BREAKING OUT THE BIG BATS
Altuve, Singleton and Peña fuel Astros' win over Red Sox
Aug 9, 2024, 9:53 pm
Astros defeat the Red Sox, 8-4. Composite Getty Image.
Jose Altuve hit two-run homer and Jon Singleton and Jeremy Peña added RBI singles in a four-run seventh inning as the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 8-4 on Friday night.
ALTUVE TIES IT UP!!#RELENTLESS pic.twitter.com/2iW8g0v4dz
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 10, 2024
Yainer Diaz added a two-run homer for the Astros, who pounded Boston's bullpen on the way to their third straight win. Bregman and Peña finished with three hits apiece.
We ain't afraid of Monsters over here. pic.twitter.com/zGDbr7PU1Y
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 10, 2024
Altuve’s homer off reliever Lucas Sims that tied the game in the seventh inning was the 224th of his career. That moved him into fourth place on the team's all-time list.
David Hamilton had a two-run double for the Red Sox, who had won three of four and were coming off a 4-2 road trip. Boston’s bullpen gave up seven runs and 12 hits in the last three innings.
Starter Tanner Houck held the Astros to one run and four hits over six innings before Altuve hit a hanging sweeper from Sims (1-5) that caromed off a billboard above the Green Monster.
Bregman and Yordan Alvarez followed with singles before Diaz hit a single off Zack Kelly, loadding the bases. Singleton and Peña each lined a hit to center before Zach Dezenzo bounced into an inning-ending double play.
Reliever Tayler Scott struck out Boston star Rafael Devers swinging with the bases loaded in the seventh.
Diaz hit his shot, his 11th of the season, through a light rain and over the Green Monster in the ninth.
Former Red Sox reliever Kaleb Ort (1-0) got four outs and earned the victory.
Boston manager Alex Cora elected to walk Alvarez with runners on the corners and two outs in the fifth. Houck got the next hitter, Diaz, to bounce to short.
Trailing 1-0, Hamilton lined his two-run shot into the left-center gap off Ronel Blanco.
Blanco bounced a pickoff attempt past first, allowing Nick Sogard to score from third, making it 3-1 Boston in the fourth.
Blanco gave up three runs, two earned, in four innings in his first career start against the Red Sox.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander is slated to make a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday. Manager Joe Espada said the plan was for him to go three innings or 50 pitches, “and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
Red Sox: Placed RHP Brayan Bello 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.
UP NEXT
Astros rookie RHP Spencer Arrighetti (4-10, 5.33 ERA) hopes to build off his best start of the season in Saturday’s second of a three-game series. He struck out 12 and allowed a run in six innings Sunday against Tampa Bay. Cora didn’t have a starter after Criswell came down with COVID.
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Yusei Kikuchi pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in another sharp start, and Yordan Alvarez homered and drove in two runs in the Houston Astros ' 5,000th victory, 5-3 over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.
Alex Bregman hit an early two-run homer and Alvarez added his 33rd in the ninth inning for the first-place Astros, who opened a six-game Southern California trip with their second straight win after a three-game skid.
Mickey Moniak homered for the Angels, who have lost five of six.
Kikuchi (9-9) overcame early trouble and struck out six Angels while keeping the Astros unbeaten in all of his starts since joining Houston in a trade with Toronto. Kikuchi is 5-0 in an Astros uniform, and Houston is 8-0 when he takes the mound.
Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 30th save as the Astros became the 18th big league club to reach 5,000 victories.
Rookie Samuel Aldegheri (1-2) couldn’t get out of the third inning in his third major league start for the Angels, yielding four runs on six hits and five walks while recording only six outs.
Houston scored twice in the second with two singles followed by two walks and Alvarez's sacrifice fly.
The Astros then got three hits on Aldegheri's first three pitches in the third inning. After Kyle Tucker singled, Bregman hit his 23rd homer and Jeremy Peña doubled.
Kikuchi issued back-to-back walks to begin the third, and Los Angeles scored on Zach Neto's groundout and Nolan Schanuel's single.
Moniak's solo shot to right in the fourth was just his second career homer against a left-hander. It was also the former No. 1 overall pick's 14th homer of the season, matching his career high.
Alvarez's homer was a line drive that went in and out of Moniak's glove when the center fielder leaped at the wall to attempt what would have been a spectacular catch.
Hader recorded 30 saves for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time in his career.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: INF Jose Altuve returned from a one-game absence with discomfort in his right side. He drove the first pitch of the game into left field, but was easily thrown out at second while trying to stretch it into a double.
Angels: 2B Brandon Drury sat out after leaving Wednesday's game in the fifth inning with hamstring tightness. ... RHP Ben Joyce is still awaiting the results of his MRI exam Thursday. The 105-mph hurler hasn't pitched since Sept. 6 after reporting shoulder discomfort.
UP NEXT
Justin Verlander (3-6, 5.30 ERA) takes the mound for Houston after struggling in his past two starts in September. Los Angeles sends out All-Star Tyler Anderson (10-12, 3.50 ERA), who beat the Astros earlier this year for his only victory in nine career starts against them.