Boston Red Sox: David Price dominates in wasted bullpen effort

Altuve hit a pair of home runs off the Red Sox ace as Houston pouned the Red Sox 8-2 in the ALDS opener.

Starting Sale in Game 1 was decision few will question John Farrell for.

Let’s just say they didn’t hold back again today… We can’t walk four guys in a row. “And that falls to (Fister), to put a zero up in the first inning and allow us to capture the energy here”. Fister had a good stretch of games in late August and early September but allowed 17 runs in 16.2 innings over his final four starts.

“We haven’t gotten too ahead of ourselves in any one game or any, or the fact that we’re up 2-0”, said Astros manager A.J. Hinch. We can’t do a whole lot of things that they can do, but we can do what we can do. If Fister gets the Red Sox in an early hole, its offense, which lacks home run power, will likely struggle to come back.

“I know what I can do”.

“But just being here is special for me. Just go play and play loose”. If Peacock does indeed go six innings, the Red Sox will have to deal with the backend of the bullpen.

It was a weak effort from starter Drew Pomeranz?

Boston won the AL East Division by finishing two games ahead of the New York Yankees with a record of 93-69.

“It was the same plan we pitched with on Saturday”, Vazquez said. In the ninth, closer Craig Kimbrel gave up a home run to Houston catcher Brian McCann, but then buckled down to get the last three outs and secure Boston’s spot in the ALDS in Houston this Thursday.

This will be Fister’s first postseason start since 2014, which was the a year ago in which he was really a good pitcher.

Hanley Ramirez said the prospect of not winning a single playoff game for two straight years is a label no one in Boston’s clubhouse wants to wear.

“Any mistake that we’ve made these past two games, they’ve made us pay for them”, Pomeranz said. Carlos Correa has been back, but has been slumping since his return.

Houston would add four runs in the sixth inning and cruise to the 8-2 win.

And whether it ends Sunday, Monday or Wednesday, the overwhelming feeling after a second straight beatdown is that it will, undoubtedly, be ending soon.

Pomeranz stuck out his arms and shook his head. He doesn’t have a contract for 2018, and he was blamed for the Game 2 collapse, mostly for his failure to challenge the call on the Lonnie Chisenhall HBP, when replays showed the ball was a foul tip that would have ended the inning. It remains to be seen how healthy Washington is – star slugger Bryce Harper returned slowly from a knee injury and there’s still no definite word when Max Scherzer will pitch after hurting his hamstring last weekend. He threw a temper tantrum in the dugout.

The curse-breakers boasted Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, a horse that said bad leg be damned, I’m running anyways.

“They’re very good, they’re deep, and they have got a number of ways to beat you”, he said.

Jose Altuve, who led all of baseball with a.346 average in the regular season, lit up Minute Maid Park with three home runs in Game 1 on Thursday, earning himself “MVP!” chants from the home crowd.