Bradley’s slam helps Boston take lead in series
HOUSTON — Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a grand slam, Nathan Eovaldi hushed Houston a day after some social-media trash talk and Boston beat the Astros 8-2 on Tuesday to take a 2-1 lead in the AL Championship Series.
Steve Pearce hit a tie-breaking solo homer for Boston off Joe Smith in the sixth inning, a drive that sailed just inside the foul pole in left field for a 3-2 lead.
Bradley’s slam capped a five-run burst in the eighth against Roberto Osuna. The Astros’ closer got two outs but allowed two singles and plunked consecutive batters to force in a run. Bradley then crushed a 1-1 fastball into the right-field seats to send Houston fans streaming toward the exits.
Game 4 is Wednesday night, with Boston’s Rick Porcello opposing Charlie Morton.
With his childhood hero and fellow Alvin, Texas, native Nolan Ryan sitting behind the plate, Eovaldi turned in his second solid start of the postseason, allowing two runs in six innings for the win. He beat the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS.
“For him, I know it’s a special one,” Boston manager Alex Cora said.
Houston’s Alex Bregman had shared an Instagram video Monday of the Astros hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs off Eovaldi in his previous outing against Houston in June. Eovaldi downplayed the post when asked about it Monday.
Bregman did much of the damage against Eovaldi, getting two hits, an RBI and a walk in three plate appearances. Bregman has reached base safely in 20 of 28 plate appearances this postseason.
Bradley hit a three-run double during Boston’s Game 2 victory, giving him at least three RBIs in consecutive games for the first time in his career. Moments after his slam, fans at TD Garden in Boston began chanting “JBJ!” during the Celtics’ season opener against the 76ers.
Bradley had caught the ire of many Boston fans while batting .210 during the first half of the season.
“It’s a credit to him, because at this level, when you’re hitting .180 after two months or I think it was three months, it is hard,” Cora said. “And he kept showing up. He kept working. He kept working his craft. Now you see the results.”
The Astros went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in their first home game of the series, which was played in front of a sellout crowd of 43,102 and included Astros Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell and Rockets players James Harden, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony.