Correa’s two-run homer lifts Astros over Red Sox

ASTROS 4, RED SOX 2

HOUSTON — Carlos Correa snapped an 0 for 10 slump with a two-run homer in the first and Tony Kemp and Jake Marisnick had an RBI each to help the Houston Astros to a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night.

Houston starter Lance McCullers (7-3) allowed four hits and two runs in six innings to help the Astros to the victory in this rematch of last year’s ALDS, which Houston won in four games.

Ken Giles gave up a single to Sandy Leon with two outs in the ninth before walking Jackie Bradley Jr., but Marisnick grabbed a fly ball hit by Blake Swihart to end it and give Giles his 10th save.

The game was tied at 2-all when J.D. Davis singled to start Houston’s fourth.

Tim Federowicz hit a groundrule double with one out before Davis barely beat the throw home to score on a single by Kemp to put Houston up 3-2.

The Red Sox challenged the play but it was upheld. Marisnick followed with a bunt that allowed Federowicz to score and the Astros to push the lead to 4-2.

The victory snapped a threegame winning streak for the Red Sox, who at 39-18 have baseball’s best record.

Boston’s Drew Pomeranz (1-4) allowed six hits and four runs in five innings after failing to pitch longer than four innings in his past three starts.

The Red Sox were without Mookie Betts, who missed his fifth straight game with soreness on his left side, and Dustin Pedroia, who was scratched just before the game with a sore left knee.

Pedroia has played just three games this season while recovering from knee surgery in October and is listed as day-to-day.

Alex Bregman walked with one out before Correa’s shot to left field made it 2-0 in the first inning.

McCullers was shaken up in the second inning when he and Rafael Devers had a collision when the pitcher went to cover first base after

Devers hit a ground ball.

Devers tripped over the foot of McCullers and went tumbling to the ground in a crash that also sent McCullers falling into the dirt.

Both players got up after a couple of minutes and McCullers remained in the game after a couple of warmup pitches.

Bradley got Boston’s first hit with a double to start the third inning. Andrew Benintendi walked with one out before the double by Xander Bogaerts scored them both to tie it at 2.

ATHLETICS 7, RAYS 3 Daniel Mengden allowed three runs over eight innings and the Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays to avoid a four- game sweep. Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Matt Joyce all homered, providing some much-needed punch to an offense that had sputtered since their leading home run hitter Khris Davis went on the disabled list 10 days earlier. Davis was activated before the game and doubled and scored as part of a three-run second inning to help Oakland end a three-game losing streak. TIGERS 6, ANGELS 2 Victor Reyes hit a three-run triple in the five-run first to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angles. Detroit starter Ryan Carpenter was on pace to pick up his first career victory, but left the game after four innings with an oblique strain. Warwick Saupold (3-1) replaced Carpenter and pitched two perfect innings. Carpenter gave up one run and five hits.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

BRAVES 4, NATIONALS 2 Sean Newcomb pitched seven strong innings for his sixth straight win, leading the Atlanta Braves back into first place with a victory over the Washington Nationals. In the start of a four-game series between the top teams in the NL East, the Braves snapped Washington’s six-game winning streak and reclaimed first place by a half-game over the Nationals. Newcomb (6-1) was roughed up by the Nationals in his season debut April 2. Since then, he’s 6-0 with a sparkling 2.16 ERA in 10 starts.

CARDINALS 10, PIRATES 8 Yairo Munoz hit a three-run, game-ending homer to cap St. Louis’ five-run ninth inning and rally the Cardinals to a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Munoz ripped the first pitch from closer Felipe Vazquez (2-2) over the wall in center field to give St. Louis its sixth walk-off win of the season. Francisco Cervelli hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the eighth to give the Pirates an 8-5 lead. However, Pittsburgh couldn’t hold on and lost in St. Louis for the fifth straight time and 12th in the last 14.

CUBS 5, METS 1 Jose Quintana pitched six shutout innings, Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer and the Chicago Cubs beat the banged-up New York Mets in the opener of a four-game series. Zobrist also doubled and singled in the leadoff spot as the Cubs won for the fourth time in five games. Chicago improved to 2-8 at Citi Field since the 2015 NL Championship Series. An inconsistent Quintana (6-4) continued his run of strong starts following poor ones. The left-hander allowed three hits and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third when he threw a called third strike past Jose Bautista and retired cleanup man Michael Conforto on a grounder.

PHILLIES 2, DODGERS 1 Jorge Alfaro drove in two runs, Aaron Nola pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, spoiling Clayton Kershaw’s first start in almost a month. Hitting out of the No. 8 spot in the Phillies’ lineup, Alfaro delivered an RBI single in the second inning against Kershaw and had an RBI double off reliever Josh Fields in the seventh.