Red Sox Wrap: Boston Bats Smash Astros To Split Series

The Boston Red Sox won the final game of a four-game series, 17-1, against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Thursday afternoon.

With the win, the Red Sox moved to 68-60, while the Astros moved to 72-57.

You can check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston seemed to find some momentum after a 7-5 victory in extra innings on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the bats certainly took that momentum and ran with it.

Alex Verdugo got the Red Sox on the board just a few pitches into the matinee matchup with a leadoff home run into the right field bleachers. The long ball marked the 13th straight game with a home run for Boston.

Wilyer Abreu followed in the early innings with a two-run blast for his first major league homer.

Rafael Devers, who had slumped during the series, got right with a hard line drive and a two-run single. In the third inning with the bases loaded, Justin Turner was hit with a pitch and Adam Duvall followed with a walk.

The Red Sox clicked on all cylinders to start the game, tallying 11 runs in the first three innings. After scoring seven total runs in two frustrating losses to start the series, the lineup exploded for 24 runs in the final two games for the series split.

Boston put on exclamation point on the game with four more runs in the ninth inning when Houston put catcher Martin Maldonado on the mound.

The boosted run support for Brayan Bello was more than enough, who dazzled for a second straight start.

In the first two games, the Red Sox constantly left runners on base and made a series of defensive mistakes that sparked doubts in the playoff hunt. The last two games saw a much better offensive approach and a rejuvenated club that split four games with a legitimate American League contender.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Abreu smashed his first career home run in the major leagues with a two-run home run on Thursday as part of a four-hit day.

— Verdugo delivered a pair of RBIs, including his leadoff home run to start the offensive surge with four hits.

— Bello delivered another strong start in the finale, tossing seven innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts.

WAGER WATCH
Verdugo entered Thursday’s contest at +800 to hit a home run, per FanDuel Sportsbook. With his solo shot in the first inning, a $100 wager placed on Verdugo would’ve netted a $800 total payout.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox return home a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night on Apple TV+. The teams meet for the middle game of the set on Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.