Red Sox Wrap: Boston Can’t Beat Framber Valdez In ALCS Game 5

The Red Sox will head to Houston with a chip on their shoulder.

Boston dropped Game 5 of the American League Championship Series to the Astros, 9-1, on Wednesday at Fenway Park.

You can view the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Sure, the Astros’ offense exploded late in the game, scoring five runs in the sixth inning another in the seventh. Chris Sale’s dominant start — save for a second-inning home run — was marred by those late innings, and he finished with two earned runs (four total) on three hits with seven strikeouts and a pair of walks before the bullpen came in after 5 1/3 innings.

But this can’t all be attributed to pitching. The Red Sox offense couldn’t get anything going against a red-hot Framber Valdez, who allowed just three hits through eight innings. Boston was no-hit into the fifth.

There’s not much you can work with there, whether you’re down one run or eight.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Yordan Alvarez was on fire in the cleanup spot for Houston. He finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs and only one strikeout. In addition to the solo home run off of Sale, he also got a double off of the Red Sox starter.

— Rafael Devers was the only player to get on base more than once, and his seventh-inning home run showed that there at least was a little bit of life left in the Red Sox. He launched the ball 402 feet to right field.

— Well, at least Darwinzon Hernandez and Hirokazu Sawamura came to play today. The pair combined for 1 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

WAGER WATCH
Despite a beatdown in Game 4, the Astros still entered this one as underdogs. DraftKings Sportsbook had the visitors at +105 (bet $100 to win $105) to come away with the win, so fans who bet on the visitors to make it two in a row went home with a nice chunk of change.

ON DECK AT NESN
The series returns to Houston for Game 6, scheduled for Friday at 8:08 p.m. ET. The game will air on FS1, but NESN will have an hour of pregame coverage beginning at 7 p.m. and postgame coverage immediately following the final out.