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Diamondbacks Ride Win Streak

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The visiting Arizona Diamondbacks can complete a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a victory Sunday. Arizona won the opener, 12-2, on Friday night and posted a 4-1 victory on Saturday. The Diamondbacks enter Sunday’s matchup on a five-game winning streak, all on the road.

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Saturday’s win gave the Diamondbacks their 11th series victory in the last 12 tries. The only exception came last weekend, when Tampa Bay swept a three-game series as Arizona began its nine-game trip. The Diamondbacks are 25-8 since the All-Star break.

Arizona’s starting pitchers — Ryne Nelson on Friday and Zac Gallen on Saturday — combined to allow two runs on seven hits in 12 innings.

“Those guys (the Diamondbacks) are really good,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “What they do is not just against us — it’s against everybody. It’s a different type of pitching, too. Different angles, they change speeds, they don’t give in. You have to be very stubborn in the zone.

“They’re really good at what they do. They’re probably one of the best teams in the big leagues right now. They’re athletic, they run the bases well, they put good at-bats — it’s a complete team.”

Arizona’s Eugenio Suarez has four hits and seven RBIs in the series. He collected five RBIs — including a grand slam — on Friday and had a two-run double in Saturday’s win.

Boston’s pitchers walked six on Saturday, including four in the seventh when Arizona scored two runs without getting a hit.

“When the pitcher has good stuff or he’s attacking and we’re not getting hits, I think our patience will pay off,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’re going to get some baserunners and create some run-scoring opportunities. That’s what we did today.”

A walk forced in the first run in the seventh, and the second scored on a wild pitch by Brennan Bernardino.

“At this level we cannot do that, obviously,” Cora said. “We had the right matchups. It just didn’t work out.”

 

 

Sunday’s pitching matchup has Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly (3-0, 3.63 ERA) facing Boston righty Tanner Houck (8-8, 3.01).

Kelly has made two starts since returning from the 60-day injured list with a shoulder injury. He gave up two runs in five innings to beat the Phillies in the first start, then allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings during an 8-7 loss to Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg on Aug. 18.

Kelly has faced the Red Sox twice in his career and has a 1-1 record with a 1.26 ERA. He has 19 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings against Boston, and struck out 10 in 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball against the Red Sox last season.

Houck has made three straight quality starts, and gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings of a 5-4 loss to Houston on Monday. He made his only career start against Arizona last season — opposing Kelly in that 10-strikeout game — and took a loss after surrendering four runs on six hits in four innings. Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo each homered against Houck.

The Red Sox are expecting outfielder Tyler O’Neill to play Sunday after he missed the last three games because of a swollen finger on his left hand.

“He should be in the lineup,” Cora said.

–Field Level Media

High Octane D-Backs Drub Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Arizona Diamondbacks will attempt to extend their winning streak to five games Saturday afternoon when they face the host Boston Red Sox in the middle contest of a three-game series.

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Arizona entered the series having scored the most runs in the majors and showed why during a 12-2 triumph on Friday. The Diamondbacks collected 16 hits in the victory, including a grand slam by Eugenio Suarez that put Arizona in front 9-2 in the seventh inning.

It was the majors-best ninth grand slam hit by Arizona this season and the fifth that Suarez has belted during his 11-year major league career.

“Cutter in the middle of the zone,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “He’s a dead-pull hitter, and he’s gonna look to do damage with something close to him. He got a cutter in the middle, and he didn’t miss it.

“He’s one of these guys that you look at the numbers … average and all that stuff he’s not usually up there, but RBIs — that’s what he does. He got a good pitch to hit and drove it.”

Suarez and Josh Bell each had three hits in the win. Suarez also scored three times and had five RBIs.

Ryne Nelson pitched six innings to earn the win. This came hours after Arizona manager Torey Lovullo announced that Nelson would remain in the rotation and Jordan Montgomery would move to the bullpen.

Reds Sign Sox Castaway

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CINCINNATI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Cincinnati Reds signed first baseman Dominic Smith to a major league contract, according to multiple media reports Thursday. Smith was released by the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, four days after he was designated for assignment. The former first-round draft pick became expendable when Boston reinstated first baseman Triston Casas from the 60-day injured list last week.

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The reported addition of Smith will help the Reds address the loss of versatile infielder Jeimer Candelario, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a fractured left big toe.

Candelario, 30, has made 53 starts at third base, 32 at designated hitter and 26 at first base this season.

Smith, 29, batted .237 with six home runs, 34 RBIs and a .706 OPS in 83 games for the Red Sox.

Boston signed Smith on May 1 after he opted out of a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, who had released him one day earlier.

The New York Mets selected Smith with the 11th overall pick of the 2013 MLB Draft. Smith played for New York from 2017-22, finishing 13th in the National League MVP voting in 2020 when he posted career bests by slashing .316/.377/.616.

Houston to Start Verlander

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Ttart HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – As Houston’s right-hand pitcher Ronel Blanco labored for 3 2/3 innings in the Astros’ 6-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, the return of veteran right-hander Justin Verlander gained an additional measure of significance.

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Verlander will make his first start since June 9 when host Houston and Boston meet on Wednesday afternoon for the rubber match of a three-game series.

Neck discomfort landed Verlander (3-2, 3.95 ERA) on the 15-day injured list back on June 18. With his arm back in the fold, the Astros will utilize a six-man rotation for the immediate future, a strategy that should lighten the workload for Blanco and rookie Spencer Arrighetti, both of whom are in uncharted waters as big-leaguers.

“It’s big getting JV on the mound. It’s getting one of the best back in there,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “We know what he means. We know he’s part of this winning culture and getting him back is a big boost for our team, especially down the stretch.”

The Astros did not announce a pitch count for Verlander against the Red Sox, but they will exercise caution. Verlander, 41, has worked only 57 innings this season after tossing 162 1/3 for Houston and the New York Mets in 2023, his lowest total in a 162-game season since he threw 133 1/3 innings for the Detroit Tigers in 2015.

“We’ll see how the outing goes and how efficient he is,” Espada said. “I don’t want to put a number because he can surprise us. But we’re going to keep a close eye on his workload for sure.”

Verlander is 6-6 with a 2.74 ERA over 20 career starts against the Red Sox.

Right-hander Cooper Criswell (5-4, 4.56) will start for Boston in the series finale on Wednesday.

It will be the first start since July 23 for Criswell, who is 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA and a blown save over his past five relief appearances. Criswell made 12 consecutive starts before his most recent stint out of the bullpen and went 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA during that stretch. The start against the Astros will mark his fourth consecutive road appearance.

Criswell will be making his first career appearance against Houston.

The Red Sox pulled out all the stops to even this three-game series on Tuesday, needing a monster 4-for-4 performance from center fielder Jarren Duran atop the order plus a 2-for-3 showing from first baseman Triston Casas, who homered, walked twice and drove in three runs.

Mix in a bullpen that allowed just one hit over four scoreless innings, and Boston found a successful formula to defeat the Astros for the first time in five games this season to set the table for a potential series victory.

“We knew we were gonna have our hands full coming into the week, with this series (against Houston),” Casas said. “We’re playing good baseball, and (Tuesday) was a full team effort.”

The Red Sox have won three of their past five games, while the Astros have won 11 of their past 13, with four of those victories coming against Boston.

–Field Level Media

Orioles Bats Heating Up

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BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Baltimore Orioles have been looking like significant offensive threats again and that should bode well for the American League East contenders. They meet the visiting Boston Red Sox again Friday night at Camden Yards.

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The Orioles won their second in a row by beating the Red Sox 5-1 in the series opener Thursday.

“They hit the ball hard,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “They grind at-bats.”

The Orioles have won six of seven meetings against Boston this year.

Baltimore’s big bats are cranking up again. Gunnar Henderson, who has 31 home runs, has homered in back-to-back games for the first time since June 25-26.

“I feel like we’ve been making strides in the right direction,” Henderson said.

Cedric Mullins, who also homered in the series opener, is finding the groove as well.

“It has been awesome to make those adjustments and see them incorporate themselves out on the field, staying on that path, staying to the grind, so I can be productive for the team,” Mullins said.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Mullins looks ready to be a difference maker.

“He’s always a power threat,” Hyde said. “He just changes the game for us ’cause it’s premier, premier defense in center field to go with it. He’s playing with some confidence right now, and it’s fun to watch.”

The Red Sox have lost two games in a row and six of their past eight.

The one run scored for Boston matched its lowest output since the All-Star break. The Red Sox also scored one run in the first game after the layoff against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Orioles are scheduled to start ace Corbin Burnes (12-4, 2.71 ERA) for the second game of the series. He’s 3-0 in his past five starts, though he had a no-decision Saturday at Tampa Bay after giving up three runs in six innings.

Burnes didn’t allow an earned run across seven innings in a home victory against Boston on May 29. He held the Red Sox to one run in seven innings on the road in April. He is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three career starts against Boston.

Right-hander Cooper Criswell (4-4, 4.02) is expected to return from the COVID-19 injured list and start Friday. He was roughed up in his only career start against Baltimore for seven runs on seven hits in four innings during Boston’s 11-3 loss on May 27.

Cora said there’s a huge emphasis on keeping the Orioles off the bases with free passes to try to limit big innings.

“They have to earn it, and they do that,” Cora said. “They’re very good at what they do.”

On Thursday night, the Red Sox got two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of relief from Chase Shugart in his big-league debut. He allowed one run.

“He found the strike zone with good stuff,” Cora said. “He wasn’t afraid.”

Meanwhile, the Orioles sent infielder Coby Mayo back to Triple-A Norfolk a day after he picked up his first major league hit.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Take On Orioles

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BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Baltimore Orioles might have taken a big step toward establishing the momentum that has been lacking over the past few weeks.

The Boston Red Sox had a chance to do the same but were stymied.

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Those Wednesday finishes set up the teams for a meeting Thursday in Baltimore, where the American League East rivals will start a four-game series.

Baltimore snapped a two-game skid by defeating the visiting Washington Nationals 4-1 on Wednesday. Since the All-Star break, the Orioles are 13-12, with a two-steps-forward, two-steps-backward vibe surrounding them.

“It felt like a normal baseball game,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said about the win Wednesday. “We haven’t played many of them. I felt like, where we pitched really well, we were solid defensively. … That was more of what I’d like to see.”

The Red Sox were going for a three-game sweep of the visiting Texas Rangers on Wednesday but fell 9-7 in 10 innings after leading 7-4 in the ninth.

“We are still learning,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’re still growing as a group. That’s not an excuse because we’re better than that.”

Boston pitchers allowed four home runs to the Rangers on Wednesday.

“You can talk about sloppiness,” Cora said. “We have to keep the ball in the ballpark. We haven’t done that since the All-Star break.”

The Red Sox are 10-14 since then.

There were notables for the Orioles on Wednesday. Gunnar Henderson smashed his 30th home run of the season, and Coby Mayo recorded his first big-league hit — a single.

It was only Henderson’s second home run since the All-Star break, but he sensed he might have been getting it together before that.

“Just had a weird little run there, but like I said, I’m starting to feel good in the box and starting to get going,” Henderson said.

Mayo ended a 0-for-16 stretch since arriving in the major leagues.

“I was never too stressed about the hit,” Mayo said. “But then, it gets to you a little bit and you want it. You want it so bad because you’re so competitive.”

The Orioles have won five of six meetings this year with the Red Sox, though the teams haven’t met since late May.

The Orioles have right-hander Zach Eflin (8-7, 3.83 ERA) lined up as their starting pitcher for the series opener. He’s 3-0 since he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last month.

Eflin’s most recent outing came Friday night, and he shut out his former team on four hits across seven innings to earn the win.

With the Rays, Eflin picked up a victory at Boston in May by limiting the Red Sox to three runs in five innings despite registering a season-low two strikeouts in that stint. He’s 2-0 with a 6.00 ERA in five career starts against Boston.

The Red Sox will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta (5-7, 4.44), who has gotten through five innings in only one of his past three outings.

In 12 career starts vs. Baltimore, Pivetta is 8-2 with a 3.18 ERA. The eight wins match his most against any single opponent, with the Atlanta Braves the other team he’s topped that many times.

The Red Sox have won four of their past six road games, but they’re just 5-7 away from home since the All-Star break.

–Field Level Media

 

Red Sox Run Amok, Lose to Texas 9-7

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – When Boston left fielder Jarren Duran came to the plate to face Texas Rangers’ reliever David Robertson in the bottom of the 8th inning with the score tied 4-4, he had struck out twice and popped up to third base.

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Earlier this week, Duran served a two-game suspension after using a homophobic slur towards a fan and the young outfielder was firmly reprimanded by the Red Sox organization before the issue rose to the attention of Major League Baseball. Upon his introduction for his lead-off at bat in the Red Sox half of the first, Duran received a warm hand from the Fenway crowd which displayed a willingness to provide penance but not total forgiveness.

In Boston, forgiveness is in the eyes of a performer. Duran would have his chance.

He delivered a lead-off hit but fell victim soon after to a double play when Wilyer Abreu struck-out but Duran saw the ball slip away for a split second and thought he’d grab a free ride to second base. Texas catcher Jonah Heim would have no part of the forgiveness-fest and promptly tossed Duran out at second base.

It was the second worst base-running blunder of the night, following a 6th inning Rafael Devers brain-fog waltz from first to third base when reserve Romy Gonzalez flew the ball to center field with only one out in the books. Devers was doubled-up immediately.

Fool me once, or fools twice?

The Red Sox manufactured a two-out rally despite the poor base running and scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th to take what seemed to be a convincing 7-4 lead, benefitting from a double by DH Masataka Yoshida, an intentional walk to Devers and an RBI base hit by newly acquired catcher Danny Jansen. That sequence set the table for a hard hit double by Gonzalez, scoring Devers and Jensen.

Instant Karma’s always gonna get you, though, especially after poor base running and idiotic slurring of the paying customer.

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Along came the Texas 9th inning and Rangers’ left fielder Wyatt Langford homered with two men on to tie the score at 7-all.

After a scoreless home ninth, the ghosts of MLB placed a runner (Ezequiel Duran) on second base and Heim blasted a leadoff home run over the famed Green Monster of Fenway to spot Texas a 9-7 lead in the first (and only) extra inning.

Rangers’ closer Kirby Yates dispatched the Sox in the bottom of the 10th to secure the 9-7 win, as Boston dropped to (63-56) on the season while Texas climbed to (56-65). Boston squandered yet another game because of mental errors, notably poor base-running, a fielding and a throwing error.

The Fenway faithful might not be as forgiving when their club returns on August 23 to face the defending American League champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Red Sox immediate matter at hand will be their seven-game road trip, with four games at Camden Yards against the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles and three at Houston where the AL West-leading Astros play the best there is at Minute Maid Park.

Red Sox Shoot for Rare Sweep

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox will attempt to complete their first sweep in more than a month when they conclude a three-game series against the visiting Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

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A 9-4 win against Texas on Tuesday put Boston on the verge of sweeping a series for the first time since July 2-4 at Miami. The back-to-back victories to begin the current series followed four straight losses, including a three-game sweep by the Houston Astros last weekend.

Kutter Crawford’s starting pitching effort was crucial to Boston’s win Tuesday, as the right-hander opened with 5 1/3 perfect innings. However, Red Sox manager Alex Cora aggressively dipped into his bullpen to attempt to get out of the Rangers’ four-run sixth inning.

“We’re going to use everybody and we’re going to try to get 27 outs however we can to win games,” Cora said. “We’re in the middle of a playoff chase, or whatever you want to call it. If I feel like that’s the moment of the game, that’s the moment of the game.”

The Red Sox got another key moment from Rob Refsnyder on Tuesday. The outfielder has been a key contributor with three hits in the series, driving in two runs on Tuesday after hitting a walk-off single in the 10th inning of the series opener on Monday.

Refsnyder, who has reached base in 43 of his 49 starts this season, also serves as a key leader for a young offense that includes Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran.

“We’ve been playing our best baseball when our young guys have been pretty electric on the basepaths, playing uber-aggressive,” Refsnyder said this week. “I think that’s our identity this year.”

The past two nights, Duran served a team-issued, two-game suspension for uttering a homophobic slur at a fan on Sunday. He is eligible to return on Wednesday.

The Red Sox will look to keep rolling in the series finale behind Tanner Houck (8-8, 3.02 ERA), who is winless in his past four starts.

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The right-hander pitched six innings on Friday against Houston, allowing just one run on four hits before Boston’s bullpen faltered in an 8-4 loss.

“It was a great game to look back and learn from, and continue to grow,” Houck said.

The quality start followed his lone outing against Texas this year, when he permitted eight hits and six runs while striking out seven in five-plus innings during a 7-4 road loss on Aug. 3.

In three career matchups against the Rangers (two starts), Houck is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

A year after winning the World Series, Texas is 10 games below .500 for the first time since the end of the 2022 season.

It was a difficult Tuesday for the Rangers, who were no-hit for five innings by Crawford and scored all four runs in one inning. Leody Taveras went 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

“Yeah, I mean, I guess you could call it pressing,” Texas rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford said. “It’s just tough. We can’t seem to get it figured out on the offensive side.”

The Rangers’ lineup featured Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Josh Smith and Adolis Garcia at the top for the second straight game. Previously, Smith had led off and Semien hit third of late.

“It brought back good memories, seeing those guys in their normal place in the batting order,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said before the Tuesday game. “The hope is they see that, and it does the same for them.”

The plan was largely unsuccessful, as the top four in the order went a combined 2-for-14, though the two hits each drove in a run.

The Rangers had not announced a starting pitcher for Wednesday as of late Tuesday night.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Re-shuffle for Refsnyder

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -After ending a busy day of roster transactions with a series-opening victory, the Boston Red Sox will look to continue their winning ways against the visiting Texas Rangers on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

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Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder hit a walk-off single to lift the Red Sox to a 5-4, 10-inning win over Texas on Monday. A pinch-hit walk by Mickey Gasper in his major league debut set up the opportunity for the deciding RBI.

Gasper, a 28-year-old New Hampshire native, was promoted from Triple-A Worcester alongside pitchers Bailey Horn and Chase Shugart earlier in the day.

“Hats off to the team giving me that opportunity … to be a part of (a win). I’m speechless,” the catcher/infielder said. “A lot of hard work and a lot of belief (got me here).”

A roster spot opened for Gasper when outfielder Jarren Duran was issued an unpaid, two-game suspension by the club and Major League Baseball after the All-Star directed a homophobic slur toward a fan on Sunday.

However, Gasper earned his promotion. And his contribution was key to Boston curbing a four-game losing streak.

He was hitting a whopping .401 with a 1.017 OPS in 40 games since being promoted from Double-A Portland to Worcester on June 4.

“It gets to a point that he keeps doing this thing over and over and over again” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “A month, a month and a half, two months. And you’re like, ‘The at-bats are good.’ So we got to this point obviously and we felt like he made sense for the roster.”

Boston will hope the momentum continues on Tuesday behind Kutter Crawford (7-9, 4.11 ERA). The right-hander has allowed at least five runs in four consecutive starts, but his lone win during that span came against the Rangers on Aug. 2 in Arlington, Texas. Four of the six hits he allowed in a 5 1/3-inning, five-run start were home runs, though the Red Sox went on to post an 11-6 victory.

Crawford was then charged with six runs in 3 2/3 innings in his most recent start, on Wednesday at Kansas City.

In four career games (three starts) vs. the Rangers, Crawford is 1-0 with a 5.19 ERA.

Texas will counter with right-hander Jose Urena (3-7, 3.74), whom Crawford got the better of in the teams’ series opener earlier this month. The Red Sox tagged Urena for seven runs on eight hits in four-plus innings during that outing, giving him an 0-2 record and a 5.56 ERA in four career starts vs. Boston.

Urena also took the loss in his latest start, when he worked four innings of two-run ball against the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

The Rangers likely will need a big start from Urena after the late innings on Monday went to rookies Gerson Garabito and Walter Pennington, the last two of seven Texas pitchers to take the mound.

“Well, we had arms out there,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said.

Following the loss, the Rangers are a season-worst nine games below .500, and they are 1-5 in their past six contests.

Even Corey Seager’s sixth home run in a 10-game span — tying the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning — was not enough. The team’s lineup was also adjusted, with Marcus Semien leading off and Adolis Garcia hitting cleanup.

“(We’re) just kind of getting the old band back together, to their roles where they normally are,” Bochy said before the series began. “See if we can get things going there.”

Semien went 1-for-5 with an RBI on Monday, and Garcia also finished 1-for-5.

Field Level Media

Astros Conduct Batting Clinic in Boston; Sunday at 1:35pm

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The Houston Astros have a relatively new, gorgeous, multi-purpose ballpark in the Space City and it’s served the team well. But, the ‘Stros might trade places with the Boston Red Sox on a Minute Maid moment. Consider the facts and the stats.

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Coming into the series finale on Sunday at Fenway Park, the Astros were riding a four-game winning streak, the prior two victories coming at the expense of the hometown Sox to the tune of 8-4 on Friday night and 5-4 on Saturday afternoon for the FS-1 tv crowd. But, consider: Houston left fielder Jordan Alvarez was batting a sizzling .463 (25-for-54) at Fenway over his 14 career games at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

Alvarez had seven homers, 19 RBI and a .963 slugging percentage. His batting average, slugging and OPS (1.517) were all tops amongst active MLB batters. The next closest Sox opponent was 78 points behind Alvarez.

By the way, coming into today’s game, Alvarez leads all of MLB with his road numbers of .357 batting average, 1.134 OPS. .695 slugging, and .439 on base percentage.  All the number improved!

On Sunday, as the Astros conducted a clinic in pitching, fielding and batting at the expense of the Sox, Alvarez reached base his four at bats, including a towering home run in the top of the fifth inning when Houston did five runs of damage and take a 6-0 lead in the game. Alvarez hit his solo HR immediately after 3B Alex Bregman took out some car headlights in the parking garage across Lansdowne Street outside of the left field Green Monster.

In the sixth inning, it was more of the same, as Bregman doubled and scored, Alvarez was intentionally walked and scored and SS Jeremy Pena had the honors to place another ball on the pavement outside of the House of Blues on Lansdowne.

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Boston relievers, Brennan Bernardino (four earned runs) and Luis Garcia (five earned runs) took the brunt of the Astros’ in-game BP.

Boston’s relievers were sent to work early when starter and LHP James Paxton suffered a strained calf in the first inning and had to be removed from the game. Long reliever and RHP Lucas Sims came on in relief and pitched two serviceable innings, allowing only one run.

The Red Sox managed to score two runs in the home sixth, avoiding the 10-run rule type outing in what finished as a 10-2 rout with Sox first baseman Dom Smith pitching the top of the ninth inning for Manager Alex Cora in the all-out laugher.

Smith did receive a warm ovation from the Fenway faithful who withstood another Texan-sized shellacking as the Sox were swept for the second time since the MLB All-Star break (LA Dodgers took three, July 19-21).

Boston will be forced to do another Texas “two-step” when the Rangers visit Fenway for three games this Monday through Wednesday. Boston dropped to 61-55 on the season and three games back of the Kansas City Royals in the race for the final wild car slot, while Houston improved to 62-55.

For the agate column lovers, Sims took the loss for Boston and is (1 – 6) while Houston’s starter Hunter Brown improved to (10-7) on the year.