The Astros host the Red Sox for three games starting tonight.
Tonight at 7:10 PM CT, the Houston Astros will host the Boston Red Sox in the first game of a three-game series.
Last Meeting
This is the second series this season (and this month) between the two teams. Houston swept Boston in three games in Fenway Park from August 9 through August 11. In the final game, a 10-2 Houston win, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman (17), Yordan Alvarez (25) and Jeremy Peña (10) combined to go 10-for-15 with three home runs, two doubles, and six RBI. The rest of the team was three-for-24. Hunter Brown (10-7, 3.96) dropped his ERA below four for the first time in the season, with nine strikeouts in 5 1⁄3 innings.
He hits for average, line to line, and can hit the ball out of the ballpark anywhere. He’s always fun to watch, and he’s very clutch, too. He comes up with clutch moments and always gets his A-swing off. — Bregman, on Alvarez
GameTimes and Starting Pitchers
Monday, 7:10 PM CT: Tanner Houck (8-8, 3.01) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 4.49)
Tuesday, 7:10 PM CT: Nick Pivetta (5-8, 4.49) vs. Ronel Blanco (9-6, 2.89)
Wednesday, 1:10 PM CT: Cooper Criswell (5-4, 4.56) vs. TBD (likely JV, but we’ll see)
Astros Recent Action
The Astros completed a 10-game road-trip by going 9-1, including an eight-game winning streak, then opened a six-game homestand by taking two-of-three from the Chicago White Sox. In the series finale on Sunday afternoon, Framber Valdez (13-5, 3.20) was lights out, striking out nine over seven shutout innings, walking one and allowing three singles. Houston’s offense, despite collecting a total of eight hits in the two wins to close the series, relied on round trip tickets by Yainer Diaz (13) and Jose Altuve (16) for the 2-0 win.
It allows us to get those guys in the bullpen a breather and keep them fresh for this long stretch. I have to be smart in how I use my starters and how long I keep them in there because this is a long stretch and we’re about to play some pretty good teams. — Joe Espada
Red Sox Recent Action
After Boston dropped the three games to the Astros earlier this month, they closed out a six-game homestand by taking two-of-three from the Texas Rangers. They then took their show on the road and split a four-game set against the Baltimore Orioles. In the series finale on Sunday, Boston lost a 4-2 decision behind a strong start by Kutter Crawford (8-10, 4.25) Crawford gave up two hits and a walk over 5 1⁄3 innings, striking out four but surrendering three runs. Rob Refsnyder (8) went deep in the loss.
Every pitch matters, every pitch counts, and we’re going to keep doing that. We have a good team. We’re in the hunt, so nothing changes. — Alex Cora
Heroes and Zeroes (five highest and lowest WPA against the White Sox)
Heroes
Framber Valdez (44.6)
Hunter Brown (22.8)
Bryan Abreu (14.1)
Yainer Díaz (10.4)
Mauricio Dubón (10.3)
Zeroes
Kaleb Ort (-7.3)
Victor Caratini (-8.2)
Pedro León (-9.8)
Zach Dezenzo (-12.2)
Spencer Arrighetti (-18.1)