Boston Red Sox defeat Houston Astros 2-1 as bad luck at Minute Maid Park continues – MLB update
Bad luck continued for the Houston Astros at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas as the Boston Red Sox defeated them 2-1 in a hard fought game on Sunday, July 3.
The Astros faced their 33rd loss at home this season with only 14 wins at the Minute Maid Park. The low-scoring encounter was dominated by the pitchers with Josh Beckett of the Red Sox the pick of them.
Beckett exhibited his arsenal of pitching in a breathtaking display of quality pitching. The 102 pitches he threw were a worthy proof of his arm power and stamina. Beckett single-handedly silenced the Astros as he pitched eight innings in total for just
five hits and one run. At the end of his spell, he had gathered 11 strike-outs at an ERA of 2.12, taking his current season’s tally of strike-outs to 91 and his career figure to a mind-boggling 1537. Beckett won his seventh game of the season and now stands
at 7-3. With the second-half of the season yet to play, Beckett is all set to make history, provided his form and fitness remains.
Jonathan Papelbon came in to close the innings for the Red Sox, rightfully completing his job. He managed three strike-outs in the sole inning that he pitched, earning him his 17th save this season.
The Astros did a decent job at the mound but could not match the high standard set by their counterparts. Jordan Lyles, the starter for Astros, was respectable with just one run coming from the five innings that he pitched. The relief pitchers David Carpenter,
Sergio Escalona and Wilton Lopez complimented Lyles but it was Mark Melancon who lost it for the Astros in the end. With the score level, Melancon was required to only hold on to the Red Sox batters but his error caused his team the game as Drew Sutton completed
the second and the deciding run for the Red Sox. Melancon, who has otherwise been decent, lost his second game this season with five wins already registered.
Terry Francona, the Red Sox manager, was all praise for Josh Beckett and stated that his performance was simply great.
Beckett along with team-mates David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez were named in the All-Star team just before the start of the game and needed huge amounts of concentration to remain focused on the task that lay ahead, defeating the Astros.
It is Beckett's third selection in the All-Star team.
Boston completed a 3-0 sweep of the Astros in the three-game series and are now just one game shy of reaching 50 wins this season. With four representatives of the All-Star team in the bull-pen, they will not fancy delaying their next win.
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