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[TheJoker12]

Red Sox Playoff Reset: Rays pitching stifles Red Sox offense as Tampa steals one in Fenway



The Tampa Bay Rays did exactly what they needed to do - they stole a game in Fenway.

In Game 1, the Rays couldn't land the lethal blow against Red Sox starter David Price, but did rack up nine hits against him before finally chasing him in the fifth inning with a 2-0 lead. They added an insurance run in the seventh on a wild pitch - one that would ultimately prove to be the game winner.

Yonny Chirinos was simply brilliant. He limited the Red Sox hitters to just three hits over eight innings of work. More importantly - the few times the Sox were able to get a runner in scoring position, he got even tougher, holding the Sox to an 0-7 effort at the plate.

The Sox rallied to win Game 2, but don't let the seven run outburst fool you - this was not an impressive offensive showing by the Red Sox.

An hour-long delay threw a wrench into both managers' plans, as Alex Cora and Kevin Cash were forced to remove their respective starters much earlier than they intended. In perhaps what we may look back on as a series changing mistake, Cash actually sent Morton back to the mound following the delay, but he clearly wasn't the same pitcher, surrendering two runs in the fifth before being removed.

With the game tied at three in the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox offense came to light - but not really. A Rafael Devers double scored J.D. Martinez to give Boston a 4-3 lead. They were able to load the bases against Tyler Glasnow, who proceeded to walk Mitch Moreland and then hit Sandy Leon, which made it a 6-3 game. Andrew Benintendi would hit yet another sacrifice fly - his third of the series - to push the Sox lead to four, and they would hold on to win 7-4.

The Rays have outhit the Red Sox 22-11 so far in two games, yet somehow have been outscored 9-7. Neither team seems capable of getting the big hit when they really need it - credit this to good pitching, poor hitting, or a little bit of both.

The series now shifts to The Trop, and you have to like the Rays chances. In Game 3 they'll send their ace, Blake Snell, to the mound, fresh off his dominating performance against the Yankees in the Wild Card Game. In Game 4, they'll tee off against Rick Porcello, whom Rays hitters tormented all season long.

The Sox need to find a way to steal a game back, or they'll 105 win season will be over before it even really started.

Game 1 in review

Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
Oct 4, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tampa Bay (1-0)	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	3	12	0
Boston (0-0)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	5	1
W: Chirinos (1-0) L: Price (0-1) S: Alvarado (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			TAM	BOS
TAM	4th	Robertson singled to center. Velazquez scored.	1	0
TAM	5th	Zunino homered to left.	2	0
TAM	7th	Garcia scored on a wild pitch.	3	0
BOS	8th	Moreland grounded into a double play. Bradley Jr. scored. Pedroia out at 2nd.	3	1
BOS	9th	Devers hit sacrifice fly to right. Chavis scored.	3	2

Tampa Bay Rays
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Duffy, 3B	5	0	1	0	0	1	0	.100
Robertson, 2B	3	0	1	1	2	1	0	.142
Pham, LF	5	0	1	0	0	2	0	.400
Choi, 1B	5	0	1	0	0	1	0	.375
Garcia, RF	5	1	2	0	0	1	0	.250
Zunino, C	4	1	2	1	1	0	1	.333
Adames, DH	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	.500
Velazquez, SS	3	1	1	0	1	1	0	.333
Heredia, CF	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.375
TEAM TOTALS	38	3	12	2	4	8	1
BATTING: 2B: Velazquez 3B: Garcia HR: Zunino RBI: Robertson, Zunino
BASERUNNING: CS: Duffy, Choi

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Benintendi, LF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Duran, RF	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000
Chavis, PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	1.000
Martinez, DH	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.250
Devers, 3B	3	0	1	1	0	2	0	.333
Bogaerts, SS	3	0	0	0	1	2	0	.000
Bradley Jr., CF	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	.000
Pedroia, 2B	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.333
Pearce, 1B	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Moreland, PH-1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Leon, C	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	.500
TEAM TOTALS	28	2	5	1	3	7	0
BATTING: 2B: Chavis, Devers RBI: Devers SF: Devers GIDP: Benintendi 2, Moreland
FIELDING: E: Devers

Tampa Bay Rays
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Chirinos (W, 1-0)	8.0	3	1	1	3	6	0	1.12
Alvarado (S, 1)	1.0	2	1	1	0	1	0	9.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	5	2	2	3	7	0

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Price (L, 0-1)	4.2	9	2	2	2	4	1	3.85
Norris	1.1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0.00
Alvarez	0.1	1	1	1	1	0	0	27.00
Brasier	1.2	1	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
Hernandez	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	12	3	3	4	8	1
PITCHING: WP: Alvarez

Game 2 in review

Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
Oct 5, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tampa Bay (2-0)	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	4	10	0
Boston (0-1)	1	0	0	0	2	4	0	0	x	7	6	1
W: Workman (1-0) L: Glasnow (0-1) S: Alvarez (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			TAM	BOS
BOS	1st	Martinez hit sacrifice fly to left. Duran scored.	0	1
TAM	5th	Pham doubled to right. Duffy scored. Diaz scored.	2	1
TAM	5th	Zunino singled to left. Pham scored.	3	1
BOS	5th	Leon hit sacrifice fly to left. Bradley Jr. scored. Pedroia to 3rd.	3	2
BOS	5th	Benintendi hit sacrifice fly to left. Pedroia scored.	3	3
BOS	6th	Devers doubled to left. Martinez scored.	3	4
BOS	6th	Moreland walked. Devers scored. Bogaerts to 3rd. Pedroia to 2nd.	3	5
BOS	6th	Leon hit by a pitch. Bogaerts scored. Pedroia to 3rd. Moreland to 2nd.	3	6
BOS	6th	Benintendi hit sacrifice fly to center. Pedroia scored.	3	7
TAM	7th	Pham singled to center. Duffy scored.	4	7

Tampa Bay Rays
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Duffy, 3B	5	2	3	0	0	0	0	.266
Diaz, 1B	5	1	2	0	0	2	0	.500
Pham, LF	4	1	2	2	1	1	0	.428
Zunino, C	3	0	1	1	1	2	0	.333
Garcia, RF	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.166
Robertson, 2B	4	0	2	0	0	1	0	.272
Heredia, CF	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.250
Adames, DH	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.333
Velazquez, SS	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.142
TEAM TOTALS	37	4	10	3	2	12	0
BATTING: 2B: Pham RBI: Pham 2, Zunino

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Benintendi, LF	2	0	0	2	0	1	0	.000
Duran, RF	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	.142
Martinez, DH	3	1	1	1	0	1	0	.285
Devers, 3B	4	1	1	1	0	2	0	.285
Bogaerts, SS	3	1	0	0	1	1	0	.000
Bradley Jr., CF	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	.200
Pedroia, 2B	1	2	1	0	2	0	0	.500
Chavis, PH-2B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500
Moreland, 1B	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	.333
Pearce, PH-1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Leon, C	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	.333
TEAM TOTALS	25	7	6	7	4	5	0
BATTING: 2B: Martinez, Devers, Bradley Jr., Pedroia 3B: Duran RBI: Benintendi 2, Martinez, Devers, Moreland, Leon GIDP: Benintendi 2, Moreland HBP: Leon SF: Benintendi 2, Martinez, Leon SAC: Bradley Jr.
FIELDING: E: Bradley Jr.

Tampa Bay Rays
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Morton	4.0	4	3	3	1	4	0	6.75
Glasnow (L, 0-1)	2.0	2	4	4	3	0	0	18.00
Stanek	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Beeks	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	6	7	7	4	5	0

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Rodriguez	3.2	2	0	0	2	7	0	0.00
Barnes	1.0	3	3	3	0	1	0	27.00
Workman (W, 1-0)	1.1	2	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
Norris	0.0	3	1	1	0	0	0	6.75
Steckenrider (H, 1)	2.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
Alvarez (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6.75
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	10	2	2	2	12	0

Three up
1. Drew Steckenrider: Called upon in the seventh inning of Game 2, Steck was terrific. After Matt Barnes and Bud Norris combined to get just three outs and allow four runs, the Red Sox desperately needed a reliever to settle the game down, and Steckenrider did just that, getting through the seventh and eighth without allowing a baserunner.

2. Rain delay: At the time, this seemed like a disaster for the Red Sox. Eduardo Rodriguez was dominating, having struck out seven batters already, but was forced to be lifted from the game in the fourth. The Red Sox would go on to win the game, however, and because of his low pitch count, Rodriguez will be available to pitch in Game 5, whether as a starter or out of the bullpen.

3. Sandy Leon: The Red Sox catcher hit just .184 against the Rays this season, but picked up a hit in Game 1 and drove in two runs in Game 2 (granted ,via a sacrifice fly and a hit by pitch, but hey, it still counts). Leon also threw out two baserunners attempting to steal second in Game 1, which forced the Rays to dial it back on the bases in Game 2.

Three down
1. Matt Barnes: Why is Barnes on the team? If the Sox should advance to the ALCS, Cora needs to serious consider removing him. Barnes was brought in following the rain delay to take over from Rodriguez and made a mess, allowing three hits and three runs. At this point, he cannot be relied upon in a game that matters - and they all matter now.

2. David Price: He wasn't terrible - but he wasn't great, either, and with Chris Sale out, the Sox need Price to be great. Should the Sox steal one on the road, he'll get a chance to redeem himself in Game 5.

3. The sacrifice fly: The Red Sox hit five sacrifice flies in Game 1 and 2 combined. On one hand, it's great that the Sox hitters are playing smart baseball and ensuring they get the runner home from third - on the other, it would be nice to see them actually produce a base hit with runners in scoring position at some point in this series.

[TheJoker12]

Red Sox Playoff Reset: Facing elimination, Darwinzon Hernandez saves Red Sox season with brilliant performance to force Game 5



Before the series began, we noted that the Rays hitters had been extremely successful against Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello. And that was certainly true again.

Neither Eovaldi nor Porcello made it through five innings, with Porcello recording just three outs on Tuesday before being removed from the game.

In Game 3, the Red Sox hitters did everything they needed to do against Blake Snell - they let at-bats run deep into the count to get Snell's pitch count up, and finally got to him in the fifth when Andrew Benintendi doubled home three runs.

At this point, Eovaldi was cruising - he had allowed just one run and three hits through the first four innings, although he had walked four batters. The Rays were able to get two on with two out in the bottom of the fifth, and Tommy Pham at the plate. Alex Cora elected to pull Eovaldi in favour of Brandon Workman - it didn't work. Pham crushed over the outfield wall to give the Rays a 4-3 lead.

The Red Sox rallied again, however, thanks to an RBI single by Steve Pearce, who started at first and hit second in the lineup in an attempt to give Snell and the Rays a bit of a different look. Unfortunately, the Rays would get to Brasier in the eighth, and prevail 6-4.

This set up a must-win situation for the Red Sox in Game 4, and things got off to a great start as they scored four runs in the first inning. Pham once again hurt the Sox, however, hitting another home run, this one a two-run shot off Porcello. When Porcello allowed back-to-back hits to start the second, Cora made the switch, calling on the rookie Darwinzon Hernandez.

Unlike Game 3, this move worked.

Hernandez was brilliant. He stifled the Rays over 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two baserunners and striking out three. Workman rebounded by striking out three of the five batters he faced, while Alvarez and Steckenrider locked down the eighth and ninth. In total, the Sox bullpen threw eight scoreless innings and allowed just two hits and one walk.

And thus, we have a Game 5. Cora has stated that David Price will get the start, but Eduardo Rodriguez will be available out of the bullpen should he struggle early. The Rays have yet to name their stater - they likely will go back to Yonny Chirinos, who was brilliant in Game 1.

The Red Sox and Rays have played one do-or-die game in their history - Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS. The Rays won that game 3-1. David Price played a factor in that game too - pitching for the Rays, he struck out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, and picked up his first career save by pitching a scoreless ninth.

The Sox hope Price will be just as good on Thursday - this time pitching for them.

Game 3 in review

Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Oct 7, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (1-1)	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	0	4	8	0
Tampa Bay (2-1)	0	0	1	0	3	0	0	2	x	6	9	0
W: Castillo (1-0) L: Brasier (0-1) S: Alvarado (2)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			BOS	TAM
TAM	3rd	Pham doubled to right. Duffy scored. Diaz out at home.	0	1
BOS	5th	Benintendi doubled to center. Pedroia, Duran, and Vazquez scored.	3	1
TAM	5th	Pham homered to right. Heredia and Diaz scored.	3	4
BOS	8th	Pearce singled to left. Benintendi scored.	4	4
TAM	8th	Choi tripled to left. Zunino scored.	4	5
TAM	8th	Robertson hit sacrifice fly to center. Choi scored.	4	6

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Benintendi, LF	5	1	2	3	0	1	0	.181
Pearce, 1B	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	.142
Martinez, DH	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.272
Devers, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.181
Bogaerts, SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bradley Jr., CF	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	.125
Pedroia, 2B	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	.500
Duran, RF	4	1	1	0	0	2	0	.181
Vazquez, C	3	1	1	0	1	2	0	.333
TEAM TOTALS	35	4	8	4	2	9	0
BATTING: 2B: Benintendi, Pedroia, Vazquez RBI: Benintendi 3, Pearce
BASERUNNING: SB: Benintendi, Bradley Jr.

Tampa Bay Rays
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Duffy, 3B	3	1	2	0	1	0	0	.333
Diaz, 1B	2	1	1	0	2	0	0	.500
Pham, LF	4	1	2	4	0	1	1	.444
Zunino, C	4	1	1	0	0	2	0	.312
Choi, DH	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	.333
Robertson, 2B	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	.307
Garcia, RF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.125
Adames, SS	4	0	1	0	0	2	0	.312
Heredia, CF	2	1	0	0	1	1	0	.214
TEAM TOTALS	29	6	9	6	5	6	1
BATTING: 2B: Pham 3B: Choi HR: Pham RBI: Pham 4, Choi, Robertson SF: Robertson
BASERUNNING: SB: Duffy, Robertson CS: Duffy

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Eovaldi	4.2	5	3	3	4	2	0	5.78
Workman	0.1	1	1	1	0	1	1	5.40
Alvarez	2.0	1	0	0	1	2	0	2.70
Brasier (L, 0-1)	1.0	2	2	2	0	1	0	6.75
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	9	6	6	5	6	1

Tampa Bay Rays
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Snell	6.0	4	3	3	2	5	0	1.80
Stanek (H, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
Castillo (W, 1-0)	1.0	3	1	1	0	1	0	9.00
Alvarado (S, 2)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	4.50
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	8	4	4	2	9	0

Game 4 in review

Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Oct 8, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (1-2)	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	8	0
Tampa Bay (3-1)	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	2
W: Hernandez (1-0) L: Yarbrough (0-1) S: Steckenrider (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			BOS	TAM
BOS	1st	Bogaerts grounded out to first. Pearce scored. Martinez to 3rd. Devers to 2nd.	1	0
BOS	1st	Pedroia doubled to center. Martinez, Devers and Bradley Jr. scored.	4	0
TAM	1st	Pham homered to left. Diaz scored.	4	2
BOS	6th	Duran doubled to right. Devers scored.	5	2

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Benintendi, LF	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	.187
Pearce, 1B	4	1	2	0	1	1	0	.272
Chavis, PR-1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500
Martinez, DH	4	1	0	0	1	1	0	.200
Devers, 3B	4	2	1	0	1	2	0	.200
Bogaerts, SS	3	0	0	1	1	0	0	.000
Bradley Jr. CF	3	1	2	0	0	1	0	.272
Pedroia, 2B	4	0	1	3	0	1	0	.416
Duran, RF	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	.200
Leon, C	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.142
TEAM TOTALS	35	5	8	5	4	6	0
BATTING: 2B: Pearce, Pedroia, Duran RBI: Bogaerts, Pedroia 3, Duran HBP: Bradley Jr.
BASERUNNING: SB: Bogaerts CS: Bradley Jr.

Tampa Bay Rays
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Duffy, 3B	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.318
Diaz, 1B	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	.437
Pham, LF	4	1	1	2	0	1	1	.409
Zunino, C	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	.250
Robertson, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.294
Garcia, RF	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.157
Adames, SS	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.263
Velazquez, DH	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	.100
Heredia, CF	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	.250
TEAM TOTALS	31	2	6	2	1	9	1
BATTING: 2B: Diaz HR: Pham RBI: Pham 2
BASERUNNING: CS: Robertson
FIELDING: E: Robertson, Adames

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Porcello	1.0	4	2	2	0	1	1	18.00
Hernandez (W, 1-0)	4.1	1	0	0	1	3	0	0.00
Workman (H, 1)	1.2	0	0	0	0	3	0	2.70
Alvarez (H, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	2.07
Steckenrider (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	6	2	2	1	9	1

Tampa Bay Rays
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Yarbrough (L, 0-1)	5.1	4	5	2	2	2	0	3.37
Stanek	1.2	3	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
Wood	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0.00
Pruitt	1.0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	8	5	2	4	6	0

Three up
1. Darwinzon Hernandez: What a performance by the rookie. Hernandez took over in the second inning with two runners on, no out, and a 4-2 lead - and left in the sixth with a 5-2 lead. His superb pitching may be the turning point in this series.

2. Andrew Benintendi: Finally, someone in the Red Sox lineup came through with a big hit. The Sox had Snell on the ropes, and Benintendi delivered the knock-out punch, driving in three with a bases-clearing double. Although the Sox would lose the game, it was good to see someone finally deliver. Benintendi also scored the game-tying run in the eighth and stole a base.

3. Dustin Pedroia: Currently the only starter with an average higher than .275, Pedroia was huge on Tuesday. Although he only had one hit, it was a big one - a bases clearing double in the first inning to give the Sox a 4-0 lead, one they wouldn't relinquish.

Three down
1. Home runs: The Sox have played four games, and they currently have no home runs. Simply put, that is not good enough. You can give credit to the Rays pitching staff, but at some point this team will need the home run ball. If they don't get it, they won't be repeating as World Series champions - and likely won't make it past Game 5.

2. Xander Bogaerts: Bogaerts had a lot of success against the Rays this season, so it's strange that he is the only Red Sox starter yet to have a base hit in the series. Bogaerts is stuck in an 0-13 funk, and considering he is hitting fifth in the order, this is causing a lot of problems for a Red Sox offense that is struggling to get going. Bogaerts could make everyone forget about the first four games with a big Game 5.

3. Getting Tommy Pham out: Pham is a hell of a player, and he's proving it this series. After a monster Wild Card Game against the Yankees, he hasn't slowed down one bit picking up six hits and eight RBI so far against the Red Sox. Price and the rest of the Red Sox pitching staff have to find a way to slow Pham down in Game 5, or it could spell the end of their 2019 postseason run.

[TheJoker12]

Red Sox Playoff Reset: The X-Man in X-tras! Bogaerts the hero as Sox win thrilling Game 5



Entering Game 5, Xander Bogaerts had yet to reach base via a hit. And while his 2-5 performance means he will finish the ALDS with a poor 2-18 effort at the plate, you couldn't have asked for two bigger base hits.

The first came in the sixth inning with the Sox trailing 4-2. Rafael Devers was on first after working a walk, and Bogaerts ripped a line drive into left for a knock, his first of the series. After a JBJ double made the score 4-3, a pinch-hit single by Steve Pearce just squeaked through the infield to allow Bogaerts to come home from second, tying the game at 4-4.

He saved his best work for last, however.

J.D. Martinez and Devers were able to work back-to-back walks with one out in the bottom of the 10th, bringing Bogaerts to the plate with a chance to be the hero. It wasn't a thing of beauty - Bogaerts just got the wood on the ball to shoot a little flare into right field. The ball just landed over the first baseman's head and in front of the right fielder, allowing Martinez, who had read the play perfectly, to score from second and send the Red Sox to the ALCS for the second straight season.

You couldn't have asked for a better Game 5 between two of the best teams in the league. The Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead early when J.D. Martinez singled in two runs in the bottom of the third, just his fourth hit and second and third RBI of the series.

David Price looked to be cruising early but ran into trouble in the fifth. Andrew Velazquez delivered the big blow crushing a double to center to clear the bases. He would eventually score himself, giving the Rays a 4-2 lead.

All season long, however, the Red Sox proved they didn't mind playing from behind late in the game, and they were able to come from behind once again to pull out the series clinching win.

The win sets up an ALCS rematch from last year. Once again we will have the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox face-off to decide who gets to represent the American League in the World Series.

Game 5 in review

Rays at Red Sox |
Oct 10, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Extras	R	H	E
Tampa Bay (3-2)	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	7	0
Boston (2-2)	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	5	8	0
W: Steckenrider (1-0) L: Pruitt (0-1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			TAM	BOS
BOS	3rd	Martinez singled to center. Pedroia and Leon scored. Duran to 3rd.	0	2
TAM	5th	Velazquez doubled to center. Robertson, Heredia, and Adames scored.	3	2
TAM	5th	Choi doubled to center. Velazquez scored.	4	2
BOS	6th	Bradley Jr. doubled to right. Devers scored. Bogaerts to 3rd.	4	3
BOS	6th	Pearce singled to left. Bogaerts scored. Bradley Jr. to 3rd.	4	4
BOS	10th	Bogaerts singled to right. Martinez scored.	4	5

Tampa Bay Rays
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Duffy, 3B	5	0	1	0	0	1	0	.296
Choi, 1B	5	0	2	1	0	1	0	.352
Pham, LF	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.384
Zunino, C	4	0	0	0	0	4	0	.208
Garcia, RF	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.130
Robertson, 2B	4	1	1	0	0	2	0	.285
Heredia, CF	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	.250
Adames, DH	3	1	0	0	1	1	0	.227
Velazquez, SS	4	1	1	3	0	0	0	.142
TEAM TOTALS	37	4	7	4	1	12	0
BATTING: 2B: Choi, Pham, Robertson, Velazquez RBI: Choi, Velazquez 3

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Benintendi, LF	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	.142
Duran, RF	5	0	1	0	0	1	0	.200
Martinez, DH	3	1	1	2	2	1	0	.222
Devers, 3B	4	1	1	0	1	2	0	.210
Bogaerts, SS	5	1	2	1	0	1	0	.111
Bradley Jr., CF	4	0	1	1	0	1	0	.266
Pedroia, 2B	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	.400
Moreland, 1B	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.200
Pearce, PH-1B	2	0	1	1	0	0	0	.307
Leon, C	2	1	0	0	2	1	0	.111
TEAM TOTALS	35	5	8	5	6	7	0
BATTING: 2B: Bradley Jr. RBI: Martinez 2, Bogaerts, Bradley Jr., Pearce GIDP: Devers

Tampa Bay Rays
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Faria	5.1	6	4	4	2	5	0	6.75
Stanek	0.0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.00
Beeks (BS, 1)	1.2	1	0	0	1	2	0	0.00
Wood	2.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Pruitt (L, 0-1)	0.1	1	1	1	2	0	0	6.75
TEAM TOTALS	9.1	8	5	5	6	7	0

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Price	4.1	6	4	4	1	7	0	6.00
Brasier	1.2	0	0	0	0	3	0	4.15
Rodriguez	3.1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Steckenrider (W, 1-0)	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	10.0	7	4	4	1	12	0

Three up
1. Xander Bogaerts: He finished the ALDS hitting just .111, but you couldn't have asked for a bigger hit than his game-winning flare in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Sox likely won't get past the Astros without Bogaerts (and a number of other hitters) performing better at the plate, but today the X-Man is a hero in Boston.

2. Eduardo Rodriguez: Bogaerts will get a lot of the press clippings, but his heroics may not have even been possible without the effort of Rodriguez. He entered the game in the seventh inning with the score tied at four, and limited the Rays to just one base runner in the final four innings of the game, recording 10 outs before Steckenrider relieved him to get the final two outs of the 10th. Rodriguez was terrific in the series, throwing seven scoreless innings in total with eight strikeouts.

3. Steve Pearce: Pearce has picked up right where he left off in 2018. He came to the plate with two on and two out in the bottom of the sixth with the Sox trailing 4-3. Pinch-hitting for Mitch Moreland, Pearce was able to sneak a ground ball through the infield to tie the game. It was the fourth hit and second RBI of the series for Pearce, who seems to have taken over for Moreland as the every day first baseman.

Three down
1. Kevin Cash: For starters, Cash elected to go with Jake Faria over Yonny Chirinos to start Game 5, despite the fact that Chirinos was brilliant in a Game 1 victory. This move almost panned out, as the Rays took a 4-2 lead into the sixth inning. Cash stuck with Faria for too long, however, and it cost him. The Red Sox were able to get two men on before Faria was pulled, both of whom came around to score to tie the game.

2. David Price: Price struggled against the Rays this season, and he wasn't much better in either start in the playoffs. He finishes the ALDS with an 0-1 record, surrendering six runs and 15 hits in just nine innings of work. The Sox need Price to be better against the Astros.

3. Home runs: It's remarkable, but the Sox somehow won the series without hitting a single home run. That won't be good enough against the Astros, especially since they possess a far more potent lineup than the Rays, one that is capable of going yard at any point. The Sox HAVE to take advantage of the Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park - because the Astros certainly will be.

[TheJoker12]

Red Sox ALCS Spotlight: For third straight postseason, Sox run into Astros



In 2017, led by the power bats of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa (who combined to hit seven home runs), the Houston Astros took down the Boston Red Sox three games to one in the ALDS. They would go on to win the World Series.

In 2018, Jackie Bradley Jr. led the way with two home runs and nine RBI to propel the Red Sox to a four games to one series win in the ALCS. The Red Sox would go on to win the World Series.

And here we are again.

The Astros had a terrific season - they finished with the second-best record in the league (103-59 - two games behind the Red Sox) and ranked in the top five in almost all major hitting, pitching, and fielding categories. Led by Alex Bregman, who hit .317 with 35 home runs and 119 RBI, and the ageless Justin Verlander, who won 15 games and struck out 234 hitters in 219 1/3 innings, the Astros will be a tremendous challenge for a Red Sox club that looked shorthanded at times in their series win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Astros handled Cleveland relatively easy in four games, and they did so with both hitting and pitching - they scored 20 runs the first two games and limited Cleveland to just four runs over the final two games. The Sox were able to grind through a tough five-game series with the Rays, with every game decided by three runs or less.

The Sox won the regular season series 5-1 (although the one game they lost they allowed 17 runs and 18 hits), but Mookie Betts and Chris Sale both played a large role in those wins - is this the moment these two injuries finally catch up with the Red Sox?



Once again, we will look through each team's lineup, rotation, and backend of the bullpen while providing their 2019 stats against the Red Sox/Astros and their ALDS stats as well.

Houston Lineup
LF Michael Brantley
- 6-16, 4 runs, 8 rbi, 2 home runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 8-22, 4 runs, 4 rbi, 1 home run, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts (vs BOS)

RF Josh Reddick
- 6-18, 2 runs, 6 rbi, 1 home run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 3-20, 1 run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts (vs BOS)

2B Joes Altuve
- 5-16, 2 runs, 2 rbi, 1 home run, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, 2 stolen bases (ALDS)
- 4-18, 2 rbi, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts (vs BOS)

3B Alex Bregman
- 4-18, 2 runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 7-24, 3 runs, 6 rbi, 1 home run, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, 1 stolen base (vs BOS)

SS Carlos Correa
- 4-13, 3 runs, 2 rbi, 1 home run, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts (ALDS)
- No games played (vs BOS)

DH Aledmys Diaz
- 7-17, 3 runs, 1 rbi, 1 home run, 5 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 9-24, 1 run, 4 rbi, 1 home run, 4 strikeouts (vs BOS)

CF George Springer
- 4-14, 3 runs, 4 rbi, 1 home run, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts (ALDS)
- No games played (vs BOS)

1B Tyler White
- 3-12, 2 runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts (ALDS)
- No games played (vs BOS)

C Robinson Chirinos
- 3-13, 3 runs, 1 rbi, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 3-17, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts (vs BOS)

Boston Lineup
LF Andrew Benintendi
- 3-21, 1 run, 2 strikeouts, 1 stolen base (ALDS)
- 7-26, 2 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, 1 stolen base (vs HOU)

RF Jarren Duran
- 4-20, 2 runs, 1 rbi, 5 strikeouts (ALDS)
- No games played (vs HOU)

DH J.D. Martinez
- 4-18, 3 runs, 3 rbi, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 9-23, 7 runs, 6 rbi, 4 home runs, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts (vs HOU)

3B Rafael Devers
- 4-19, 4 runs, 2 rbi, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 5-20, 1 run, 2 rbi, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, stolen base (vs HOU)

SS Xander Bogaerts
- 2-18, 2 runs, 2 rbi, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 1 stolen base (ALDS)
- No games played (vs HOU)

CF Jackie Bradley Jr.
- 4-15, 3 runs, 1 rbi, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 1 stolen base (ALDS)
- 5-16, 4 runs, 1 rbi, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts, 2 stolen bases (vs HOU)

2B Dustin Pedroia
- 6-15, 4 runs, 3 rbi, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 4-10, 1 rbi, 1 walk 4 strikeouts, 1 stolen base (vs HOU)

1B Steve Pearce
- 4-13, 1 run, 2 rbi, 1 walk, 1 strikeout (ALDS)
- 4-10, 1 rbi, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 1 stolen base (vs HOU)

C Sandy Leon
- 1-9, 1 run, 2 rbi, 3 walks, 1 strikeout (ALDS)
- 7-16, 3 runs, 2 rbi, 1 home run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts (vs HOU)

Advantage: Astros
The Astros have some serious power - and that is a problem, considering the Red Sox are suffering their worst power outage of the season at the moment. The top five hitters in the Astros lineup combined to hit 111 home runs on the season - even more remarkable when you consider that just 17 were hit by Jose Altuve. In fact, all nine of their starters hit double digit home runs with the lowest total sitting at 10 - that would be Tyler White, who hit the 10 in just 253 at-bats. The Sox, meanwhile, failed to hit a home run in the entire series against Tampa Bay and only one player - Dustin Pedroia - had more than four hits total.

One interesting stat: Sandy Leon's .438 average vs Houston
How bizarre. Leon hit just .234 on the season, but was downright unstoppable against the Astros this year, picking up seven hits in 16 at bats, including a home run. Leon went just 1-9 in the ALDS, although he did walk three times and drive in three runs.

Houston Rotation
Gerrit Cole
- 1-0, 8.1 ip, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 0-0, 7.0 ip, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts (vs BOS)

Lance McCullers Jr.
- 0-0, 5.1 ip, 10 hits, 6 runs, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 0-0, 3.2 ip, 7 hits, 5 runs, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts (vs BOS)

Justin Verlander
- 0-0, 7.0 ip, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 0-1, 13.0 ip, 10 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts (vs BOS)

Brad Peacock
- 1-0, 7.1 ip, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 0-1, 5.0 ip, 9 hits, 3 runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts (vs BOS)

Boston Rotation
David Price
- 0-1, 9.0 ip, 15 hits, 6 runs, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts (ALDS)
- No games played (vs HOU)

Eduardo Rodriguez
- 0-0, 7.0 ip, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 1-0, 6.0 ip, 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts (vs HOU)

Nathan Eovaldi
- 0-0, 4.2 ip, 5 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 1-0, 6.0 ip, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts (vs HOU)

Rick Porcello
- 0-0, 1.0 ip, 4 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout (ALDS)
- 1-1, 11.0 ip, 16 hits, 9 runs, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts (vs HOU)

Advantage: Even
Chris Sale is a huge loss here. We've said that before, but he dominated the Astros in both starts he made against Houston this season, and in a seven game series, it's really going to hurt not having him for two starts. That being said, Nathan Eovaldi was excellent against Houston in his one start, as was Eduardo Rodriguez. Gerrit Cole didn't have a great year (3.94 ERA and 1.33 WHIP), although he was excellent in the ALDS. Brad Peacock and Lance McCullers Jr. were both hit around by the Sox.

One key stat: Rick Porcello's 1.0 innings in the ALDS
Simply put, the Sox cannot afford to have Porcello flame out against the Astros. He was great in his first start, but was battered in his second, which resulted in a 17-6 loss. Alex Cora had an extremely quick hook in a must-win Game 4, but in a seven-game series, he can't afford to have a starter last just one inning.

Houston Bullpen
Roberto Osuna
- 2 saves, 0-0, 2.0 ip, 1 hit, 2 walks, 1 strikeout (ALDS)
- No games played (vs BOS)

Ryan Pressly
- 1 hold, 0-0, 0.2 ip, 1 hit (ALDS)
- No games played (vs BOS)

Chris Devenski
- 1 hold, 0-1, 1.1 ip, 2 hits, 1 run (ALDS)
- 0-1, 2.0 ip, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout (vs BOS)

Boston Bullpen
Drew Steckenrider
- 1 save, 1 hold, 1-0, 3.2 ip, 4 strikeouts (ALDS)
- No games played (vs HOU)

Ryan Brasier
- 0-1, 4.1 ip, 3 hits, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts (ALDS)
- 1 hold, 1-0, 6.2 ip, 4 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts (vs HOU)

Jose Alvarez
- 1 save, 1 hold, 0-0, 4.1 ip, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts (ALDS)
- No games played (vs HOU)

Advantage: Red Sox
The Red Sox bullpen was terrific against the Rays in the ALDS. Excluding Matt Barnes (who has been replaced on the roster by Jerad Eickhoff), the bullpen pitched 25 2/3 innings (over 5.0 per game average) and allowed just five runs on 15 hits, finishing with a 3-1 record. Drew Steckenrider and Jose Alvarez were especially good, and Alex Cora seems to have found his rhythm with how to use his guys in the 'pen late in the game.

One key stat: Red Sox bullpen 25 2/3 innings in ALDS
If you had said back in July that the Red Sox would need their bullpen to throw over five innings a game of relief in the ALDS, you would have likely guessed they would have been swept. That wasn't the case, as the 'pen was excellent and actually won all three games for the Sox in the series. That is a lot of stress on a bullpen, however - if it happens again in the ALCS, the Sox may not be so lucky.



Red Sox X-Factor: Rafael Devers
The Red Sox cleanup hitter drove in just two runs in the ALDS and struck out an alarming 10 times in 19 at-bats. He didn't have a ton of success against the Astros this year - hitting just .250 with no home runs and only two RBI. The Sox need Devers to find his hitting stroke - and quickly.

Astros X-Factor: Alex Bregman
Michael Brantley and Josh Reddick were all over the bases against the Cleveland Indians, but remarkably Bregman did not have a single RBI. Bregman had one huge game against the Red Sox this season - but outside of that, failed to drive in a run and committed multiple errors in the field. The Astros need their MVP to perform like an MVP if they want to move on to the World Series for the second time in three years.

The Red Sox will win if... They get better starting pitching.
The Sox didn't have a single starter get past the fifth inning in the ALDS. Somehow, thanks to excellent relief pitching, they were able to steal the series in five games - but that cannot happen against a team like the Astros. The Sox need Price, Porcello, and Eovaldi to pitch much better than they did - and they need Rodriguez to stay healthy.

The Astros will win if... The bottom of the order steps up
George Springer, Tyler White, and Robinson Chirinos combined for just 10 hits in the ALDS. Only Chirinos played against Boston this season, and didn't record a run or an RBI in 17 at-bats, picking up just three hits. All three hitters have serious power, however, and if any one of them get swinging a hot bat - combined with Houston's ridiculous 1-5 hitters - it could be a very long series for the Red Sox pitching staff.

Prediction: Astros in 6
We aren't going to use injuries as an excuse, but there is where the absence of Chris Sale and Mookie Betts is going to hurt the Red Sox. Boston's starting pitching simply isn't good enough, and the offense struggled to get much of anything going against the Rays. The Astros, on the other hand, were the best team in the league all the way until the final two weeks of September when they were caught by the Red Sox. All that means is they'll have to win Game 6 in Fenway rather than at Minute Maid - but that doesn't change the fact the it'll be Houston going to the World Series to face the winner of the Cubs and Rockies.

[TheJoker12]

Red Sox Playoff Reset: Porcello delivers superb start but Astros still earn split with Sox at Fenway



After yet another game that saw a Red Sox starter fail to make it through five innings and also saw a Red Sox offense fail to hit a home run, the team finally delivered on both counts.

The team came out flat in Game 1, which may have been expect after a tough five-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Nathan Eovaldi struggled, surrendering three runs on seven hits in just three innings of work. Alex Cora tried to turn to Darwinzon Hernandez to keep the game within reach, like he did in Game 4 against the Rays, but this time it backfired as Hernandez failed to record an out. The Sox offense once again struggled, with the top four hitters combining for just one hit in 17 at-bats. All in all, not a game that will make it into year end video.

Game 2 was better. It wasn't perfect - far from it, really - but it was better. It started with Rick Porcello, who became the first Red Sox starter this postseason to make it through five innings. Porcello nearly went the distance before being removed with one out in the ninth after allowing a walk and a single.

The bats also woke up - sort of. Although as an offense they managed just five hits, three of them left the ballpark - the first three home runs for the Red Sox this postseason. Baby steps, certainly, but steps in the right direction all the same.

Nevertheless, the Astros have to be thrilled. They did exactly what they needed to do - split with the Sox in Fenway before returning home for three straight at Minute Maid. The Sox have to win at least one on the road to keep their season alive - realistically, however, they may need to steal two.

Game 1 in review

Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox
Oct 12, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston (3-1)	0	2	1	2	2	0	0	0	0	7	15	2
Boston (3-2)	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	4	9	1
W: Cole (2-0) L: Eovaldi (0-1) S: Osuna (3)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			HOU	BOS
HOU	2nd	White homered to center. Springer scored.	2	0
HOU	3rd	Diaz hit sacrifice fly to right. Bregman scored.	3	0
HOU	4th	Reddick doubled to right. White and Chirinos scored. Brantley to 3rd.	5	0
BOS	4th	Pearce hit sacrifice fly to left. Bogaerts scored. Bradley Jr. to 3rd.	5	1
BOS	4th	Leon hit sacrifice fly to left. Bradley Jr. scored.	5	2
HOU	5th	White doubled to left. Diaz scored.	6	2
HOU	5th	Brantley singled to center. White scored.	7	2
BOS	6th	Bradley Jr. doubled to right. Bogaerts scored.	7	3
BOS	8th	Moreland doubled to left. Bradley Jr. scored.	7	4

Houston Astros
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Brantley, LF	5	0	3	1	0	0	0	.428
Reddick, RF	5	0	2	2	0	1	0	.347
Altuve, 2B	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	.285
Bregman, 3B	4	1	2	0	1	0	0	.272
Correa, SS	5	0	1	0	0	2	0	.277
Diaz, DH	4	1	1	1	0	1	0	.380
Springer, CF	5	1	2	0	0	2	0	.315
White, 1B	5	3	3	3	0	1	1	.352
Chirinos, C	3	1	0	0	0	2	0	.187
TEAM TOTALS	41	7	15	7	1	9	1
BATTING: 2B: Reddick, Bregman, White 2 HR: White RBI: Brantley, Reddick 2, Diaz, White 3 HBP: Chirinos SF: Diaz
FIELDING: E: Altuve, Chirinos

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Benintendi, LF	5	0	1	0	0	1	0	.153
Duran, RF	2	0	0	0	3	1	0	.181
Martinez, DH	5	0	0	0	0	1	0	.173
Devers, 3B	5	0	0	0	0	4	0	.166
Bogaerts, SS	5	2	2	0	0	1	0	.173
Bradley Jr., CF	3	2	3	1	1	0	0	.388
Pedroia, 2B	4	0	2	0	0	1	0	.421
Pearce, 1B	3	0	0	1	0	0	1	.250
Leon, C	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	.090
Moreland, PH	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	.333
Vazquez, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
TEAM TOTALS	35	4	9	4	4	11	0
BATTING: 2B: Bradley Jr. 2, Moreland RBI: Bradley Jr., Pearce, Leon, Moreland SF: Pearce, Leon
BASERUNNING: SB: Duran CS: Benintendi
FIELDING: E: Bradley Jr.

Houston Astros
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Cole (W, 2-0)	5.0	6	3	2	2	6	0	2.02
Rondon (H, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Harris (H, 1)	0.2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.00
Smith	0.2	1	1	1	0	2	0	13.50
Devenski	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	4.50
Osuna (S, 3)	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	9	4	3	4	11	0

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Eovaldi (L, 0-1)	3.0	7	3	3	0	3	1	7.04
Hernandez	0.0	2	2	2	0	0	0	3.37
Eickhoff	3.0	5	2	2	1	4	0	6.00
Norris	3.0	1	0	0	0	2	0	2.07
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	15	7	7	1	9	1

Game 2 in review

Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox
Oct 13, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston (4-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Boston (3-3)	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	x	3	5	1
W: Porcello (1-0) L: McCullers Jr. (0-1) S: Steckenrider (2)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			HOU	BOS
BOS	3rd	Leon homered to center.	0	1
BOS	6th	Benintendi homered to right.	0	2
BOS	6th	Bogaerts homered to center.	0	3

Houston Astros
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Brantley, LF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.360
Reddick, RF	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.333
Altuve, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.240
Bregman, 3B	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	.272
Correa, SS	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.320
Diaz, DH	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.320
Springer, CF	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.272
White, 1B	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.350
Chirinos, C	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	.157
TEAM TOTALS	29	0	2	0	4	5	0
BATTING: GIDP: Reddick

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Bradley Jr., CF	4	0	2	0	0	1	0	.409
Benintendi, LF	4	1	1	1	0	0	1	.166
Martinez, DH	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	.160
Devers, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.142
Bogaerts, SS	3	1	1	1	0	2	1	.192
Duran, RF	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	.160
Pedroia, 2B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.363
Holt, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Leon, C	3	1	1	1	0	0	1	.142
TEAM TOTALS	29	3	5	3	2	6	3
BATTING: HR: Benintendi, Bogaerts, Leon RBI: Benintendi, Bogaerts, Leon
BASERUNNING: SB: Bradley Jr.
FIELDING: E: Devers

Houston Astros
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
McCullers Jr. (L, 0-1)	6.0	4	3	3	2	6	3	7.14
Harris	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Rondon	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	5	3	3	2	6	3

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Porcello (W, 1-0)	8.1	2	0	0	4	5	0	1.92
Steckenrider (S, 2)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	2	0	0	4	5	0

Three up
1. Rick Porcello: Porcello was burned big time by Alex Bregman during the regular season. He found a unique way to work around that issue this time - by literally working around the issue. Porcello walked Bregman four times - the rest of the Astros offense combined for just two hits and no runs. Certainly a bold strategy, Cotton, but it paid off for Porcello on Sunday.

2. Sandy Leon: If Leon played every game against the Astros, he'd be a Hall of Famer. Leon tore through the 'Stros during the season, and picked up right where he left off over the weekend, driving in a run in Game 1 and hitting the first home run of the postseason for the Sox on Sunday.

3. Xander Bogaerts: After a rough ALDS that was redeemed because of a series-clinching hit, Bogaerts has gotten off to a much better start in the ALCS. Through two games, he went 3-8 with three runs scored and a home run. With the Sox offense scuffling, it may be worth moving Bogaerts up in the order in an attempt to generate some offense.

Three down
1. J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers: The Red Sox 3-4 hitters went a combined 0-16 with five strikeouts in Games 1 and 2, including a pitiful 0-4, four strikeout performance by Devers on Saturday. It's no wonder the team is struggling to score runs - the best hitter on the planet in 2019 is hitting just .160 and the cleanup hitter is even worse, hitting .142. The Red Sox will not win this series unless both Martinez and Devers get out of their respective funks at the plate.

2. Pitching to Tyler White: Tyler White is a nice player, but the Sox pitchers made him look like Babe Ruth in Game 1, as he drove in three runs and scored three himself. With guys like Altuve, Bregman, and Correa in the lineup, the Red Sox cannot afford to be beaten by someone like White - and he was ultimately the difference in the 7-4 defeat.

3. Darwinzon Hernandez: Tough to ask the rookie to repeat what he was able to do in Game 4, but the game was still within reach when Hernandez entered in the fourth inning. He failed to record an out, however, and ultimately the 5-0 hole was too much for the Red Sox to climb out of.

[TheJoker12]

Red Sox Playoff Reset: Sox and 'Stros split again, setting up best of three with World Series berth on the line



After an outstanding series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox bullpen has faltered. It was only a matter of time - despite the significant changes the front office made to the 'pen over the season, it was still the team's biggest weakness. After allowing four runs in Game 1 (and essentially taking Game 2 off because of Rick Porcello's strong start), the Sox committed back-to-back blown saves in Games 3 and 4.

In Game 3, the Red Sox jumped out to a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning. After Eduardo Rodriguez got into trouble in the bottom half of the inning, Alex Cora turned to Ryan Brasier, who dominated the Astros this season, allowing zero runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched. It didn't work. Brasier allowed an inherited run to score in the sixth before surrendering a game-tying home run to Jake Marisnick, who was making his first start of the series, in the seventh.

Jose Alvarez didn't do much better in the next inning, as Jose Altuve hit a mammoth two-run shot off the lefty to give the Astros a 7-5 lead, which was enough to give Houston a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Sox once again jumped out to a two-run lead in Game 4, this time leading 3-1 in the seventh inning. Cora sent David Price, who had battled through six innings without his best stuff, back to the mound for the bottom of the seventh. The Astros were able to load the bases with two-out. Cora once again turned to Alvarez to face Brantley - it didn't work. Brantley drove in two runs with a single to tie the game.

Luckily, the Sox still had Xander Bogaerts - the hero in Game 5 of the ALDS, Bogaerts crushed a 2-2 fastball over the Crawford Boxes in left field to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead in the ninth, which was enough for Boston to tie the series at two games apiece.

And so, here we are - the Red Sox have won two, the Astros have won two. Boston has scored 16 runs - Houston has scored 17. Game 5 will feature Nathan Eovaldi - who was hit around in Game 1 by the Astros - against Wade Miley, in what could be argued is a must win for both teams. The Astros do not want to return to Fenway trailing 3-2 in the series. The Sox, however, don't want to have to win two in a row either.

Game 5 isn't do or die time yet - but it almost is.

Game 3 in review

Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros
Oct 15, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (4-3)	1	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	5	6	0
Houston (4-2)	2	0	0	0	1	1	1	2	x	7	11	2
W: Valdez (1-0) L: Alvarez (0-1) S: Osuna (4)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			BOS	HOU
BOS	1st	Martinez singled to center. Benintendi scored.	1	0
HOU	1st	Altuve homered to left. Reddick scored.	1	2
BOS	5th	Benintendi homered to left. Bradley Jr. scored.	3	2
HOU	5th	Brantley singled to center. Chirinos scored.	3	3
BOS	6th	Benintendi doubled to right. Pedroia and Duran scored. Vazquez to 3rd.	5	3
HOU	6th	Correa singled to right. Bregman scored.	5	4
HOU	7th	Marisnick homered to left.	5	5
HOU	8th	Altuve homered to left. Reddick scored.	7	5

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Bradley Jr, CF	5	1	1	0	0	3	0	.370
Benintendi, LF	4	2	2	4	1	1	1	.205
Martinez, DH	4	0	1	1	1	1	0	.172
Devers, 3B	4	0	0	0	1	3	0	.125
Bogaerts, SS	3	0	1	0	1	1	0	.206
Moreland, 1B	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.222
Chavis, PH-1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Pedroia, 2B	3	1	1	0	1	1	0	.360
Duran, RF	3	1	0	0	1	2	0	.142
Leon, C	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	.125
Vazquez, PH-C	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	.250
TEAM TOTALS	33	5	6	5	7	16	1
BATTING: 2B: Bradley Jr., Benintendi HR: Benintendi RBI: Benintendi 4, Martinez
BASERUNNING: CS: Bogaerts

Houston Astros
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Brantley, LF	4	0	1	1	0	2	0	.344
Reddick, RF	3	2	1	0	1	1	0	.333
Altuve, 2B	4	2	2	4	0	0	2	.275
Bregman, 3B	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	.269
Correa, SS	4	0	2	1	0	1	0	.269
Springer, DH	4	0	1	0	0	2	0	.269
White, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.291
Chirinos, C	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	.227
Marisnick, CF	3	1	1	1	0	2	1	.333
TEAM TOTALS	33	7	11	7	1	9	3
BATTING: 2B: Bregman HR: Altuve 2, Marisnick RBI: Brantley, Altuve 4, Correa, Marisnick GIDP: Reddick
BASERUNNING: CS: Correa
FIELDING: E: Bregman 2

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Rodriguez	5.1	6	4	4	1	6	1	2.91
Brasier (BS, 1)	1.1	2	1	1	0	2	1	4.76
Alvarez (L, 0-1)	0.1	2	2	2	0	0	1	5.78
Workman	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	2.07
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	11	7	7	1	9	3

Houston Astros
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Verlander	5.1	5	5	4	5	9	1	4.37
Valdez (W, 1-0)	2.2	1	0	0	2	5	0	4.50
Osuna (S, 4)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	6	5	4	7	16	1

Game 4 in review

Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros
Oct 16, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (4-4)	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	9	1
Houston (5-2)	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	3	9	0
W: Workman (2-0) L: Rondon (1-1) S: Steckenrider (3)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			BOS	HOU
BOS	1st	Martinez homered to left. Benintendi scored.	2	0
HOU	4th	Correa singled to right. Reddick scored.	2	1
BOS	7th	Duran singled to left. Nunez scored.	3	1
HOU	7th	Brantley singled to left. Correa and White scored. Chirinos to 2nd.	3	3
BOS	9th	Bogaerts homered to left.	4	3

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Bradley Jr, CF	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.322
Benintendi, LF	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	.210
Martinez, DH	4	1	2	2	0	0	1	.212
Moreland, 1B	3	0	1	0	1	1	0	.250
Bogaerts, SS	4	1	1	1	0	1	1	.212
Pedroia, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.310
Nunez, 3B	4	1	3	0	0	0	0	.750
Duran, RF	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	.161
Leon, C	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.161
TEAM TOTALS	34	4	9	4	1	7	2
BATTING: 2B: Martinez HR: Martinez, Bogaerts RBI: Martinez 2, Bogaerts, Duran HBP: Duran
BASERUNNING: SB: Nunez, Duran CS: Nunez
FIELDING: E: Pedroia

Houston Astros
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Brantley, LF	5	0	2	2	0	1	0	.352
Reddick, RF	5	1	2	0	0	1	0	.342
Altuve, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.272
Bregman, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.233
Correa, SS	4	1	3	1	0	0	0	.333
Springer, DH	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	.241
White, 1B	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	.296
Chirinos, C	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	.208
Marisnick, CF	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.166
Diaz, PH	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.320
TEAM TOTALS	33	3	9	3	5	3	0
BATTING: 2B: Reddick, Correa, White RBI: Brantley 2, Correa GIDP: Reddick, White

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Price	6.1	7	3	3	2	1	0	5.28
Norris (H, 1)	0.1	0	0	0	1	1	0	1.92
Alvarez (BS, 1)	0.1	2	0	0	0	0	0	5.40
Workman (W, 2-0)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.68
Steckenrider (S, 3)	1.0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	9	3	3	5	3	0

Houston Astros
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Peacock	6.1	6	3	3	1	5	1	2.63
Harris	1.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Rondon (L, 1-1)	1.0	2	1	1	0	1	1	2.25
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	9	4	4	1	7	2

Three up
1. Andrew Benintendi: With the offense struggling, Alex Cora elected to move Andrew Benintendi into the second spot in the order. It's worked. Benintendi picked up three hits, including a home run, scored three runs and drove in four in Games 3 and 4 combined. It didn't spark an outburst - the Sox still managed just nine runs in two games - but it's a start.

2. Alex Cora: You could put Cora on the bad list because of his mismanagement of the bullpen - that would be a little unfair, however. Sure, going back to Alvarez in Game 4 may have been a mistake, but at some point guys need to make pitches. We're going to put Cora on the good list because of his willingness to shake up the lineup. Case in point - Rafael Devers has been abysmal this ALCS, going 0-13 with seven strikeouts. Cora elected to sit down his cleanup hitter in Game 4, electing to start Eduardo Nunez, who collected three hits, a stolen base, and scored a run.

3. Xander Bogaerts: Bogaerts literally saved the Red Sox season in the ALDS - he may have just done so again. If the Sox lost Game 4, it would have been awfully difficult for them to rally in the series against an excellent Houston team. Instead, Bogaerts delivered a huge home run to break a 3-3 tie in the ninth inning, evening the series at two apiece, with two of the final three games in Fenway.

Three down
1. Rafael Devers: Devers has been a disaster so far this postseason. So far in the ALCS, he is hitless in 13 at-bats and has struck out seven times. He was finally benched in Game 4, and with the team winning and his replacement, Nunez, picking up three hits, don't be surprised if Devers isn't in the starting lineup again in Game 5.

2. Jose Alvarez: Not a great stretch for Alvarez, who picked up a loss in Game 3 and a blown save in Game 4, although the team would rally to win. His postseason ERA now sits at 5.40, and he's struggling to get left-handed hitters out - not a good combo for Boston's number one left-handed set up man.

3. Hitting in the later innings of Game 3: Justin Verlander was arguably the Astros best pitcher this season, but the Red Sox hitters put together an excellent approach against Houston's ace. Though they struck out nine times, they were able to knock out five hits and reach base five times via the free pass. This knocked Verlander out of the game early after allowing five runs in just over five innings of work. Unfortunately, the success did not continue against the Astros relievers - the Red Sox hitters only managed one hit over the final 3 2/3 innings, and struck out seven times.

[TheJoker12]

Red Sox Playoff Reset: After crushing Game 5 loss, unlikely heroes step up to save Sox' season in Game 6



Sandy Leon and Brock Holt. Not the names you would expect to hear if you were asked who saved the 2019 Red Sox season, but the ones you would hear nonetheless. Trailing 3-2 in the series and 2-1 in the game, Holt and Leon hit back-to-back jacks off of Gerrit Cole to give the Sox the lead and ultimately allow them to tie the series at three, setting up a Game 7 showdown that should be epic.

In Game 5, the Sox were plagued with the same issues that have been hurting them the entire postseason. Once again, they failed to get a strong outing from their starter. Nathan Eovaldi lasted just one inning, allowed two home runs and threw 42 pitches. J.D. Martinez once again struggled at the plate, picking up one hit in five at-bats and leaving multiple runners on base. The bullpen allowed another late-run to make a comeback unlikely. Rinse and repeat.

The Sox turned to Rick Porcello in Game 6 - the same Porcello who nearly threw a complete game shutout in Game 2. While he wasn't nearly as sharp as he was that day, Porcello battled through four innings and exited with the Sox trailing 2-1. Enter David Price.

With Cora struggling to trust certain relievers, he turned to Price, who pitched 6 1/3 innings just two days earlier in Game 4. Price was terrific - he recorded seven straight outs before allowing back-to-back singles in the seventh inning. Brandon Workman and Jose Alvarez were able to bail him out, however, and Price was ultimately the winner in a literal must-win game for the Red Sox.

Of course, this wouldn't have happened without the heroics of Holt and Leon. Holt barely snuck a line drive around Pesky Pole - only to be topped by Leon, who literally hit the Pole with his shot.

And so we have a Game 7. The Sox will send arguably their best starting pitcher to the mound - Eduardo Rodriguez - while the Astros will counter with Lance McCullers Jr., with Justin Verlander ready and waiting in the bullpen.

The winner will take on the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. The loser will be left wondering where it all went wrong.

Game 7. Red Sox. Astros. Fenway Park. Sunday night. Be there.

Game 5 in review

Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros
Oct 17, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (5-4)	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	9	0
Houston (5-3)	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	x	5	10	0
W: Miley (1-0) L: Eovaldi (0-2) S: Osuna (5)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			BOS	HOU
BOS	1st	Bogaerts singled to left. Bradley Jr scored.	1	0
HOU	1st	Altuve homered to left. Reddick scored.	1	2
HOU	1st	Correa homered to right.	1	3
BOS	3rd	Bradley Jr. homered to right.	2	3
HOU	3rd	Correa doubled to left. Bregman scored.	2	4
BOS	4th	Pedroia singled to 3rd. Chavis scored. Vazquez to 2nd.	3	4
HOU	8th	Springer doubled to left. Diaz scored.	3	5

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Bradley Jr., CF	5	2	2	1	0	0	1	.333
Benintendi, LF-RF	4	0	1	0	1	1	0	.214
Martinez, DH	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	.210
Bogaerts, SS	3	0	1	1	1	0	0	.222
Chavis, 1B	2	1	0	0	1	2	0	.200
Moreland, PH-1B	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.230
Vazquez, C	4	0	2	0	0	1	0	.375
Holt, PR	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Leon, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.100
Pedroia, 2B	4	0	2	1	0	0	0	.333
Duran, RF	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	.151
Devers, PH-3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.121
Nunez, 3B-LF	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.375
TEAM TOTALS	35	3	9	3	3	8	1
BATTING: 2B: Pedroia HR: Bradley Jr. RBI: Bradley Jr., Bogaerts, Pedroia SAC: Duran
BASERUNNING: SB: Bradley Jr.

Houston Astros
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Brantley, LF	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.342
Reddick, RF	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	.342
Altuve, 2B	4	1	1	2	0	0	1	.270
Bregman, 3B	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	.235
Correa, SS	4	1	2	2	0	1	1	.352
Diaz, DH	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	.310
Springer, CF	4	0	2	1	0	1	0	.272
White, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.258
Chirinos, C	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	.222
TEAM TOTALS	34	5	10	5	1	4	2
BATTING: 2B: Bregman, Correa, Diaz, Springer HR: Altuve, Correa RBI: Altuve 2, Correa 2, Springer

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Eovaldi (L, 0-2)	1.0	3	3	3	1	0	2	9.34
Hernandez	5.2	5	1	1	0	2	0	2.45
Brasier	1.1	2	1	1	0	2	0	5.14
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	10	5	5	1	4	2

Houston Astros
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Miley (W, 1-0)	5.0	6	3	3	3	5	1	5.40
Smith (H, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	5.40
Harris (H, 2)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Devenski (H, 2)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	3.00
Osuna (S, 5)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	9	3	3	3	8	1

Game 6 in review

Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox
Oct 19, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston (6-3)	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	0
Boston (5-5)	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	x	3	8	0
W: Price (1-1) L: Cole (2-1) S: Steckenrider (4)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			HOU	BOS
HOU	3rd	Reddick doubled to left. Kemp scored. Brantley to 3rd.	1	0
HOU	3rd	Bregman grounded out to 2nd. Brantley scored.	2	0
BOS	3rd	Bradley Jr. doubled to center. Pedroia scored.	2	1
BOS	5th	Holt homered to right.	2	2
BOS	5th	Leon homered to right.	2	3

Houston Astros
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Brantley, LF	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	.357
Reddick, RF	4	0	2	1	0	0	0	.357
Bregman, 3B	4	0	0	1	0	1	0	.210
Correa, SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.315
Diaz, DH	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.272
Springer, CF	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.270
White, 1B	3	0	2	0	1	1	0	.294
Kemp, 2B	3	1	1	0	0	2	0	.333
Chirinos, C	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	.200
TEAM TOTALS	33	2	8	2	1	10	0
BATTING: 2B: Reddick RBI: Reddick, Bregman SAC: Kemp GIDP: Bregman
BASERUNNING: CS: Springer

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Bradley Jr., CF	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	.333
Benintendi, RF	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.195
Martinez, LF	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	.195
Devers, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	.108
Bogaerts, SS	4	0	1	0	0	2	0	.225
Pearce, 1B	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	.263
Pedroia, 2B	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	.361
Holt, DH	3	1	1	1	0	1	1	.166
Leon, C	3	1	2	1	0	1	1	.173
TEAM TOTALS	30	3	8	3	1	10	2
BATTING: 2B: Bradley Jr HR: Holt, Leon RBI: Bradley Jr., Holt, Leon SF: Bradley Jr. GIDP: Pearce

Houston Astros
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Cole (L, 2-1)	6.0	8	3	3	1	7	2	2.79
Harris	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Rondon	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1.80
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	8	3	3	1	10	2

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Porcello	4.0	6	2	2	0	5	0	2.70
Price (W, 1-1)	2.1	2	0	0	0	0	0	4.58
Workman (H, 2)	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1.58
Alvarez (H, 2)	1.2	0	0	0	0	2	0	4.05
Steckenrider (S, 4)	0.2	0	0	0	1	2	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	8	2	2	1	10	0

Three up
1. Brock Holt: It hasn't been a year to remember for Brock Holt, but that may have changed Saturday night. Holt made multiple trips to the injured list this season, and as a result made only 191 plate appearances. In those appearances, he hit just one home run. He matched that total on Saturday with a huge two-out home run to tie the game.

2. Sandy Leon: Leon continues to burn the Astros, this time with a game-winning home run to set up Game 7. It was Leon's second home run of the series. He's also done a nice job limiting the Astros running game.

3. Darwinzon Hernandez: The Red Sox may have lost Game 5, but it certainly wasn't Hernandez' fault. The rookie left-hander was once again asked to bail out a poor performance by a Red Sox starting pitcher, and he did just that, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing just one run. Unfortunately the Sox hitters couldn't rally around Hernandez, who now has a 2.45 ERA in his first career postseason.

Three down
1. Nathan Eovaldi: Another poor outing by Eovaldi, who has lost both his starts in the ALCS and has pitched just four innings total, allowing six runs, including three home runs. Eovaldi now has a 9.34 playoff ERA, and with Chris Sale likely able to return should the Sox make the World Series, this may be the last time we see him take the rubber in 2019.

2. Pitching after the offense scores: Credit the Astros offense if you wish, but the Red Sox pitching needs to be better after the offense scores a run. The Red Sox have scored runs in 16 innings so far this ALCS - they've allowed the Astros to score seven times in the next half inning. Game 5 was a perfect example - they jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, only for the Astros to rally and take the lead in the bottom half of the inning. The Sox cut the Astros lead to one in the third, only for the Astros to extend the lead once again in the bottom half.

3. Rafael Devers: After spending two games on the bench (although he did appear as a pinch-hitter in Game 5), Alex Cora went back to his young slugger in Game 6, hoping that something had been sparked. It hadn't. Devers was brutal again, striking out three times in four at-bats. Cora has a real dilemma on his hands now for Game 7 - do you roll with Devers, who was third on the team in home runs and second in RBI but doesn't have a hit yet in the ALCS, or someone else like Eduardo Nunez or even Michael Chavis?

[TheJoker12]

Red Sox Playoff Reset: Houston, we have a problem - Sox' season comes to a disappointing end at the hands of the Astros



In the long history of the Boston Red Sox, the 2019 team will go down as one of the best in history. But they likely won't be remembered. Ask the 2014 Boston Bruins or 2012 New England Patriots what happens in this town when you have an outstanding regular season but fail to even make it to the finals - you get lost in the shuffle.

There hasn't been a repeat World Series champion since the year 2000, and there won't be again this season. This Red Sox team seemed to be as close as any during this nearly two-decade stretch but couldn't close the deal in Game 7 against Houston.

Excuses don't get you far in Boston, but at the end of the day the team couldn't overcome the injury bug. We've talked a lot about Chris Sale and Mookie Betts - and, given the Red Sox struggles with starting pitching and timely hitting this postseason, those two guys certainly would have helped - but it was two other injuries that was ultimately the fatal blow for the 2019 Sox.

The first - Eduardo Rodriguez.

ERod may have saved the Red Sox' season in Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Rays with a gutsy performance out of the bullpen, but it may have cost him big time against the Astros. Rodriguez was far from his normal self in his first start in Game 3, but was even worse in Game 7. He allowed two hits, two walks, and two runs in two innings before being removed due to injury. This put the Red Sox in a very difficult spot, one they ultimately couldn't overcome.

The second - Eduardo Nunez.

Rafael Devers has had a brutal ALCS, and as a result Alex Cora elected to go with Nunez to start Game 7. Nunez smoked a ball off the Green Monster in left during his first at-bat of the game. This would wind up being his last at-bat, however, as he pulled up running into second base. He would leave the game with a strained hamstring.

The loss of Nunez, although minor, forced Cora to turn to Devers, who once again failed to deliver a hit. In the ninth, he had a chance to continue a late rally but grounded out to third to all but end the game.

And so the Sox are left wondering what might have been. With several contracts up at the end of this season, and the uncertainty surrounding both Mookie Betts and Chris Sale, you can't help but think that, years from now, the Sox may be kicking themselves for letting such a great season end on such a disappointing note.

Game 7 in review

Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox
Oct 20, 2019	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston (6-4)	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	3	0	6	7	0
Boston (6-5)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	4	8	0
W: McCullers Jr. (1-1) L: Eovaldi (0-3) S: Osuna (6)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			HOU	BOS
BOS	1st	Bogaerts hit sacrifice fly to left. Bradley Jr. scored.	0	1
HOU	2nd	Correa doubled to left. Bregman scored.	1	1
HOU	3rd	Altuve grounded out to 2nd. Brantley scored. Reddick to 3rd.	2	1
BOS	5th	Benintendi singled to center. Leon scored. Devers out at 3rd.	2	2
HOU	7th	Brantley reached on fielder's choice. White scored. Chirinos 3rd. Marisnick out at 2nd.	3	2
HOU	8th	Springer homered to left. Altuve and Bregman scored.	6	2
BOS	9th	Leon doubled to right. Pedroia scored. Moreland to 3rd.	6	3
BOS	9th	Devers grounded out to 3rd. Moreland scored.	6	4

Houston Astros
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Brantley, LF	4	1	0	1	1	1	0	.326
Reddick, RF	5	0	1	0	0	2	0	.340
Altuve, 2B	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	.268
Bregman, 3B	3	2	1	0	1	1	0	.219
Correa, SS	4	0	1	1	0	2	0	.309
Springer, DH	4	1	1	3	0	2	1	.268
White, 1B	4	1	1	0	0	2	0	.289
Chirinos, C	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	.212
Marisnick, CF	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	.111
TEAM TOTALS	34	6	7	6	4	11	1
BATTING: 2B: Reddick, Altuve, Bregman, Correa HR: Springer RBI: Brantley, Altuve, Correa, Springer 3

Boston Red Sox
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Bradley Jr., CF	5	1	1	0	0	1	0	.318
Benintendi, RF	3	0	1	1	1	0	0	.204
Martinez, LF	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.200
Bogaerts, SS	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	.238
Holt, DH	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.100
Pedroia, 2B	3	1	0	0	1	1	0	.333
Moreland, 1B	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	.250
Leon, C	4	1	2	1	0	0	0	.222
Nunez, 3B	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.444
Devers, PR-3B	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	.102
TEAM TOTALS	31	4	8	4	3	4	0
BATTING: 2B: Bradley Jr., Leon, Nunez RBI: Benintendi, Bogaerts, Leon, Devers HBP: Moreland, Devers SF: Bogaerts
BASERUNNING: CS: Benintendi, Bogaerts

Houston Astros
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
McCullers Jr. (W, 1-1)	8.0	7	2	2	2	4	0	5.12
Smith	0.1	0	2	2	1	0	0	13.50
Osuna (S, 4)	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	8	4	4	3	4	0

Boston Red Sox
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Rodriguez	2.0	2	2	2	2	0	0	3.76
Eovaldi (L, 0-3)	4.1	3	1	1	0	6	0	6.92
Alvarez	0.2	0	0	0	1	1	0	3.68
Brasier	0.1	2	3	3	1	1	1	8.59
Steckenrider	1.2	0	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	7	6	6	4	11	1

Three up
1. Sandy Leon: The only player in the Red Sox lineup to have more than one hit, Leon scored a run in the fifth and tried to get a rally going in the ninth with an RBI double. Leon finishes the ALCS with two home runs and three RBI, trailing only Andrew Benintendi as the most productive Red Sox hitter in the series.

2. Nathan Eovaldi: Eovaldi gets saddled with the loss, his third of the series. Considering the Red Sox went 3-1 in games Eovaldi didn't pitch, it's understandable that he is going to take a lot of heat from Red Sox fans and will no doubt receive plenty of blame. This loss had nothing to do with Eovaldi, however. Out of options, Cora turned to Eovaldi to relieve the injured Rodriguez, and Eovaldi was brilliant - he allowed just one run over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six batters and allowing no walks.

3. Drew Steckenrider: Easily the best pickup by the Red Sox this season, Steckenrider concluded a terrific postseason with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out three batters. Steck responded well to every situation he was put in, and it could be argued that Cora should have turned to him earlier - and more often - during the series.

Three down
1. Injuries: At some point, you just have to wonder if it simply wasn't meant to be for the Red Sox this season. Already without Betts and Sale, the team got just two innings from Rodriguez before he left with an arm injury, and he was quickly followed by Eduardo Nunez an inning later.

2. Ryan Brasier: Brasier was terrific against the Astros during the regular season, but Houston's hitters figured him out in time for the ALCS. Brasier concluded a brutal series by allowing a back-breaking three-run home run to George Springer. Even worse? The Sox were able to put together a rally in the ninth inning, and ended up losing by two runs - one less than Brasier allowed.

3. J.D Martinez: The league MVP and Triple Crown winner, J.D. Martinez was unable to carry the Red Sox to the World Series. That may sound like a lot to ask for one player, but Martinez brought that upon himself with the season he had. Martinez hit just .148 in the series with only one home run and two RBI - less than Sandy freakin' Leon. Over the final three games, Martinez failed to drive in a run and went just 1-12. After the year he had, it's astounding how much he struggled this postseason.