in the second courtesy of a rare display of power by Napoli.
Kelly will be summoned back from Triple-A Pawtucket to make a spot start after being demoted in June following an outing against Baltimore in which he was lit up for five runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.
The Red Sox didn’t get a hit until Hanley Ramirez singled to start the fifth inning. The Red Sox were unable to drive him in, however, as McCullers retired the next three men he faced. Mike Napoli’s RBI double off closer Luke Gregerson later in the inning tied it.
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In the bottom of the fifth, Altuve would single to shallow left just out of reach of Xander Bogaerts and in the next at-bat Tucker would go yard again for a two-run homerun to put the Astros up 4-0 and end their scoring for the night. He will be shut down for a while and the Red Sox aren’t sure when he will resume baseball activities.
