HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- Eduardo Rodriguez outdueled Justin Verlander as the Boston Red Sox avoided a series sweep by beating the Astros 4-1 Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Rodriguez allowed a first inning run when Carlos Correa singled home Aledmys Diaz, but the Astros didn't score against him the rest of the day. They left two on base in the second and wasted Alex Bregman's leadoff double in the third, but he faced the minimum in the fourth fifth and sixth innings, striking out five Astros on the way to his fifth win of the season.
Verlander retired the first six that he faced, but ran into trouble in the third, allowing singles to Steve Pearce and Eduardo Nunez. Andrew Benintendi's sacrifice fly tied the game at one, and Boston grabbed the lead in the fourth when Rafael launched a 1-0 fastball over the centerfield wall for his seventh home run of the season. Boston added another run in the fifth. The loss is Verlander's second of the season. He surrendered those three runs on six hits to go with six strikeouts.
With Rodriguez out of the game, Brandon Workman struck out two in a 1-2-3 seventh, and after Josh James stranded a pair in the top of the eighth, Matt Barnes worked around a walk in the Astros half of the inning.
With the help of a walk, a balk, and a passed ball, the Red Sox added an unearned insurance run off Framber Valdez in the ninth, and Marcus Walden retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning to earn his first save.
Devers had two hits for the Red Sox as did Nunez, who added an RBI and a run scored.
The loss drops the Astros to 35-19 on the season, while Boston improves to 28-25.
The Astros will continue their 10-game homestand Monday afternoon when they welcome the Chicago Cubs to Minute Maid Park for the opening game of a three-game series. Gerrit Cole will faceoff against Cole Hamels.
