Raheel talks about the Astros' trouble in the month of August over the last several years, and how it's amplified this season because the A's and the Mariners are within striking distance in the AL West.
Astros' winning streak snapped in final game in Boston
With Houston taking the first two games of the series, they were looking to make it a sweep with a win on Sunday in Boston. Here are the quick facts then three hits from the game:
Final Score: Red Sox 4, Astros 3.
Record: 31-16, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Marcus Walden (6-0, 1.37 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Framber Valdez (1-2, 4.42 ERA).
Wade Miley allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning, giving Boston an early 1-0 lead. He had a good three innings after that, keeping the Red Sox off the board in the second, third, and fourth innings. However, in the fifth, he ran into some trouble and allowed a solo home run then RBI-single to tie the game 3-3 at the time. His final line: 5 innings, 3 runs (2 earned), no walks, and two strikeouts. His day ending after five innings meant another longer outing for the bullpen.
The Astros loaded the bases in the bottom of the second, but would only be able to come away with one run on a wild pitch, tying the game 1-1 at the time. Alex Bregman led off the third with a walk, and Carlos Correa capitalized on the situation with a one-out two-run home run to put Houston ahead 3-1. Those would be the only RBIs of the day, though, with Chris Sale then Boston's bullpen keeping the Astros off the board the rest of the way.
Framber Valdez was first out of the bullpen for Houston, taking over for Miley in the bottom of the sixth inning. After a scoreless sixth, the Red Sox would break the tie with a go-ahead RBI-double off of Valdez in the bottom of the seventh, ending his appearance after five outs. Hector Rondon finished off the seventh, then stayed on for a scoreless eighth to send the game on to the ninth, where the offense would come up empty.
Up Next: The Astros will fly back to Houston tonight to start a ten-game homestand on Monday night. First up will be a four-game series with the White Sox, and the first of those four games will get underway at 7:10 PM Monday night. Houston will send Brad Peacock (4-2, 4.01 ERA) to the mound opposite of Manny Banuelos (2-3, 7.26 ERA) for Chicago.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
