Houston wins their third straight
Garcia's terrific start helps lift Astros over Red Sox
Jun 1, 2021, 10:36 pm
Luis Garcia had a terrific start Tuesday night. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Luis Garcia had a terrific start Tuesday night.
After taking the first game of this series in a lopsided win, the Astros tried to make it three-straight wins on Tuesday night. They would do just that, getting an outstanding performance from Luis Garcia, backing him up with runs to get the victory.
Final Score: Astros 5, Red Sox 1
Astros' Record: 30-24, first in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Luis Garcia (4-3)
Losing Pitcher: Garrett Richards (4-4)
Houston grabs a lead, Garcia holds it with a quality start
Jose Altuve has homered in every at-bat this month. 🤯#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/UVZI87w82s
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 2, 2021
Unlike the series opener, Tuesday's game was a much lower-scoring affair between Boston and Houston. The Astros jumped out in front first, getting a leadoff solo home run by Jose Altuve to start things off in the bottom of the first. Houston doubled the lead in the fourth, getting a sac fly from Chas McCormick to make it 2-0.
That lead was managed well by Luis Garcia, who tossed a terrific game, his second-straight quality start. He allowed just one hit and one walk through the first four innings but then gave up a run in the fifth on two hits to cut the lead in half at 2-1. He followed that up with two more scoreless innings, erasing a hit in each, giving him seven innings of one-run ball to keep his team in front, and leaving just two innings for Houston's bullpen. His final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 106 P.
Houston takes game two
Houston put the lead back to two runs in the bottom of the seventh, getting two on base with a run coming across on a should-be double-play turned error, allowing the lead to grow to 3-1. They went on to load the bases, bringing in two more runs on a walk by Carlos Correa and a single by Yordan Alvarez, making it 5-1.
Brooks Raley was first out of Houston's bullpen in the top of the eighth, doing his job by sitting down the Red Sox 1-2-3. Ryne Stanek came in to finish things off in the top of the ninth and would get it done to wrap up the victory. The win moves Houston to six games above .500 and gives them a chance to secure this series if they can get their fourth-straight win on Wednesday.
Up Next: These teams will meet for another 7:10 PM Central start for game three of this four-game series on Wednesday night. Framber Valdez (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his second start of the year for the Astros, hoping to build upon some strengths his first time out, while Boston will send Nick Pivetta (6-0, 3.86 ERA) out to try and keep his undefeated record.
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