The Boston Red Sox defeated the Houston Astros, 7-5 in extra innings, at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday night.
With the victory, the Red Sox improved to 67-60 while the Astros fell to 72-56.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston had its most competitive battle of the series with Houston and it paid off.
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With a crowd of hungry American League teams competing alongside Boston in the wild-card race, putting together late-season losing skids is far from ideal. Therefore, stopping the bleeding and hopping back in the win column was priority No. 1 in Houston -- and it wasn't easy.
The final four innings of the contest went scoreless, sending the Red Sox and Astros into extra innings. This also came right after Boston took a hit to its bullpen, losing All-Star closer Kenley Jansen, who made an early exit after one-third of an inning tossed. But, the Red Sox instantly responded.
Adam Duvall delivered a clutch three-run home run to uplift the Red Sox at the perfect time, right after fouling a pitch off his foot.
Boston, now allowed to exhale, can tie up the series with Houston on Thursday. The Red Sox also gained ground in the wild-card race, down four games back.
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STARS OF THE GAME
-- Duvall came through with the biggest at-bat of the night, belting the game-winning blast in the 10th inning. That marked the third consecutive game in which Duvall has homered for the Red Sox.
-- Garrett Whitlock was outstanding in keeping the Red Sox within striking distance, pitching two scoreless innings of relief while allowing two hits. Whitlock also made a jaw-dropping sliding catch to retire Houston's Alex Bregman in the seventh inning, keeping the contest tied at 4-4.
-- Nick Pivetta filled in for Jansen in a major way, striking out two Astros batters to keep Houston from scrapping together a walk-off rally in the ninth inning.
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WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Trevor Story hitting a double at +440. Story cleared those odds, providing one of three extra-base hits to come from Boston's lineup throughout the night. A $100 wager placed on Story would've netted a $540 total payout.
ON DECK AT NESN
Boston and Houston will wrap up its four-game series on Thursday afternoon as the Red Sox seek a 2-2 split. First pitch from Minute Maid Park is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
Featured image via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images
