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 – (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.

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.

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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.

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

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Astros’ legend Carlos Correa’s two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning changed the game, helping Houston complete a three-game sweep against the visiting Boston Red Sox with a 6-4 win on Wednesday afternoon. Correa and Christian Vazquez both went deep, Yordan Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, and Mike Burrows (1-1) pitched five innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts for Houston, which has won five straight since an 0-2 start.

Correa’s long ball off Boston ace Garrett Crochet (1-1) broke a 2-2 tie.

Wilyer Abreu (2-for-4) and Roman Anthony homered in the eighth and ninth, respectively, as the Red Sox attempted to stage a late comeback, but a 1-for-7 showing with runners in scoring position and seven men left on base did them in. Connor Wong also had two hits.

Crochet struck out seven but allowed five runs (four earned) through five innings.

Jarren Duran’s move into the leadoff spot paid instant dividends for Boston in the first, as he lined a single to left field before scoring the opening run on a Willson Contreras single up the middle.

Houston responded with a two-run first, scoring in its first at-bats for the third time in as many games in the series. After Crochet struck out Jose Altuve to lead off the game, Alvarez and Isaac Paredes knocked back-to-back doubles to plate the tying run. Correa then reached on an error, and Christian Walker lined a go-ahead single to left.

Three straight baserunners to begin the second helped the Red Sox draw back even. Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s fielder’s choice and a Wong double to left created an RBI opportunity for Duran, whose grounder to short plated the run.

After Boston made it a 2-2 game, the starting pitchers posted dueling zeroes over several frames, with Burrows striking out the side in the third and Crochet doing the same in the fourth.

Crochet retired six straight Astros before Altuve singled and Alvarez was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Correa — who previously grounded into a 5-4-3 double play — to send a low pitch into the left field Crawford Boxes for his first round-tripper.

In the seventh, Vazquez greeted Boston reliever Danny Coulombe with a leadoff solo shot to center field, extending the Houston lead to 6-2.

Vazquez’s swing proved to be key insurance as Boston staged a comeback with solo shots in back-to-back innings. The hosts had an opportunity for even more as Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock labored through a 37-pitch eighth inning, but a bases-loaded strikeout ended the threat without any damage.

After Anthony’s pinch-hit homer in the ninth, Bryan Abreu struck out the side to record his first save.

–Field Level Media

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HOUSTON – (Wire Service Previwew) – The Houston Astros had to slug their way past the Los Angeles Angels in the final two contests of their season-opening four-game series, setting the stage for veteran right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. to deliver a lengthy start against the Boston Red Sox and provide the bullpen a bit of a breather.

McCullers did exactly what was needed, hurling seven strong innings to lead the Astros to an 8-1 victory in the opener of a three-game home series that continues on Tuesday. Houston needed only two pitchers on Monday to secure the triumph, with reliever Ryan Weiss covering the final two frames of the Astros’ third straight win.

Astros manager Joe Espada had an inkling that his starter was up to snuff when McCullers struck out Roman Anthony and Trevor Story to open the game.   McCullers faced the minimum through six and, when he ran into a spot of trouble in the seventh, Espada let him finish the job.

“He picked us up big time,” Espada said.

“He knew exactly what he needed to do, which makes it even harder to do. The expectations are I need to pick the teammates up. And then he does it against that lineup. It just tells you it’s not his first rodeo. He’s been in that spot before. The fact that he delivered and picked us up put us in a much better spot for (Tuesday).”

Right-hander Hunter Brown (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has the starting assignment for Houston on Tuesday. He worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Angels but did not factor into the decision of a 3-0 loss last Thursday after he allowed four hits and four walks with nine strikeouts. Brown recorded eight scoreless starts last season.

Brown is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA across three career starts against the Red Sox. He faced Boston twice in 2025 and allowed two runs on 10 hits and four walks with 10 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings.

Right-hander Brayan Bello (11-9, 3.35 ERA in 2025) is the scheduled starter for the Red Sox on Tuesday. He logged a career-high 166 2/3 innings last season but labored down the stretch and dropped his last three decisions while allowing nine earned runs across 14 innings. During one stretch in 2025, Bello recorded a decision in 13 consecutive starts, going 8-5 with a 2.49 ERA.

Bello is 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against the Astros. He faced Houston in consecutive starts in late August 2023, splitting the decisions after allowing four runs (three earned) on 13 hits and five walks with six strikeouts across 11 2/3 innings.

After scratching across just 10 runs while dropping a three-game series to the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, the Red Sox mustered only six baserunners against the Astros on Monday.

The slow start offensively hasn’t presented any cause for concern.

“Honestly, I think we’re in a pretty good spot,” Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said. “I feel like we’re a pretty positive group. I feel like nobody has really been down on themselves, and we’re very talkative. I feel like we’ve been talking to each other about what we’ve seen on the mound.”

–Field Level Media

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HOUSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Houston’s starting pitcher Hunter Brown threw 6 2/3 strong innings and his battery-mate Yainer Diaz drove in three runs as the Astros beat the visiting Boston Red Sox, 4-1, on Wednesday in the rubber match of the three-game series.

Brown (10-5) snapped a six-start winless streak by producing his 15th quality start of the season. Diaz finished 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and an RBI single to pace the Houston offense.

The Astros scored two runs against Red Sox starter Walker Buehler (7-7) in the bottom of the first inning. Jeremy Pena led off the frame with his 13th homer, drilling a 3-1 fastball 358 feet out to left field. Jose Altuve and Victor Caratini then worked walks before Diaz lined the first pitch he saw to left for an RBI double.

Buehler then found his stride. He retired Ramon Urias to strand two runners and initiate a stretch in which he retired 15 of 16 batters, needing only four pitches to complete the bottom of the fifth.

But after retiring Altuve and Christian Walker to open the sixth, Buehler issued a four-pitch walk to Caratini before Diaz struck again, blasting a 415-foot homer to left-center, his 17th homer of the season, to extend the lead to three runs.

Buehler allowed four runs on four hits and four walks, with three strikeouts, over six innings.

Brown retired the Red Sox in order in the first but scuffled an inning later, allowing four baserunners as Boston sliced its two-run deficit in half. Trevor Story, who reached on a leadoff double, scored on Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-out single to center field.

Brown eluded further trouble with a strikeout of Connor Wong then retired the side in order in the third and fifth innings and stranded Jarren Duran at third to cap the sixth. Brown allowed one run on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

Bennett Sousa relieved Brown with two outs in the seventh and struck out Roman Anthony to end that frame. Bryan Abreu notched his first save while stranding a pair of runners in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After the Houston Astros welcomed back Cristian Javier to their starting rotation on Monday following a 15-month absence due to Tommy John surgery, All-Star closer Josh Hader took his place on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder discomfort.

Astros manager Joe Espada was non-committal when asked who would replace Hader at the back end of the bullpen. Right-hander Bryan Abreu seems the logical choice given his role setting up Hader, but Espada remains open to utilizing multiple options.

It’s uncertain how that may shake out on Wednesday when the Astros host the Boston Red Sox in the rubber match of their three-game series.

“For me, and I was talking to the relievers about this, for Josh Hader to be how successful he’s been, he needs guys to give him the ball with the lead,” Espada said. “All these guys have set him up to be the closer that he is. Not to take anything away from Josh. Josh is probably the best. But you need guys to help him get to that point, and these guys are capable of doing that. What you guys saw (Monday) with us piecing it together, we’re going to have to do more of that.

“I told them to be ready to go, and they’ve been ready to go the whole entire season. We have the weapons to do it.”

Right-hander Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.51 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale for the Astros, one day after the team dropped a 14-1 decision.

Brown did not factor into the decision of a 5-3 road victory over the New York Yankees on Friday after allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. He remained winless over his last six starts and is 0-2 with a 4.73 ERA during that stretch.

Among American League pitchers, Brown ranks first in hits per nine innings (6.21), second in opponent OPS (.571), and third in ERA and strikeouts (160).

Brown is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox. He did not factor into the decision of a 2-1 road loss on Aug. 1 after surrendering one run on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts over seven innings.

Right-hander Walker Buehler (7-6, 5.40) has the starting assignment for Boston on Wednesday.

Buehler twirled six shutout innings in a 10-2 road win over the San Diego Padres on Friday, allowing four hits and two walks while recording four strikeouts.

He is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA over his last six starts. Before that stretch. Buehler had dropped five of six decisions while recording a 9.29 ERA.

Buehler is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA over four career starts against Houston. He did not factor into the decision of a 7-3 win over the Astros on Aug. 2 after allowing three runs on nine hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora started Abraham Toro at first base for the second time in the series on Tuesday, but is likely to start Romy Gonzalez at first in the series finale. Cora cited the balance the switch-hitting Toro and right-handed Gonzalez can offer his offensive attack.

“We’re going to mix and match,” Cora said. “Romy will probably play first (Wednesday). Try to keep the balance of the lineup. When teams have three lefties in the bullpen, it’s smart to keep Ref (Rob Refsnyder) and Romy on the bench if we’re going to be aggressive pinch-hitting. Having Abe swing the bat well is going to help us.”

–Field Level Media

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Houston Astros debuted their three additions made at the trade deadline to their home fans on Monday in the opener of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.

For an offense that has been compromised by injury for lengthy stretches this season, the results were favorable.

Carlos Correa delivered an RBI single to ignite an uprising against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, and Ramon Urias added a two-run homer that proved to be the difference in a 7-6 win. Jesus Sanchez was used as a pinch hitter in the eighth as Houston flashed the potential of its reinforcements heading into Tuesday’s rematch against Boston.

The Astros remain without Yordan Alvarez (hand) and Jake Meyers (calf), but their breakout against Crochet provided a snapshot of what their lineup could accomplish when fully healthy.

“Yes, and imagine when those guys get back,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of Alvarez and Meyers. “But, again, they’re not here, and I give credit to these guys that continue to battle every day. They continue to give quality at-bats, and we’re fighting through this.”

As has been the case for most of this injury-plagued season, the Astros were shorthanded on Monday. All-Star closer Josh Hader had his left shoulder examined pregame in response to discomfort, while setup relievers Bryan King and Bryan Abreu were both unavailable. Their absences forced Espada to mix and match over the final four innings.

“That was kind of fun,” Espada said. “Because I trust this bullpen. These guys have been good for us the entire year, and we need them.”

Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (1-2, 7.43 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Astros on Tuesday.

He made his return from a four-month stint on the injured list (fractured thumb) against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday and allowed five runs on 11 hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings in a 6-4 loss. It marked just the third start of the season for Arrighetti.

Arrighetti made one start against the Red Sox last season as a rookie. He allowed two runs on two hits and one walk with a career-high 13 strikeouts in seven innings in a 5-4 win on Aug. 10.

Right-hander Dustin May (6-8, 4.93) has the starting assignment for the Red Sox on Tuesday.

May allowed three runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings in a 7-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday in his first start for the Red Sox following his trade- deadline acquisition from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He alternated wins and losses over his last six decisions and seven starts with the Dodgers, going 3-3 with a 5.54 ERA in that span.

In his lone career start against the Astros, May allowed one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings but did not factor into the decision of a 4-2 win on July 29, 2020, while pitching for the Dodgers.

Not only was Correa playing in Houston for the first time since being reacquired him from the Minnesota Twins, but Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman made his return following nine seasons with the Astros. Bregman, who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, reflected on the warm ovation he received from the crowd and how the Red Sox fashioned a late rally to get within a run.

“I feel like we’re playing really good baseball,” Bregman said. “Everyone in here is getting better and better every single game. I think we’re going to be right where we want to be.”

–Field Level Media

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – The kids are running the bases after Boston’s 6-1 victory and series sweep of the Houston Astros today. They might as well, as the base paths are clear and clean. Aside from Carlos Correa‘s home run in the 4th inning, the ‘Stros only had three base runners and not one reached third base against Boston’s starter Lucas Giolito.

Giolito (8-2) had his most successful and deepest outing of 2025, going eight innings and allowing only the three hits and one walk. He struck out four Houston batters as he threw a 103 pitches (67 strikes). Since June 10th, he’s won seven games and dropped only one (at Chicago Cubs, July 18). Giolito’s eight innings were the deepest he’s gone in a game since August 9th of the 2021 season.

And, get this?

The Red Sox gave him a full blast-off of run support, all coming in a six run fourth inning when Houston starter and club ace Framber Valdez simply imploded. The six-run rally started with a Roman Anthony double to left center field, then Valdez walked Romy Gonzalez. From there, Valdez committed a balk, threw a wild pitch, threw a pitch that caused Houston catcher Yanier Diaz to be charged with a passed ball and allowed Boston’s Trevor Story, Ceddanne Rafaela and Abraham Toro to hit consecutive singles before Valdez made an error on a soft grounder up the middle.

The fourth inning saw all the scoring in the game, starting as a 1-0 lead for the Astros but finishing with a 6-1 lead for the Sox.

Valdez had his own 10-game win streak broken, dating back to May 7. During that 10-game span, Valdez posted a 1.84 ERA, struck out 104 batters and kept his opponents to a .202 batting average.

Over in the home dugout, Boston is now 11 games over the .500 mark (62-51), as they’ve won seven of their last eight games, including five in a row (two vs. Minnesota; three vs. Houston). Today, August 3, 2025 marks the first time Boston is 11 games over .500 since June 26, 2022.

The reason? Boston pitchers have allowed only six earned runs over the last four games for a 1.46 ERA.

Houston has lost the three straight games vs Boston, but have dropped eight of their last 10 games.

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BOSTON – Boston’s Romy Gonzalez, Trevor Story and Abraham Toro each homered to propel the hometown Red Sox to a 7-3 victory over the visiting Houston Astros on Saturday.

Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the first inning, Story gave the Red Sox a 4-2 lead when he hit a two-run homer in the third and Toro extended the lead to 6-2 with a two-run home run in the fourth. All three home runs came against Houston starter Colton Gordon.

Gonzalez, Story, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder each had two hits for the Red Sox, who had 10 hits in the win. Victor Caratini collected four of Houston’s 14 hits.

Reliever Justin Wilson (3-1) earned the win for recording the final two outs in the fifth. Boston starter Walker Buehler wasn’t sharp. He gave up three runs on nine hits and walked three with no strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Gordon (4-4) gave up six runs on seven hits in four innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Boston won the first two games in the three-game series, and extended its winning streak to four games.

Shortstop Jeremy Pena was not in Houston’s lineup after cramping up in the 10th inning of Boston’s 2-1 victory on Friday. Pena came off the 10-day injured list (ribs) earlier Friday. Carlos Correa, reacquired from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, played shortstop after agreeing to move to third as part of the trade.

Walker’s home run handed the Astros a 2-0 lead in the first, but the home runs by Gonzalez, Story and Toro helped Boston take a four-run lead. Houston made it 6-3 when Yainer Diaz drove in Carlos Correa with a single in the fifth, but Story’s RBI double in the seventh scored Refsnyder and pushed Boston’s lead to four.

Jordan Hicks struck out Correa with the bases loaded for the final out of the eighth inning.

–Field Level Media

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