Red Sox Wrap: Astros Bats Crush Boston Arms In 9-4 Loss

The Boston Red Sox dropped the first game of a four-game series, 9-4, against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Monday night.

With the loss, the Red Sox moved to 66-59 while the Astros improved to 71-55.

You can check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Although the Red Sox struck early for three runs, a motivated Astros lineup came ready to do damage on Monday.

Houston quickly erased an early 3-0 deficit with a run back in the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Yordan Álvarez.

Boston aided the Astros in the second inning with a series of defensive miscues. On what would have been a flyout to left field, Kyle Tucker reached base when catcher's interference was called on Reese McGuire. A pair of tricky ground balls to Rafael Devers, one ruled a hit and the other a fielder's choice, helped Houston strike for three runs to take the lead.

James Paxton battled for Boston through an early pitch count to give innings for the Red Sox to keep the game close. On the verge of escaping another jam in the fourth inning, Chas McCormick broke the game open for the Astros with a three-run home run to left field to break the game open.

The long ball marked seven unanswered runs for Houston from the first inning on.

The Red Sox entered the series after sweeping the New York Yankees. The Astros entered the series after being swept by the Seattle Mariners. Momentum was not a big factor in the opener.

Boston's defense certainly played an assist, but the Astros were ready to hit on Monday.

STARS OF THE GAME
-- Adam Duvall's three-run homer put Boston in front early as part of a three-hit day to start the series.

MILLAR CALLED IT. pic.twitter.com/YRg65wbBK2

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 22, 2023

-- Alex Verdugo gave good at-bats at the top of the order, tallying three hits and a run scored.

-- McCormick created separation for the Astros with his three-run home run off of Paxton in the fourth inning and added a solo shot in the eighth inning.

-- An honorable mention goes to Kevin Millar, who predicted Duvall's first-inning home run on the NESN broadcast.

WAGER WATCH
Duvall entered Monday's contest at +350 to hit a home run, per FanDuel Sportsbook. With his three-run shot in the first inning, a $100 wager placed on Duvall would've netted a $450 total payout.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox continue their four-game series with the Astros on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.