Fiers limits the damage as Astros rally to win
Mike Fiers started Saturday like many others have for the Astros’ rotation — getting his team behind in the first inning.
Fiers only gave up one run to Boston. The Red Sox scored a pair Friday and the Texas Rangers had six in their three-game sweep.
It could have been a lot worse Saturday at Minute Maid Park. David Ortiz singled home Mookie Betts, who nearly hit for the cycle Friday, and the Red Sox led 1-0 with runners at the corners three batters in.
But Fiers rallied, getting out of the first and working into the sixth inning. He ran into trouble then, but reliever Will Harris limited the damage. The Red Sox got one run then and just one more the rest of the way as the Astros won 8-3.
It started with Fiers stopping the Red Sox from what could have been a big first inning. Boston entered Saturday having scored 10 first-inning runs in its previous three games.
“Keeping us in the game the way he did — limiting that offense to just the one run until (Harris) let the inherited runners in — was a good day for him,” manager A.J. Hinch said. Problematic first innings
Before Saturday, the Astros had allowed 23 runs and 40 baserunners in the first inning.
Fiers gave up a leadoff single to Betts and walked Dustin Pedroia to bring up Ortiz.
“Teams are hitting pretty good against us in the first,” Hinch said. “So it’s a tough hole to dig out of if it gets too big.”
Fiers struck out Hanley Ramirez and Travis Shaw, and Brock Holt grounded out. That started a run in which the 30-year-old righthander retired 15 of 16 batters, giving up only an infield single to Pedroia but leav- ing him stranded at first base.
“Got in trouble early on — first and third (with) already a run in,” said Fiers, who gave up five hits in 51⁄ in3 nings. “To get two strikeouts and get out of that inning was one of the turning points of this game.”
Fiers leaned on his changeup early, and the adjustment worked. Three of his six strikeouts were on changeups, including both in the first inning. That helped him expand the zone against a Boston lineup known to work counts.
The Astros tied the game in the second and put Fiers in line for the win in the fifth when Colby Rasmus hit his fifth career grand slam.
“That’s what — being a starting pitcher — you have to do,” Fiers said. “Limit the damage. You have to go deep in the game.” Harris escapes sixth
Fiers got into trouble in the sixth, loading the bases with one out before giving way to Harris.
Harris got Holt to fly out,allowing Pedroia to score from third, and Chris Young to ground out.
“Once Colby’s home run went out, I think a lot of these guys kind of beared down knowing we needed to make some pitches and we needed to win this game,” Fiers said.