Sox answer challenge
Mookie HR lifts Pomeranz
HOUSTON — The Red Sox don’t have the record to show it, but they’d like to believe they’re every bit as good as the league-leading Astros. And if last night was any indication, the Red Sox just might be right.
In a game worthy of October, the Red Sox had an answer for everything the Astros threw at them.
The Red Sox pitched their way out of jams, made game-changing plays in the field, and just when Houston had tied it in the seventh, Mookie Betts homered on the very first pitch in the eighth for a 2-1 Red Sox win at Minute Maid Park.
“I think it’s huge any time you come in and win Game 1,” Betts said. “Especially in a fashion like that, low-scoring game, just kind of shows that you can play with them. Even though they’re good, we’re good, too.”
The Red Sox have now won 6-of-8, but beating up on the sub-.500 Tigers and the objectively awful Phillies wasn’t nearly as challenging as going on the road to face the Astros, who have the best record, secondmost runs and fourth-lowest ERA in the majors.
Drew Pomeranz, though, held them scoreless through six innings, getting a huge assist from Betts, who threw a runner out at the plate by — no kidding — about 20 feet. Even with the help, it was still one of Pomeranz’ finest starts.
“One of his better games that he’s pitched in our uniform,” manager John Farrell said.
Pomeranz was overshadowed, though, by do-it-all Betts.
When the Astros finally scored on Brian McCann’s game-tying home run in the seventh, Betts answered with his 12th homer, and third in the past three days.
In these past eight games, Betts has hit .424 with nine extra-base hits, further establishing himself as one of the game’s elite. Perhaps it’s little coincidence the Sox have played well in that same stretch.
“We love watching him,” Pomeranz said. “So, we get pumped up and fired up when he does things like that.”
Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes pitched out of trouble in the seventh and eighth, respectively, before Craig Kimbrel finished his 19th save. The Red Sox relievers have not allowed a run in their past 24 innings.
Kimbrel made it look easy, but Kelly and Barnes had to sweat. Kelly got pinch-hitter Nori Aoki to line out with runners at second and third, and Barnes got fly-ball hitter Evan Gattis to hit into an inning ending double play, also with a runner at third.
“That’s probably one of three double play balls you’ll see me get all year,” Barnes said.
While Betts and the bullpen have thrived most of the season, Pomeranz is finally starting to make himself a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.
In his past six starts — including last weekend’s clunker against Detroit — Pomeranz has a 3.09 ERA. To make the sample size even bigger, go back to May 9 in Milwaukee. Pomeranz gave up five first-inning runs that day. Since then, he’s allowed 14 earned runs in his past 38 2⁄3 innings, good for a 3.26 3 ERA in that span.
Before the McCann homer, Pomeranz had only one real problem. It came with back-to-back two-out walks in the sixth, just as he began to turn the lineup over for a third time.
On a 2-and-1 curveball, Carlos Correa lined a clean single into right field. It was the first time all night the Astros had sent a batter to the plate with a runner in scoring position, and so George Springer was waved home.
He wasn’t even into the batter’s circle by the time Christian Vazquez gathered the throw from Betts. Springer’s slide wasn’t even an attempt to score. It was a white flag of surrender.
“The home run came at a big time,” Betts said. “But I think more fun is probably the throw.”
Astros starter Mike Fiers was nearly as stingy as Pomeranz, and the Red Sox had similarly limited chances to score. The early difference was the third, when Betts walked, took third on Dustin Pedroia’s second single, and scored on Mitch Moreland’s two-out single to left. That hit extended Moreland’s hitting streak to 10 games, his longest since 2015.
It was a vital run, because the Red Sox had just one more hit against Fiers. Betts’ homer came on the first pitch thrown by the Houston ’pen.
The Sox’ bullpen did what the Astros’ could not, and that was the difference. Well, that, and Mookie Betts.
“We know coming in here that this is going to be a strong test, a strong challenge,” Farrell said. “To pitch like we did tonight, in their home ballpark, that was encouraging.”