Boston starter Brian Johnson (0-1) allowed three hits and four runs with four walks in 4 1-3 innings in his major league debut.
Advertisement
Rookie right-hander Vince Velasquez earned his first career victory as the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 8-3 Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.
One of the things the Red Sox like about Johnson, however, is his wherewithal to pitch through nights when he isn’t at his best.
Carter, who was cleared to play after hitting off a tee and running on a treadmill during the club’s day off Monday, served as the Astros’ designated hitter to limit the stress on his ankle.
“The whole time I was just thinking about my at-bats and hitting and everything and wanting to be out there and just try to get everything right”, he said. He had two hits and scored three runs Sunday while Preston Tucker was 3 for 5 with a home run and Luis Valbuena went 4 for 5 with four RBIs.
The Astros took the lead right away.
Trailing 3-1 in the fifth with runners on first and third, Jake Marisnick took off from first on a stolen base attempt. An RBI single by Evan Gattis wrapped up the scoring in the fifth before Carter’s shot to the bullpen in right-center field extended the lead to 7-3 in the sixth. Alejandro De Aza and Ryan Hanigan scored on the play to give Boston a 2-1 lead. He is 8 for 20 in a six-game hitting streak. Bogaerts singled to center, Betts scored. Not only did the runner score from third, but Marisnick capitalized on Hanley Ramirez’s slow reaction in left to motor all the way around and tie the game.
Brock Holt started the game at first, putting Mike Napoli back on the bench. He then faked a pickoff throw.
The throw caromed into a large piece of unoccupied real estate in left field.
Carter followed the fifth with some insurance, merely flicking his wrist and depositing a 2-2 offering to the opposite field bullpen in the sixth inning. Altuve walked on a full count. Altuve walked and, after a pitching change for Justin Masterson, Marwin Gonzalez was hit-by-pitch. He allowed Altuve to score on a ground-rule double RBI from Carlos Correa. Mookie Betts’s excuse-me checked swing produced a ground-ball double over the first-base bag, simultaneously ending his 0-for-20 slide and driving in two runs. Altuve infield single to third.
Advertisement
Astros manager A.J. Hinch spoke about Velasquez after the game, “He’s done his job a couple of different times and not gotten anything to show for it, so it was nice to reward him with a win”. “That’s a relative term, it’s not feeling good to the point where he’s getting ready to step back on the mound, but I think internally his gut instinct is he’s feeling good enough to put a ball in his hand and that’s what’s taking place”.
