Red Sox count on Fister with their season on line

BOSTON — If the Red Sox are nervous about the possibility of being swept out of the playoffs for the second straight year, they were trying hard not to show it Saturday.

A year after losing in David Ortiz’s final game and being eliminated 3-0 by the Indians in the AL Division Series, the Red Sox returned to Fenway Park again on the cusp of another early postseason exit.

The Astros picked apart the top two Red Sox starting pitchers in Games 1 and 2, roughing up Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz in back-to-back 8-2 victories at Minute Maid Park.

With a victory Sunday in Game 3, the Astros can advance to a league championship series for the first time since 2005, when they made it to the World Series and were swept by the White Sox. Brad Peacock starts for the Astros.

Back on their home field, the Red Sox will try to stick around for at least another game, this time pinning their hopes on right-hander Doug Fister, a June waiver signing who became a regular in the starting rotation only because of injuries.

Though Fister might not be the marquee name that the Red Sox would ordinarily peg to be on the mound in his position, he isn’t a stranger to it. In eight postseason starts, Fister has gone 4-1 with a 1.78 ERA. His teams were 7-1 in those games, winning each of the last three. Two of his seven victories also came with his team facing elimination.

“Now is not a time to change up our game plan or our execution,” Fister said. “It’s a matter of staying Game 1: Astros 8, Red Sox 2 Game 2: Astros 8, Red Sox 2 Game 3: at Red Sox 2:30 p.m. Sunday, FS1 *Game 4: at Red Sox TBD Monday, FS1 *Game 5: at Astros TBD Wednesday, FS1 with what we do and do what we do best.”

Meanwhile, the Astros have thus far avoided a postseason letdown after clinching the AL West crown in mid-September.

Manager A.J. Hinch said he has gotten exactly what he hoped to out of his young core. His top four hitters — George Springer, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa — have all come through, combining to go 12 of 32 with six home runs and 10 RBIs through two games. Altuve had three home runs alone in Game 1.

“The strength of this team will continue to be not only those big names but the depth of this lineup,” Hinch said.

Red Sox manager John Farrell could again find himself under the microscope if his team is eliminated from the first round of the playoffs after winning back-to-back AL East titles for the first time.

Farrell said everything is on the table for Game 3, including possibly using Sale as a reliever. He also said David Price is available to be used in any capacity if need be.

Farrell said he will worry about a potential Game 4 starter after ensuring that there is another game to play.

Hanley Ramirez said the prospect of not winning a single playoff game for two straight years is a label no one in the Red Sox clubhouse wants to wear.

“No, no. Not two years in a row,” he said. “We got to find a way. That’s why we’re pros. We’ve got to find a way to win.”

CHARLES KRUPA/AP Veteran Doug Fister, a June waiver signing, became a regular in the Red Sox rotation only because of injuries.