SB Nation Boston - Red Sox Vs. Astros: Josh Beckett Dominates, Boston Tops Houston, 2-1https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2011-07-03T17:29:36-04:00http://boston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/20189822011-07-03T17:29:36-04:002011-07-03T17:29:36-04:00Red Sox 2, Astros 1: Josh Beckett Magnificent, Late Rally Gives Sox Sweep
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<p><span>Josh Beckett</span> struck out 11 men in eight innings of one-run ball and <span>Kevin Youkilis</span> drew a bases loaded walk to complete their sweep of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Houston Astros</a> and finish their National League road trip at 5-4.</p>
<p>For the entire game, Josh Beckett was far-and-away outperforming Houston starter <span>Jordan Lyles</span> and his bullpen help, but the Sox’ bats were not coming through when they needed to, almost matching Beckett’s strikeouts with their stranded runners. After leaving the bases loaded in the third, the Sox left them full again in the fourth. Luckily, though, an errant throw home on <span>Jason Varitek</span>’s groundout (once again with the bases juiced) had allowed Kevin Youkilis to come home safe and score the first run of the game beforehand.</p>
<p>Beckett ran into his first real trouble since the first inning (when he had allowed a pair of one-out singles) in the fifth, giving up a double to <span>Brett Wallace</span> to lead things off. He seemed poised to escape unharmed having struck out <span>Chris Johnson</span> and induced a fly ball from <span>Carlos Corporan</span>, but <span>Angel Sanchez</span> pinch hit for Jordan Lyles, and singled him home on a ground ball that got past a diving <span>Dustin Pedroia</span>.</p>
<p>The Sox picked up three more baserunners between the seventh and eighth, but each time the rally was shut down by a double play from top hitters <span>Adrian Gonzalez</span> and <span>David Ortiz</span>. Finally, though, they were able to push one more across in the ninth. With one out, <span>Drew Sutton</span> pinch hit for Josh Beckett and drew a walk. <span>Jacoby Ellsbury</span> hit a sharp ground ball single to right, and Dustin Pedroia avoided providing another double play ball with his grounder to the right side of the infield.</p>
<p>With Ellsbury out at second, the Astros elected to give Adrian Gonzalez the intentional walk to load the bases. The move did not pay up. Youkilis walked to the plate, and <span>Mark Melancon</span> couldn’t find the strike zone, falling behind 3-0 before giving up the five-pitch walk to put the Sox ahead.</p>
<p>The Astros still had a chance in the bottom of the ninth, down just one, but <span>Jonathan Papelbon</span> was on. With his splitter at its absolute best, Papelbon had the Astros hitters taking bad swings and missing often as not. Brett Wallace managed a single, but that was all, as the Sox’ closer struck out the side around him.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/7/3/2257539/red-sox-score-game-astros-josh-beckettBenjamin Buchanan2011-07-03T16:06:25-04:002011-07-03T16:06:25-04:00Red Sox Vs. Astros: Josh Beckett Dominating, 1-1 Tie Holds As Sox Strand Baserunners
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<p>Josh Beckett has ten strikeouts through the first six innings of Sunday's game against the Astros, but is stuck in a 1-1 tie as the Red Sox have left eight men on base.</p>
<p>After leaving the bases loaded in the third inning, the Sox did so again in the fourth, but managed to push a run across when Jason Varitek hit a bases loaded ground ball to first. Brett Wallace elected to go home with the ball, but his throw was high, and Carlos Corporan couldn't come down with it, allowing Kevin Youkilis to score the first run of the game. </p>
<p>With no more coming across, however, and the Sox wasting a pair of leadoff walks in the fifth, Beckett was forced to walk a thin line. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite up to the task. Wallace atoned for his earlier mistake by leading off the fifth with a loud double to the wall, and then came around to score on Angel Sanchez' pinch-hit single.</p>
<p>The Sox are into the bullpen now, but only picked up one hit in the sixth. They'll need more than that if they want to back up Beckett for a win.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/7/3/2257452/red-sox-astros-score-update-gameBenjamin Buchanan2011-07-03T15:05:03-04:002011-07-03T15:05:03-04:00Red Sox Vs. Astros: Josh Beckett Rolling, Game Scoreless Through Three
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<p>A pair of first inning singles represent the only trouble <span>Josh Beckett</span> has had through the first three innings of Sunday’s game as the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Red Sox</a> and <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Astros</a> remain tied at 0-0 through three.</p>
<p>After striking out <span>Michael Bourn</span> to start his outing, Beckett gave up back-to-back line drive singles to <span>Clint Barmes</span> and <span>Hunter Pence</span>, but was spared any damage when <span>Kevin Youkilis</span> snagged another liner off the bat of Carlos Lee, and <span>Matt Downs</span> popped up to end the inning.</p>
<p>Since then, he’s been on fire, striking out four of the next six batters, not allowing any to reach in either the second or third.</p>
<p><span>Jordan Lyles</span> started off the game hot, retiring the first six men he faced, but ran into some trouble in the third. <span>Jason Varitek</span> walked with one out, and managed to break up a double play off a bad bunt by Josh Beckett. <span>Jacoby Ellsbury</span> flaired a single to right-center, and <span>Dustin Pedroia</span> walked to load the bases, but <span>Adrian Gonzalez</span> got under a good pitch to hit, flying out to center to end the threat.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/7/3/2257406/red-sox-astros-score-update-gameBenjamin Buchanan2011-07-03T13:18:34-04:002011-07-03T13:18:34-04:00Red Sox Vs. Astros Lineups: Josh Reddick, Yamaico Navarro Starting As Sox Go For Sweep
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<p>One day after hitting his first Major League homer, Yamaico Navarro will be given the start at shortstop Sunday to try and help the Red Sox sweep the Houston Astros. </p>
<p>Navarro, 23, has emerged as one of the top-hitting middle infield prospects in the Red Sox' farm system over the past two years. Typically a patient hitter at the plate with a good bit of pop, Navarro found himself grossly overmatched when he first joined the Red Sox late last year shortly after being promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. He's had most of a year to develop since then, however, and hit very well in the Dominican Winter League before dominating Triple-A to start the season. He slowed down after missing nearly a month due to injury, but the Sox seem to have faith that he's just a bit rusty.</p>
<p>More integral to the team's success, however, will be the top of the lineup, particularly the 2-through-4 spots. Combining for nine hits Saturday, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, and Kevin Youkilis were the driving force behind the 10-run attack the Sox put up on J.A. Happ and the Houston bullpen. </p>
<p><b>Boston Red Sox (48-34)</b></p>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Jacoby Ellsbury, CF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Dustin Pedroia, 2B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Adrian Gonzalez, 1B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Kevin Youkilis, 3B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">J.D. Drew, RF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Josh Reddick, LF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Yamaico Navarro, SS</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Jason Varitek, C</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Josh Beckett, P</span></li>
</ol>
<div>The Astros, meanwhile, have finally decided to unleash their secret weapon. Matt Downs and his .981 OPS will get the start at second base, batting fifth.</div>
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<div><b>Houston Astros (29-55)</b></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Michael Bourn, CF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Clint Barmes, SS</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Hunter Pence, RF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Carlos Lee, LF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Matt Downs, 2B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Brett Wallace, 1B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Chris Johnson, 3B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Carlos Corporan, C</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Jordan Lyles, P</span></li>
</ol>
<p><b>Pitching Matchup: </b>Josh Beckett (6-3, 2.20 ERA) vs. Jordan Lyles (0-3, 4.75 ERA)</p>
<p>Sunday's start against the Astros should provide some context for Josh Beckett's last start. If he comes out strong against an improved Astros offense (with Downs in the mix) then his bad start against Philly was just a matter of rust. If he struggles, however, then that's two straight bad games. If Beckett has his curveball going, it should serve him well against an Astros lineup that struggles against a good bender. But perhaps more importantly, he'll have to stay away from the inside part of the plate, which is where the Astros have been finding most of their offense this series.</p>
<p>Just 20-years-old, facing the Red Sox is a lot to ask of Jordan Lyles. While he hasn't had the greatest start to his MLB career, he's also not been bad, especially considering the defense behind him. With a varied arsenal at his disposal, the Red Sox' biggest worry will be figuring out what's coming from the unfamiliar arm.</p>
<p>The Sox go for the sweep at 2:05 p.m. Eastern.</p>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/7/3/2257238/red-sox-astros-lineup-gameBenjamin Buchanan2011-07-02T22:15:14-04:002011-07-02T22:15:14-04:00Red Sox 10, Astros 4: Sustained Red Sox Attack Backs Strong Start From Andrew Miller
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<p>After putting up five runs on J.A. Happ, the Red Sox once again took advantage of a weak Houston bullpen to put the Astros away, picking up their third straight win, 10-4.</p>
<p>The scoring off Happ began right away, with the first five Red Sox batters all reaching base to start the game, bringing two runs in in the process. The Sox would only manage to get one more, though, despite having the bases loaded with no outs in the inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded into a double play as a run came in the backdoor, and Darnell McDonald hit a fly ball for out number three.</p>
<p>Andrew Miller ran into some trouble of his own in the bottom half, giving up a leadoff triple to Michael Bourn and then back-to-back singles to score the run. He would escape trouble quickly, however. Carlos Lee's loud line drive found Darnell McDonald's glove, as did the ground ball off the bat of Jason Michaels, resulting in an inning-ending double play.</p>
<p>From there, both pitchers settled down for the next three innings, with Andrew Miller inducing ground ball after ground ball to erase most of the baserunners he allowed.</p>
<p>It was the Sox who started the scoring again in the fifth, with back-to-back doubles from Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia making it 4-1, but Miller gave the run right back in the sixth on a loud home run from Hunter Pence. The teams exchanged runs in the seventh as Yamaico Navarro picked up his first career homer on a pinch hitting appearance and a combination of Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard allowed the Astros to pull back within two after some questionable calls by home plate umpire Cory Blaser.</p>
<p>It was in the eighth, though, that the Sox really opened things up, with Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, and Josh Reddick each singling before Darnell McDonald finally got off the schneid with a three-run homer to make it 9-3. The Sox added another run in the ninth to make it double digits, and seem to finally be back on track.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/7/2/2256627/red-sox-score-game-astros-andrew-millerBenjamin Buchanan2011-07-02T21:08:14-04:002011-07-02T21:08:14-04:00Red Sox Vs. Astros: Andrew Miller Goes Six Strong, Red Sox Lead 4-2
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<p>After the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> took a 3-1 lead in the first inning, Boston and Houston have traded runs, leaving the score at 4-2 through six.</p>
<p>Andrew Miller dealt with his usual streaks of questionable control throughout his six innings of work, often having pitches get well away from him and bringing Saltalamacchia out of his crouch on more than a few occasions. But when he was putting the ball in the zone, especially with off-speed pitches, he was getting exactly what he needed: ground balls. With the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> driving the ball into the dirt 11 times, Miller seemed to get a double play every time he needed one.</p>
<p>Still, one more run did score for Houston. Much as <span>Orlando Hudson</span> had sent Miller off with a loud homer in his first start with the Red Sox, <span>Hunter Pence</span> dealt him some late damage with a sixth inning solo shot absolutely crushed to left.</p>
<p>The run only made up, however, for the one Happ had given up to the Red Sox an inning earlier. After striking out Andrew Miller to start the fifth, Happ gave up back-to-back doubles to <span>Jacoby Ellsbury</span> and <span>Dustin Pedroia</span> to bring home the fourth Red Sox run of the night.</p>
<p>Terry Francona has told Miller that he is done for the night, as is David Ortiz. With a late game lead, Terry Francona has elected to insert <span>Josh Reddick</span> into the lineup, shifting <span>Adrian Gonzalez</span> to first base and <span>Darnell McDonald</span> to right to shore up a questionable right side.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/7/2/2256592/red-sox-score-astros-update-andrew-millerBenjamin Buchanan2011-07-02T20:19:57-04:002011-07-02T20:19:57-04:00Red Sox Vs. Astros: J.A. Happ's Shaky First Inning Gives Red Sox Early 3-1 Lead
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<p>The Red Sox have a 3-1 lead after three innings against the Houston Astros.</p>
<p>The lead could have been bigger, but after the first five batters of the game reached (with Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz picking up an RBI a piece on a single and a walk respectively), Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a sharp ground ball to Astros third baseman Chris Johnson, who turned two as the third run came in the backdoor. Darnell McDonald flew out to end the inning. </p>
<p>Andrew Miller seemed just about ready to give the runs right back, allowing a leadoff triple to Michael Bourn and two straight ground ball singles up the middle to Angel Sanchez and Hunter Pence. But a loud fly ball from Carlos Lee didn't prove harmful, and Jason Michaels repaid the favor from the first half of the inning by taking a bad swing at a 2-2 changeup for an inning-ending double play.</p>
<p>Both pitchers have since settled down, though Miller's control isn't spot-on by any means. At the moment, it seems unlikely that either will see the seventh inning.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/7/2/2256518/red-sox-vs-astros-j-a-happs-shaky-first-inning-gives-red-sox-early-3Benjamin Buchanan2011-07-02T16:28:02-04:002011-07-02T16:28:02-04:00Red Sox Vs. Astros Lineups: Adrian Gonzalez Returns To Right Field Against J.A. Happ
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<p>Terry Francona has once again elected to send Adrian Gonzalez into the outfield, penciling the slugging first baseman in as the right fielder for Saturday's game against the Astros.</p>
<p>It will be the second time on the road trip that Gonzalez will play the outfield in order to get David Ortiz' bat in the game. So far, though, Ortiz' bat hasn't really been worth it, as Big Papi finds himself mired in a season-worst 0-for-15 slump.</p>
<p>The Sox will just have to hope that J.A. Happ--currently the owner of a 5.54 ERA--proves to be the cure.</p>
<p><b>Boston Red Sox (47-34)</b></p>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Jacoby Ellsbury, CF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Dustin Pedroia, 2B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Adrian Gonzalez, RF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Kevin Youkilis, 3B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">David Ortiz, 1B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Darnell McDonald, LF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Marco Scutaro, SS</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Andrew Miller, P</span></li>
</ol>
<div>Despite losing on Friday, the Astros can't be too unhappy with the five runs and thirteen hits they recorded against the Sox. Only two starters failed to record at least a base knock Friday, and coincidentally enough, those two are the ones who won't be in the starting lineup tonight.</div>
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<div><b>Houston Astros (29-54)</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Michael Bourn, CF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Angel Sanchez, 2B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Hunter Pence, RF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Carlos Lee, 1B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Jason Michaels, LF</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Chris Johnson, 3B</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px;">Clint Barmes, SS<br></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">J.R. Towles, C</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">J.A. Happ</span></li>
</ol>
<p><b>Pitching Matchup: </b>Andrew Miller (1-0, 3.09 ERA) vs. J.A. Happ (3-9, 5.54 ERA)</p>
<p>Perhaps the most surprising thing about Andrew Miller's last two starts is not how solid they were, but how much excitement they've generated. Barely more than an afterthought this offseason, there wasn't much to indicate that Miller would be any different from any of the other reclamation projects that happen every year.</p>
<p>One way or another, though, Miller ran off a string of four terrific minor league starts, and made his way up to Boston, where he has looked quite impressive. The wildness that used to characterize Miller's starts has been limited to just the occasional burst here and there, and if it goes away altogether, who's to say what the Sox could have on their hands?</p>
<p>Still, the fact remains that Miller hasn't really had to face much in the way of competition, and that's not really set to change today. Bourn and Pence are a solid enough combination, but there's a surprising number of righties who can't hit righties in today's lineup, and Miller hasn't ever really been a reverse splits guy.</p>
<p>The same can be said for J.A. Happ, despite the huge numbers he's allowed to lefties this year. But he's also not a guy who should frighten batters at either side of the plate. Happ features a fastball without much velocity, and a slew of off-speed pitches that haven't really been fooling batters--not a good thing when he leaves so many out of the zone. His slider tends to hang, and his curveball ends up in the dirt far too often to entice batters on a typical day. Simply put, he's someone the Sox should hit.</p>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2011/7/2/2256263/red-sox-astros-lineup-adrian-gonzalez-right-fieldBenjamin Buchanan