Houston wins 8-4 over the Red Sox because of a robust seventh inning by the Astros

Red Sox

BOSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer and Jon Singleton and Jeremy Peña added RBI singles in a four-run seventh inning because the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 on Friday night.

Yainer Diaz hit a two-run home run for the Astros, who pressured Boston's bullpen en path to their third straight win. Bregman and Peña finished the sport with three hits each.

Altuve's home run against reliever Lucas Sims, which tied the sport within the seventh inning, was the 224th of his profession, moving him into fourth place on the team's all-time list.

“That's huge,” Peña said of Altuve's home run that tied the sport at 3-3. “When Josey hits a home run, it's like a team battery.”

David Hamilton hit a two-run double for the Red Sox, who had won three of 4 games and were coming off a 4-2 road trip. Boston's bullpen allowed seven runs and 12 hits in the ultimate three innings.

Starter Tanner Houck held the Astros to 1 run and 4 hits in six innings before Altuve hit a dangling sweeper from Sims (1-5) that bounced off a billboard above the Green Monster.

“Obviously, we were down two when we tried to score a run,” Altuve said. “Basically, it was just a matter of putting the ball in play. … I tried to hit the ball again and got on base and hit with power.”

Bregman and Yordan Alvarez followed with singles before Diaz hit a single against Zack Kelly to load the bases. Singleton and Peña each hit successful to center before Zach Dezenzo slammed into an inning-ending double play.

“They are very aggressive and today we didn't do our job,” said the Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

In the seventh inning, reliever Taylor Scott struck out Boston star Rafael Devers with a swinging hit with the bases loaded.

“That was a pretty big strikeout,” Scott said, smiling when he learned it was his a centesimal profession strikeout. “I had no idea that was my 100th. That was kind of the exclamation point for the 100th strikeout. That was pretty cool.”

Diaz hit his at-bat, his eleventh of the season, within the ninth inning despite light rain and over the Green Monster.

Former Red Sox relief pitcher Kaleb Ort (1-0) made 4 outs and took the win.

Boston manager Alex Cora decided to walk Alvarez within the fifth inning with runners on the corners and two outs. Houck got the subsequent batter, Diaz, to throw the ball to shortstop.

“I was able to kind of recover and make the throws when I needed to,” said Houck, who struggled in his last two starts, allowing 10 runs in 11 innings.

Trailing 1-0, Hamilton hit his two-run shot into the gap between Ronel Blanco and left center.

Blanco deflected a pickoff attempt past first base, allowing Nick Sogard to attain from third base and make it 3-1 Boston within the fourth inning.

Blanco allowed three runs, two earned, in 4 innings in his first profession start against the Red Sox.

TRAINING ROOM

Astros: RHP Justin Verlander is scheduled to make a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday. Manager Joe Espada said the plan is for him to go three innings, or 50 pitches, “and then we'll see how it goes.”

Red Sox: RHP Brayan Bello was placed on the paternity list, but Cora said he’ll make his scheduled start Monday. However, Saturday's scheduled starter, Cooper Criswell, was placed on the COVID-19 injured list.

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Astros rookie RHP Spencer Arrighetti (4-10, 5.33 ERA) hopes to construct on his best start of the season within the second of three games on Saturday. He struck out 12 players and allowed one run in six innings against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Cora said after the sport that RHP Josh Winckowski (2-1, 3.52) would start.