ALCS Game 1: Astros hold a one-run lead entering the ninth

By Rachel G. Bowers and Hayden Bird Globe and Boston.com Staff  October 13, 2018

The Houston Astros scored four runs in the ninth inning and defeated the Red Sox, 7-2, in Game 1 of their American League Championship Series.

Here is Peter Abraham’s game story.

Here is the box score.

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Below are updates and analysis from the game as it unfolded.

Ninth inning: Astros 7, Red Sox 2

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Bottom: Collin McHugh entered to pitch for Houston. Xander Bogaerts led off for the Red Sox with a single. McHugh got the first out when Steve Pearce was caught looking at strike three. Brock Holt lined out, and Eduardo Nunez grounded out to end Game 1.

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Play by play

Top: Brandon Workman entered to pitch for the Red Sox. Josh Reddick led off the inning with a solo home run to extend Houston’s lead. George Springer struck out looking to give Workman his first out of the ninth. Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman drew walks before Yuli Gurriel smashed a three-run home run. Tony Kemp followed up with a double. Heath Hembree entered to pitch for Boston, walking Marwin Gonzalez. Gonzalez was then caught stealing, and Carlos Correa lined out to end the inning.

Eighth inning: Astros 3, Red Sox 2

Bottom: Lance McCullers entered to pitch for the Astros, getting Mookie Betts to ground out. Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez followed with strikeouts, ending the inning.

Top: Ryan Brasier entered the game to pitch for the Red Sox. He hit Tyler White before striking out Marwin Gonzalez. White stole second to move into scoring position before Brasier walked Carlos Correa. Martin Maldonado then grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Seventh inning: Astros 3, Red Sox 2

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Bottom: Ryan Pressly entered the game for Houston, replacing Justin Verlander. He quickly got Brock Holt to on a swinging strike three. Eduardo Nunez reached on an error from Carlos Correa. Pressly responded by striking out Jackie Bradley Jr, and Alex Bregman’s well-executed running throw from third base retired Christian Vazquez to end the inning.

Top: Matt Barnes continued on the mound for Boston. Eduardo Nunez made a fantastic diving stop on a grounder from Josh Reddick, turning and firing to first to get the out. George Springer drew a walk, followed by Barnes getting Jose Altuve to strike out. Alex Bregman walked, but a fielder’s choice from Yuli Gurriel ended the threat.

Sixth inning: Astros 3, Red Sox 2

Bottom: Justin Verlander made quick work of the inning getting J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Steve Pearce all on groundouts to retire the side.

Top: After Red Sox manager Alex Cora was ejected by home plate umpire James Hoye in between innings for arguing balls and strikes, Joe Kelly came back out for his second inning on the mound. Kelly hit Alex Bregman with a 100 mile-per-hour fastball, followed by an Eduardo Nunez error on Yuli Gurriel’s grounder, putting two runners on with no outs. Tyler White promptly popped out for the first out of the inning, and Marwin Gonzalez struck out for the second.

Carlos Correa hit a single to left-center to drive in the third Astros run of the game. Matt Barnes entered the game for the Red Sox, replacing Kelly, and induced an inning-ending groundout from Martin Maldonado.

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Kelly’s line: 1⅔ IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 K.

Fifth inning: Astros 2, Red Sox 2

Bottom: Steve Pearce hit a full count fastball past Carlos Correa and into left field for a single. Brock Holt struck out looking for the inning’s first out. Eduardo Nunez and Jackie Bradley Jr. drew a pair of walks to load the bases. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Sandy Leon, and drew another walk to score Pearce for Boston’s first run of the night. Christian Vazquez came in to pinch run for Moreland.

Mookie Betts then reached on a fielder’s choice. Jackie Bradley Jr. tied the game, scoring on a wild pitch from Justin Verlander. But Andrew Benintendi was caught looking on a third strike to end the threat.

Top: Joe Kelly entered from the Boston bullpen, ending Chris Sale’s night on the mound. Josh Reddick’s pop fly to right field was caught by a sprinting Mookie Betts, followed by George Springer grounding out to Eduardo Nunez. Jose Altuve then popped out to Brock Holt to end the inning.

Fourth inning: Astros 2, Red Sox 0

Bottom: Andrew Benintendi took Justin Verlander to a full count, but struck out swinging. J.D. Martinez flew out to Josh Reddick in right field. Xander Bogaerts became the 10th Red Sox batter in a row to be retired by Verlander, ending the inning with a pop out to first base caught in foul territory.

Top: Chris Sale got Marwin Gonzalez to fly out to centerfield to open the inning. Carlos Correa struck out swinging for the second out, and Martin Maldonado’s strikeout gave Sale his own 1-2-3 inning.

Third inning: Astros 2, Red Sox 0

Bottom: Jackie Bradley Jr. flew out to centerfield on the first pitch from Justin Verlander. Sandy Leon followed by striking out for the second out of the inning. Verlander completed another 1-2-3 inning, inducing a groundout from Mookie Betts.

Top: Alex Bregman drew a leadoff walk from Chris Sale. Yuli Gurriel popped out for the first out of the inning. Bregman was then thrown out at second by Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon, a decision that was upheld after review. Sale then got Tyler White to strike out to retire the side.

Second inning: Astros 2, Red Sox 0

Bottom: Justin Verlander started the inning by striking out Steve Pearce and Brock Holt. Eduardo Nunez then grounded out to Carlos Correa to end the inning.

Top: Tyler White was caught looking on strike three by Chris Sale to open the second inning. Marwin Gonzalez promptly lined out to second base for the second out of the inning. Carlos Correa drew a two-out walk, and Sale hit Martin Maldonado with a 96 mile-per-hour fastball to put two runners on. Another walk to Josh Reddick loaded the bases.

George Springer lined a full-count single past third base to score Correa and Maldonado. Jose Altuve then grounded into a fielder’s choice, retiring the side.

First inning: Red Sox 0, Astros 0

Bottom: Mookie Betts lined the second pitch of his leadoff at-bat into right field for a single. Andrew Benintendi flew out to left field for the first out. Betts advanced to second on a wild pitch by Astros starter Justin Verlander. After J.D. Martinez drew a walk, Xander Bogaerts grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Top: Chris Sale began his night by walking George Springer after reaching a full count. Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman were retired on fielders’ choices (Bregman’s was called after a review). Sale then struck out Yuli Gurriel to end the threat.

Pregame

■  Kevin Youkilis threw out the first pitch.

The weather: It was about 50 degrees just before first pitch. Temperatures are forecast to drop well into the 40s.

Pregame scenes

Lineups

LHP Chris Sale and RHP Justin Verlander are the starters. Peter Abraham wrote about the matchup and how both hurlers intend to stay on the mound as long as they can. “Obviously we both have very good bullpens and big arms on either side. But this is more, I guess, the traditional way to play the game, and the way I like to play the game,” Sale said Friday.

RED SOX (108-54 regular season, 3-1 ALDS)	ASTROS (103-59 regular season, 3-0 ALDS)
Betts RF	Springer CF
Benintendi LF	Altuve 2B
Martinez DH	Bregman 3B
Bogaerts SS	Gurriel 1B
Pearce 1B	Gonzalez LF
Holt 2B	Correa SS
Nunez 3B	White DH
Bradley Jr. CF	Reddick RF
Leon C	Maldonado C
Pitching: Sale (1-0, 2.84 postseason)	Pitching: Verlander (1-0, 3.38 postseason)

Notable: Mitch Moreland is out of the lineup for the third straight game. Brock Holt is in the lineup, rather than Ian Kinsler. Against Verlander, Holt is 3 of 10 with two RBIs and two walks, and Kinsler is 8 of 43 with two doubles, an RBI, nine strikeouts, and six walks.

■  Verlander led the Astros in wins (16), strikeouts (290), and innings pitched (214) in the regular season and led starters in ERA (2.52). Against the Sox this season: 0-0 in one start, striking out six and allowing two earned runs on three hits over six innings. ALDS performance: In Game 1, Verlander went 5⅓ innings, striking out seven and walking two of the 20 batters he faced while giving up only two runs on two hits. He threw 102 pitches, 70 for strikes.

■  Sale went 0-1 in one start against the Astros this season. He allowed four runs (one HR) on six hits and struck out six over six innings. Saturday night marks his third postseason start, his second against the Astros. In Game 1 of last year’s ALDS, he went five innings, giving up seven runs (three homers) on nine hits and struck out six over five innings.

■  Other notes: Rick Porcello and Nathan Eovaldi are available out of the bullpen tonight. The Astros won four of seven games against the Sox in the regular season. Here is Abraham’s full game preview.

Pregame reading

■  How the Red Sox and Astros match up, position by position.

■  Here’s a real MLB scout’s outlook on the Red Sox-Astros ALCS.

■  Check out the Globe staff’s ALCS predictions.

■  Dan Shaughnessy: How the Red Sox won us over, even (ahem) the skeptics.

■  The Astros once let J.D. Martinez go, and he thinks “they did me a favor.”

■  The managerial matchup of A.J. Hinch vs. Alex Cora will be fascinating.

■  Can Martin Maldonado keep Red Sox base stealers in check?

■  The Red Sox are betting they can fix David Price’s fastball and cutter.

■  How the Sox and Astros stack up statistically.

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