At least the Boston Red Sox won't be swept in the American League Championship Series. The Sox made history against the Houston Astros in Game 2 as they became the first team in post-season history to hit grand slams in consecutive innings. JD Martinez set the tone with a first inning grand slam against Houston starter Luis Garcia. The following inning Rafael Devers hit another grand slam off Jake Odorizzi to pretty much ice the game early. Kike Hernandez made some history of his own by tying the single post-postseason record for home runs with his fifth. Nathan Eovaldi held the high powered Astros offense to 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings to earn the win as Adam Ottavino and Garrett Whitlock continued to keep the Astros off the board. Darwinzon Hernandez allowed two home runs in the ninth inning but Ryan Brasier slammed the door to send the series back to Boston tied with a 9-5 victory in Game 2 at Minute Maid Park.
The Sox wasted no time getting to Garcia in the top of the first inning as Kyle Schwarber led off with a double to right. Chas McCormick made a great diving catch to rob Kike Hernandez of a bloop single but Rafael Devers walked. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging but Alex Verdugo walked. JD Martinez put the Sox on top with a grand slam although Hunter Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.
Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Altuve grounded out to short to start. Michael Brantley grounded out to second but Alex Bregman singled to left. Yordan Alvarez lined out to center to end the inning.
Kevin Plawecki walked on four pitches not even close to start the top of the second and Garcia started grabbing his knee. Sure enough, Houston's starter was done after one inning and old Tampa Bay Rays nemesis Jake Odorizzi came in to pitch. Christian Arroyo singled to right but Schwarber went down hacking. Hernandez got a base hit to left to load the bases and Devers made ML history with a grand slam to ice the game. No team had hit two grand slams in consecutive innings in the playoffs before. Bogaerts popped up to first but Verdugo singled to left. Martinez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.
Eovaldi kept the lead in the bottom of the second as Carlos Correa hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Kyle Tuckler grounded out to first and Yuli Gurriel popped up to second to end the inning.
Renfroe struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Plawecki flied out to center. Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. McCormick struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the third before Martin Maldonado grounded out to short. Altuve hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.
The Sox had another record in the top of the fourth although Schwarber struck out swinging to start. Hernandez then joined an exclusive club including Todd Walker and David Ortiz with his fifth home run in a single post-season. Devers took strike three but Bogaerts got a base hit to center. Verdugo hit a ground rule double to right but Martinez took a full count strike three down the middle to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.
The Astros rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Hernandez made a running grab to rob Brantley of extra bases to start. Bregman grounded out to second but Alvarez walked. Correa blooped a single to right and Tucker just missed a home run by inches, settling for an rbi double off the left field wall to score Alvarez. Sox pitching coach Dave Bush sprinted to the mound to tell Eovaldi that radar spelled backwards is radar and Gurriel sliced a base hit to right to score both runners. McCormick struck out swinging to end the inning with the Astros inching closer down 9-3.
The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Renfroe grounded out to third to start. Plawecki popped up to third and Arroyo flied out to left to end the inning. Eovaldi recovered in the bottom of the fifth as Maldonado struck out swinging to start. Altuve popped up to first and Brantley grounded out to short to end the inning.
Blake Taylor came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Schwarber took strike three to start. Hernandez watched strike three go by and Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. The Astros almost rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Bregman popped up to first to start. Naturally Alvarez ripped a base hit to right and Sox manager Dr. Quick Hook Cora pulled Eovaldi at the first sign of trouble AGAIN. Eovaldi allowed 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings as Cora made the bullpen have to get the remaining 11 outs. Adam Ottavino came in and somehow struck out Correa swinging but Tucker moved Alvarez to third with a base hit to center. Gurriel grounded out to third to end the inning.
Bogaerts struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before Verdugo lined out to center. Martinez ripped a base hit to center but Yimi Garcia replaced Taylor. Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and McCormick struck out swinging to start. Jason Castro pinch hit for Maldonado and walked but Altuve flied out to center. Brantley grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Sox blew a rally in the top of the eighth as Vazquez took strike three to start. Arroyo grounded out to second but Schwarber walked. Bobby Dalbec pinch ran for Schwarber, Hernandez was plunked and Devers popped up to first to end the inning. The Lock returned for the bottom of the eighth and Bregman went down hacking to start. Alvarez popped up to shallow left and Correa grounded out to short to end the inning.
Ryne Stanek came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bogaerts greeted him with a leadoff double into the right field corner out of the reach of Tucker to start. Verdugo moved Bogaerts to third with a grounder to first but Martinez just happened to hit a rocket right to third, getting Bogaerts tagged out on the double play to end the inning. Darwinzon Hernandez came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Tucker went down hacking to start. Gurriel hit a home run all the way to Oklahoma to cut the lead but Aledmys Diaz pinch hit for McCormick. Diaz struck out swinging but Castro hit a home run to Santo Domingo to cut the lead even more. Sox manager Alex Cora had enough of Darwinzon and replaced him with Ryan Brasier. Altuve hit one to the left field wall but Verdugo made the catch to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-5.
Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. His grand slam in the first inning set the tone for the game.
The Good:
Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 runs scored.
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5.
Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.
Nathan Eovaldi got the win with 5 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He struck out 3 and walked just 1 batter.
Adam Ottavino got the final two outs of the sixth inning.
Garrett Whitlock tossed 2 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Christian Vazquez struck out in his only plate appearance.
Darwinzon Hernandez allowed two home runs in the ninth inning.
The Ugly:
Kyle Schwarber was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a walk but the one hit was a grand slam.
Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2 but walked and scored.
Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Honorable Mention:
Bobby Dalbec pinch ran and played first base.
Final Thoughts:
The Red Sox are in big trouble, that's for sure. Yes, the Sox won the game but the Astros still put 5 runs on the board in a game they were hopelessly behind. If they're going to be averaging 5 runs a game, the Sox don't stand much of a chance in a seven game series. Still, a win is a win and the Sox needed both grand slams to ice the game early. Eovaldi pitched well but Cora pulling him in the sixth inning has gotten old this season. Its only a matter of time before the bullpen implodes, but until then its time to enjoy the win. Hernandez has reached Todd Walker status just 2 games into the ALCS and there's at least three more games to play to break the record. If the Sox offense can continue to roll, they'll be able to hang with the Astros. Historically the Astros are better at home but now they must play the next three games at Fenway Park. The Sox HAVE to win at least one of them if they want to push this to Game 6 where Eovaldi goes again. The Sox pitching needs to improve in a hurry because they're not going to survive giving up 4-5 runs a game, or possibly more. Still, Eovaldi pitched well and the bats showed up today to get the win. As crazy as it sounds, especially going into the season, the Sox are three wins away from the World Series. The series resumes Monday night with Jose Urquidy going for the Astros against Eduardo Rodriguez for the Sox at 8:05 PM at Fenway Park.
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