The Boston Red Sox’s comeback effort came up just short on Friday night in Houston, but it was their sloppy showing in the field that really prevented them from getting the win.
Errors in the second, third, and fourth inning allowing the Astros to score runs in each of the three frames, which blew another solid start from ace Chris Sale. Sale went six innings, giving up two earned runs with five strikeouts.
Manager Alex Cora noted after the loss that a team like Houston will make opponents pay for defensive lapses, and they did on Friday.
“You have to play clean against them,” Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “They do more than hitting. They run the bases well. They’re very athletic. Like I said, it was a weird one. If we play better defense, we have a chance.”
The Sox out-hit Houston thanks to three solo homers from Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Christian Vazquez, but the Astros made sure Boston paid for their early defensive blunders, closing them out 4-3.
Here are some other notes from Friday’s Red Sox-Astros game:
— Bradley Jr.’s solo shot in the eighth inning was the first run Ryan Pressly had given up all season long.
In fact, Pressly hadn’t given up a home run since last July before JBJ’s opposite field bomb. That ended a streak of 40 straight scoreless appearances for the Houston reliever.
Pressly also walked J.D. Martinez, which was his first walk of the season.
— Mookie Betts was 2-for-4 in the loss.
He was the only Red Sox player with a multi-hit night.
— Jake Marisnick made two spectacular catches in center field, which were huge in Houston being able to fend off Boston.
— Houston outfielder George Springer exited the game with an apparent hamstring injury. Manager A.J. Hinch said it did not look good.
— Marcus Walden continued his solid season, pitching a 1-2-3 seventh inning in the loss.
