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Sox Contreras Out; Hit by Pitch

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras left Sunday’s game after being hit on the right hand by a pitch from Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Nick Martinez in the first inning.

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Contreras ran the bases, but did not return to the field for the second inning as the Red Sox initially said he had a contusion. However, the club said it would have Contreras undergo imaging to determine the severity as the ball seemed to hit where the palm of his hand meets the wrist, a complicated area of the joint.

It was the eighth time Contreras has been hit by a pitch, which tied him with St. Louis’ J.J. Wetherholt and Ivan Herrera for the MLB lead.

Contreras, who turns 34 on Wednesday, leads Boston with eight homers and 23 RBIs while batting .259 in 39 games.

The three-time All-Star is in his first season with the Red Sox. He has a .258 career batting average with 180 homers and 571 RBIs in 1,116 games with the Chicago Cubs (2016-22), St. Louis Cardinals (2023-25) and Boston.

Andruw Monasterio replaced Contreras at first base and poked hits in his first two at-bats.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Motoring in Motown

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DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Detroit Tigers have dropped one game under .500 after losing the first two games of a three-game home series against the Boston Red Sox. They will look to a struggling starter to prevent a sweep.

Under different circumstances, right-hander Jack Flaherty might be in danger of losing his starting spot. With the rotation decimated by injuries, the Tigers will continue to ride with Flaherty and hope he can solve his issues.

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Flaherty (0-2, 5.90 ERA), who will make his eighth start Wednesday, has been unable to record more than 11 outs in his last three appearances.

He issued six walks to Boston hitters on April 20 and was removed after 3 1/3 innings. Flaherty surrendered six runs, including three home runs, in two innings at Cincinnati on April 25.

In his last start, Flaherty gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings on Friday to Texas while allowing five hits and three walks. He admitted afterward that his struggles have taken a mental toll.

“You just lose it for three hitters and it’s just like, agonizing, it’s frustrating,” Flaherty said. “It probably pisses you off, because it’s — I’m losing sleep over it every single day, trying to figure out what goes on in that little bit right there where we end up walking three guys in a row.”

Overall, Flaherty has walked 25 batters in 29 innings. During 2024 when Flaherty began the season with Detroit and then was traded to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers, he walked just 38 batters in 162 innings. Last season, Flaherty went 8-15 while rejoining the Tigers and issued 59 walks in 161 innings.

“Just giving guys free passes and walking guys, that’s where it gets frustrating,” he said. “I never walked guys like this in my career, so it’s one of those things that is gonna be frustrating to really figure it out.”

He’s 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA in four career outings (three starts) against Boston.

Right-hander Sonny Gray is expected to be activated from the injured list and start for the Red Sox.

Gray (2-1, 4.30) strained his right hamstring while opposing Flaherty last month. In 12 career outings (11 starts) against Detroit, Gray is 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA, including a start last season in which he tossed six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Boston has scored 15 runs in the first two games of the series despite an injury to outfielder Roman Anthony. He suffered a sprained right wrist during the series opener on Monday but was not placed on the injured list. He will not play tonight.

“The thing is, even with a sprain, it’s still going to be reactive on how it is feeling, and how is it progressing,” interim manager Chad Tracy said. “That’s good news, but we still have to see how he feels over the next couple of days. To know that something happened, and we don’t see a break, and we don’t see any structural (damage) right now. But again, there’s still steps to take to make sure that he feels good and healthy.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox to Face Tigers’ Ace

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DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Detroit Tigers are missing three starting pitchers but still have one standout. He will be on the mound tonight against the visiting Boston Red Sox. Framber Valdez (2-1, 3.35 ERA) will start the middle contest of the three-game series for Detroit. The left-hander has given up two runs or fewer in six of his seven starts.

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Valdez was sharp in his latest outing, at Atlanta on Thursday. He held the Braves to two runs and six hits in six innings. He didn’t issue a walk while striking out a season-high eight batters.

The Braves’ runs against him came in the second and third innings.

“He got better and better as the day went on,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He had a little trouble getting into the game, just because he mis-executed pitches. But given how the game started and the way his pitch count was driving up, for him to go six innings and really look strong at the end was huge.”

Valdez and catcher Jake Rogers changed tactics, relying more on his breaking pitches.

“They were on time for his sinker early,” Rogers said. “Just mixing in his changeup and curveball to keep them off the heater, then sneaking the heater in every once in a while was a really big thing. He did a really good job of landing the changeup and he even threw some good sliders to their lefties, which is a good pitch against those guys.”

Valdez recorded his most recent victory against the Red Sox, limiting them to one run in six innings on April 19. He is 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in seven career outings (five starts) against Boston.

Valdez steps into the role of de facto ace of the staff with Tarik Skubal on the injured list. The team announced on Monday that Skubal would undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow.

Two other Tigers starters, Justin Verlander and Casey Mize, also are on the injured list.

Valdez will be opposed on Tuesday by the Boston combination of opener Jovani Moran (0-0, 2.33 ERA) and bulk reliever Brayan Bello (1-4, 9.12 ERA).

Moran most recently pitched Sunday, when he got two outs without allowing a run or a hit against the Houston Astros. He allowed one run in three innings over two relief appearances vs. the Tigers last month, leaving him with a 7.45 ERA and a 0-1 record in nine lifetime outings against Detroit.

Bello will be coming out of the bullpen for the first time this year. He has made it past the fifth inning in just one of his six starts this season, and he has allowed 43 hits and 15 walks in 25 2/3 innings.

In his latest outing, Bello began with two scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. He fell apart from that point and departed after 3 2/3 innings, having served up four runs and six hits.

“He looked great early,” interim manager Chad Tracy said. “(He) attacked the zone, (was) in the zone. A lot of weak contact. And then, in the third … started to nibble a bit when guys got on, and we got into a tight spot.”

Bello was frustrated when Tracy pulled him in the fourth.

“Obviously, I was upset,” Bello said through an interpreter. “I haven’t been able to pitch well in the past few starts. I haven’t been able to pitch deep into the  games. That’s what I want (to do), and (Wednesday), it went that way, as well.”

Bello gave up four runs on five hits in four innings during a loss to Detroit on April 18. He is 0-2 with a 6.41 ERA in four career appearances (all starts) against the Tigers.

Boston won the series opener 5-4 on Monday behind Jarren Duran’s three-run homer in the seventh inning.

–Field Level Media

Lowly Astros Take Series vs Sox

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Houston’s Cam Smith had three hits, including a two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, to help the visiting Astros earn a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Smith’s two-out single came against Zack Kelly (0-2) and drove in Braden Shewmake and Jose Altuve.

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Boston had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th, but Bryan Abreu got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into a double play to end the game.

Jarren Duran hit a solo home run for the Red Sox, who stranded 13 runners and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Duran’s home run was his third of the season and his second of the series. He hit a three-run homer in Boston’s 3-1 victory Friday night.

Abreu (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one.

Willson Contreras collected three of Boston’s nine hits in the loss.

Christian Walker and Christian Vazquez each had two-hit games for the Astros, who won two games in the three-game set.

Boston starting pitcher Ranger Suarez was pulled after four scoreless innings because of hamstring tightness. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Suarez threw 70 pitches.

Duran’s home run off Houston reliever AJ Blubaugh opened the scoring in the fifth. Houston tied the game in the sixth, when Walker reached on an infield single, took third on Altuve’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brice Matthews.

The Red Sox had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. An error on Abreu allowed Contreras to reach second with two outs in the inning, but Roman Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning.

Houston had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th, but Altuve grounded into a 6-2-5 double play. Following a walk to Matthews, Smith delivered his two-run single.

–Field Level Media

76ers, Embiid End Celtics’ Season

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia’s oft-injured center Joel Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and Sixers’ all-star Tyrese Maxey added 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the 76ers to a 109-100 victory over the host Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series Saturday night. The 76ers won the  final three games in the series. It was the first time in franchise history that Philadelphia has overcome a 3-1 series deficit and only the 14th time in league history for any team.

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“We handled playing (in a hostile environment) just enough, but I think it was really good for us to experience it,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.

Philadelphia, seeded seventh, visits the third-seeded New York Knicks on Monday in Game 1 of their second-round series.

“What changed in the series is Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Embiid took the court for the last three games after not playing since April 6, as he required an emergency appendectomy during a team trip through Texas.

Second-seeded Boston trailed 99-98 following two Neemias Queta free throws, but Maxey scored the next eight points to put Philadelphia up 107-98 with 15 seconds left.

Philadelphia received 23 points from rookie VJ Edgecombe. Paul George added 13. The 76ers’ bench totaled three points (all by Quentin Grimes).

Boston’s Jayson Tatum was ruled out of the  game because of stiffness in his left knee. He left Game 6 with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter with a left leg injury.

Tatum averaged 23.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest in six playoff games this season. The six-time All-Star forward averaged 21.8 points and 10.0 boards in 16 regular-season games after returning March 6 from a devastating ruptured right Achilles tendon last May in the playoffs.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points and added nine rebounds. Derrick White finished with 26 points and Queta had 17 points and a team-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Celtics starters Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. failed to score. Reserves Payton Pritchard added 13 points and Sam Hauser 11.

The Celtics shot 26.5% (13 of 49) from 3-point range and 39.8% (37 of 93) from the field.

“We’re always going to play to the strength of our team,” Mazzulla said.

The Sixers made 11 of 28 (39.3%) from long range and 47.6% (39 of 82) from the field.

“In the last two games and portions of this one, we guarded the ball very well,” Nurse said. “We weren’t giving them great looks. That probably for the whole series was the big key.”

Philadelphia scored the game’s first nine points and led 30-15 following an Embiid jumper with 1:55 left in the opening quarter. The 76ers were up 32-19 after 12 minutes.

Boston scored 18 of the first 22 points in the second quarter and had its first (and what turned out to be only) lead, 37-36, after a Pritchard 3-pointer with 6:52 left in the first half. Philadelphia rallied to take a 55-50 halftime advantage.

An 8-0 run gave Philadelphia a 63-52 lead, and the 76ers were up 84-66 after an Edgecombe 3-pointer with 2:24 remaining in the third. It was 88-75 after three quarters.

Boston began the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run to cut its deficit to one point, 92-91, with 7:59 to play. The 76ers led 95-94 with 5:52 left.

“(The Celtics) just played in transition for about 12 straight minutes, and then we finally got them stopped to get in their sets,” Nurse said. “Defensively, that was the difference for us in the last three minutes. We had them in halfcourt until maybe the final 90 seconds when they were just coming up and firing.”

Mazzulla said: “Loved the looks that we got, loved the process that we had, but hate the result.”

–Field Level Media

 

Two Words: “Game Seven”

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will try to avoid a series collapse Saturday night when they face the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Second-seeded Boston held a 3-1 lead in the series, but lost Game 5 at home and then dropped Game 6, 106-93, in Philadelphia on Thursday night. If the seventh-seeded 76ers can find a way to win Game 7 on the road, Boston would become the 14th team in NBA history to lose a series after holding a 3-1 advantage.

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“I’ve been playing these guys for so long,” said Philadelphia center Joel Embiid. “I’m tired of losing to them. So we have a chance to accomplish something special. They’re a great team. You look at everything they have. That’s a super team. We just gotta go in with the mindset that we’ve had for the last two games. One play at a time. Tough environment, but we’ve been there. We won two games over there.”

Boston was 12 of 41 from 3-point territory in Thursday’s loss, after being held to 11-of-39 shooting from behind the 3-point arc in its 113-97 setback in Game 5.

“Very good game by us,” Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse said following Thursday’s victory. “I think we played really well. Probably most impressed with our defensive effort, and shot creation was good. I don’t think the shot-making was great, but the shot creation was very good.”

Boston received a scare Thursday when Jayson Tatum exited the court with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter and did not return. Tatum said he felt tightness in his left leg, but is slated to play Saturday.

“Y’all probably saw when I went to the back,” Tatum said. “So I was on the bike. My leg was just a little stiff when I came out in the third quarter. But just kind of assessing the moment, like the game was a little out of reach. We took the starters out.

“Our intentions aren’t good,” Tatum continued. “We want to go out there and play the right way and win. It’s just we just got to be a little bit more together, a little bit tougher, play with more pace, play faster. How they have played majority of the season. Then since I’ve been back (from an Achilles injury), just kind of getting back to who we are.”

Two of Boston’s three wins in the series came by more than 30 points. The Celtics won Game 1 123-91, then prevailed 128-96 in Game 4.

“We definitely made some adjustments,” Mazzulla said after Game 6. “Some of them worked, some of them didn’t. Like I said, I thought tonight the Sixers played well, and we didn’t.”

Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 30 points in Game 6. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 18 points.

“Sometimes it’s not about the Xs and Os, it’s about the Jims and the Joes,” Maxey said. “Who you have on your team, our Jims and Joes got to be better than theirs. It’s going to be a dogfight. It’s going to be extremely difficult. Every single second will be a roller coaster ride. Us as a group, we have to stay connected. Stay with one goal in mind – that’s you’re trying to win the game.”

–Field Level Media

Renegade is 4-to-1 Fave at Derby

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LOUISVILLE – The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is one of the few times in thoroughbred racing when getting first is not something to celebrate. Last Saturday, during the draw for this Saturday’s 152nd running of the race at Churchill Downs, that distinction went to Renegade.

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Despite the ominous spot for Renegade, Churchill Downs’ morning-line oddsmaker Nick Tammaro still set the 3-year-old colt as his early 4-1 favorite for the 1-1/4-mile race that serves as the start of racing’s Triple Crown.

Drawing the inside post means Renegade will be the horse closest to the rail. While he would have the shortest path to the finish line, he will also have to avoid getting pinched along the rail as up to 19 competitors try to move in at the start.

The last horse to win from the No. 1 post position was Ferdinand in 1986, the last Derby win for legendary jockey Bill Shoemaker.

As for Renegade, the horse trained by Todd Pletcher has never finished out of the money in five starts. After placing twice and showing once in his 2-year-old campaign, Renegade has won both starts this year, including the Arkansas Derby a month ago.

Another horse seeking to buck a trend is Emerging Market. Trainer Chad Brown’s horse, who has morning-line odds of 15-1, won the Louisiana Derby in just his second start. However, the last horse to win the Kentucky Derby in just a third start was Leonatus in 1883.

Brown, though, thinks his colt can end that 143-year streak.

“He has such a wonderful mind and is so calm and collected,” said Brown, whose entry got the 15th gate.

Based on Tammaro’s projected odds, Renegade is considered one of four horses that stand out in the field. The co-second choices are Further Ado and Commandment at 6-1. Both are trained by Brad Cox, a Louisville native. Commandment has won four straight, including the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on March 28, while Further Ado impressed many with his 11-length win in the Blue Grass Stakes a week later at Keeneland.

Commandment drew the sixth post, and Further Ado will break from the 17th. Further Ado moved into that spot after Silent Tactic was scratched on Wednesday.

Fulleffort, trained by Cox, was scratched on Thursday due to a chip in his left hind ankle. Ocelli has entered the race in his place.

The fourth choice at 8-1 is Chief Wallabee, who will break from the 12th gate. He finished second to Commandment in the Fountain of Youth Stakes in February and third in the Florida Derby. Trained by Bill Mott, who won the Kentucky Derby last year with Sovereignty, is adding blinkers to the colt in hopes it will improve his performance.

“He seemed to be maybe just a little more straight and maybe a little more true,” Mott said after the draw.

Another horse drawing interest is The Puma, who won the Tampa Bay Derby on March 7 and followed that up by finishing second in the Florida Derby three weeks later. Trained by Gustavo Delgado, the colt will break ninth and has odds of 10-1.

Trainer Bob Baffert has a pair of longshots in the field as he seeks a record seventh Derby win. Litmus Test is 30-1 coming off a seventh-place finish in the Arkansas Derby, while Potente, at 20-1, finished second in the Santa Anita Derby to So Happy (15-1). Litmus Test is starting fourth, Potente 14th.

There are currently 20 horses entered, with two of the four also-eligibles now in the race. Great White joined the field Wednesday after Silent Tactic was scratched. An also-eligible can enter the race, based on the points they acquired in prep races, if another starter is scratched.

NHL Stanley Cup: Bye-Bye Bruins

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The visiting Buffalo Sabres scored two first-period goals and never trailed en route to a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Friday night, clinching their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series in six games for the upstart Sabres and sending the Bruins packing.

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Alex Tuch and Mattias Samuelsson built a 2-0 lead in the opening frame before Zach Benson and Josh Norris added insurance tallies in the third as Buffalo advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2007.

Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin each dished out two assists while Alex Lyon made 25 saves for the Sabres, who won all three games played in Boston in the series.

“To (win the series) on the road — against a team that played so well at home, one of the better home records in the league — I thought our guys dug in and gave us a heck of a game tonight,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said.

David Pastrnak scored the lone goal and Jeremy Swayman stopped 22 shots in Boston’s losing effort.

“We felt the pressure being at home,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. “We feel the pressure because we care. We wanted to prove people wrong.”

Buffalo finished 0-for-4 on the power play, while Boston never had a man advantage.

The Sabres needed just 3:25 to score on their first shot and take a 1-0 lead for the third consecutive game. Tuch was open at the top of the crease to net Dahlin’s centering pass from the left circle past a trailing Swayman.

After the game’s first power play ended, Lyon kept the momentum on Buffalo’s side with huge saves in the middle stages of the first period. Among them, Casey Mittelstadt had a break-in attempt and a follow-up after a Morgan Geekie feed sent him ahead of the defense.

“Can’t get much better than that,” Tuch said about Lyon. “He was lights-out. He was in the zone. Attacked every opportunity they threw at him. Steady Eddy. Gives the bench a lot of confidence when you got a guy like that playing the way he was.”

Samuelsson made it 2-0 at 12:26 of the first, sending in a long shot from above the left circle through traffic. The puck sailed past Swayman’s blocker side.

Pastrnak got the second period off to an emphatic start for Boston at 1:54, helping to force a neutral-ice turnover before beating Lyon with a one-time shot off Pavel Zacha’s cross-ice pass on a 2-on-1 rush.

Neither side tallied for the rest of the period, including a stretch of nine-plus uninterrupted minutes. Swayman kept Boston’s deficit at 2-1 by denying close-range shots by Thompson and Bowen Byram during the extended sequence without a whistle.

Lyon made big saves against Geekie and Pastrnak to thwart Boston’s heavy pressure early in the third, helping to set the stage for Benson’s goal at 5:58.

Off a draw in Boston’s offensive zone, Josh Doan beat both Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy to a puck to start the goal-scoring play. While bracing for a hit in the left corner, Doan fired a pass to an open Benson in the slot, where Benson fired home a one-time goal.

Norris punctuated the series victory, hitting the empty net with 3:20 remaining.

“We’re hoping that it’s a long road ahead of us. … We’re going to have to be ready,” Tuch said.

–Field Level Media

Jarren & Jake Lead Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jarren Duran hit a three-run home run and their rookie spot starter Jake Bennett pitched well in his major league debut to propel the Red Sox to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Houston Astros in the opener of their three-games series Friday night.

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Bennett, who was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Friday to start in place of Garrett Crochet, allowed one run on five hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three. Crochet was placed on the injured list Wednesday with shoulder inflammation.

Boston received four scoreless innings from four relievers after Bennett (1-0) was pulled. Carlos Correa doubled against Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the ninth, but Chapman got Yordan Alvarez to ground out to second to end the game. Chapman earned his sixth save.

The victory ended Boston’s two-game losing streak, and its three-game home losing streak.

Correa had three hits, including his third home run of the season. Isaac Paredes and Yainer Diaz each had two hits for the Astros.

Houston starter Mike Burrows (1-4) took the loss. He surrendered three runs on eight hits in six innings.

Roman Anthony collected three of Boston’s 10 hits. Anthony hit a double and singled twice. Trevor Story was 2-for-4, and Marcelo Mayer collected a single to extend his hitting streak to nine games.

The Astros grabbed a 1-0 lead on Correa’s solo home run in the top of the third.

 

Sox Back at Fenway for 3-Game Set

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BOSTON – The Houston Astros might have caught a break in advance of their road game against the Boston Red Sox tonight. Houston was scheduled to face Boston ace Garrett Crochet in the opener of a three-game series but is expected to see rookie left-hander Jake Bennett instead.

The Red Sox placed Crochet on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation on Wednesday. He said he began to feel some fatigue in his shoulder on Saturday when he pitched against the Baltimore Orioles and hopes he can rejoin the rotation when he’s eligible in about two weeks.

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Bennett, 25, was scratched from his start for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. Multiple media outlets said he likely will be on the mound Friday for his major league debut, but those reports have not been confirmed by the Red Sox.

Bennett is 2-1 with an 0.86 ERA in five starts with Worcester this season. He has struck out 16 and walked three in 21 innings.

Boston acquired Bennett from Washington for pitching prospect Luis Perales last December. The Nationals selected Bennett in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He missed the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

“Big-time strike thrower,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said. “The velocity and the fastball has obviously ticked up. He was coming off an arm injury when he was with Washington. But when he’s sitting there 94 (mph) — another guy kind of like (Payton) Tolle, doesn’t throw as hard, but big guy that really gets down the mound with big extension. So he tends to get in on hitters, too, because the fastball plays up.”

“He’s in the zone a lot,” Tracy added. “Does a good job of holding runners. He can go from a slide step, he can use a leg kick, lands all stuff. But he’s really, really good, at least down there has been, getting the ball in the strike zone. And he gets a lot of weak contact.”

Houston is scheduled to start right-hander Mike Burrows (1-3, 6.25 ERA) in the series opener. He is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two career appearances against the Red Sox.

Boston, which is coming off back-to-back losses to the Toronto Blue Jays, is at the bottom of the American League East standings. The Red Sox were held to one total run in those two losses.

Houston split a doubleheader with Baltimore on Thursday. Yordan Alvarez had his 13-game hitting streak end in the opener, a 10-3 loss, but he hit his 12th home run during Houston’s 11-5 victory in the second game. Few Boston pitchers have had success against Alvarez, who is hitting .391 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs in 26 regular-season games against the Red Sox.

Alvarez is tied for the AL lead in home runs (12) and is first in RBIs (27) and batting average (.356).

Houston won the second game without veterans Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, both of whom were held out of the lineup after playing in the first game.

“It’s going to take the whole entire team,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “Those guys (Altuve and Correa) have been playing every day, they’re grinding through it. We need some of these other guys to come in and support, do some things on the bases, at the plate, defensively. And those guys did that today.”

The Astros, who are tied with the Los Angeles Angels for last place in the AL West, swept a three-game series against the Red Sox in Houston from March 30-April 1. Both the Astros and Red Sox have 12 wins this season.

–Field Level Media