Rick Porcello was wheeling and dealing for the Boston Red Sox on Friday night against the Houston Astros … until the eighth inning.
The right-hander surrendered a lead-off double to Jake Marisnick before George Springer homered to center field on the first pitch he saw to take the lead and never look back. Boston ultimately dropped the series-opener 3-1 at Fenway Park.
Before the eighth, Porcello threw just 91 pitches and had yet to allow a run and struck out three. And even though he was dominating, manager Alex Cora regrets putting his pitcher back on the mound the following inning.
“That was a bad decision,” he said on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage. “That was bad from the get-go. … That’s on me. That’s not on Rick. I just made a bad decision, put him in a bad spot, we paid the price.”
That inning really was the only hiccup for Porcello in the game, and Cora praised his right-hander for the way he pitched all contest.
“Amazing. Amazing,” he said. “He doesn’t deserve to lose that game. The way he moved the fastball, changed speeds, everything he did was outstanding. That’s the best lineup in baseball and he went seven scoreless. … He was outstanding.”
Here are some other notes from Friday’s Red Sox-Astros game:
— The Red Sox made it interesting in the ninth with two on, two out and Mookie Betts representing the winning run at the plate. But the outfielder lined out to end the game and Boston’s chance at a walk-off win.
— The Astros extended their winning streak to nine games with the win.
— Ryan Brasier struggled in the loss, giving up two walks and threw just five strikes over his first 13 pitches. He also gave up a key insurance run thanks to the two walks and a wild pitch and passed ball, leading to a Houston sacrifice fly.
“Seems like right now he’s a little bit off, as far as command,” Cora said. “… We’ll keep working him. He’s a guy we trust.”
— Heath Hembree struck out three in the ninth inning. He now has a 2.08 ERA over his last 10 outings.
