Red Sox falter late in crushing Game 4 loss to Astros, ALCS now tied 2-2

With a one-run pb into the precocious innings connected Tuesday night, Red Sox manager Alex Cora had a program of attack, his 2 champion pitchers rested and ready, needing six outs from them to instrumentality a commanding pb successful this American League Championship Series.

The Houston Astros, however, had different plans.

Leading narrowly each night, the Red Sox had small borderline for mistake that not adjacent Garrett Whitlock oregon Nathan Eovaldi could support them from. One game-tying location tally and 1 stunning ninth-inning implosion later, the Red Sox abruptly recovered themselves deadlocked successful the ALCS, tied 2 games a portion aft a crushing 9-2 nonaccomplishment to the Astros successful Tuesday night’s Game 4 astatine Fenway Park.

The Red Sox volition present crook to Chris Sale for a pivotal Game 5 connected Wednesday night, needing a large show from him to enactment them backmost successful beforehand of this bid earlier it shifts backmost to Houston.

With a 2-1 pb going into the seventh, Cora turned to Whitlock, his astir reliable pitcher each season. A scoreless seventh enactment them six outs distant from being 1 triumph distant from the World Series. But that’s erstwhile it each went wrong.

The Red Sox, 0-for-8 with runners successful scoring presumption to that point, had it drawback up to them. Jose Altuve hammered the archetypal transportation of the eighth into the Monster seats to necktie it, abruptly taking each the aerial retired of Fenway. Then, they started emptying the ballpark. In the ninth, Cora went to Eovaldi, who gave up a leadoff treble to Carlos Correa that conscionable got implicit Hunter Renfroe’s caput successful right. But the right-hander astir — and should person — walked distant unblemished.

After striking retired some Kyle Tucker and Aledmys Diaz, Eovaldi had a 1-2 number connected Jason Castro. His 4th transportation of the at-bat, a breaking shot that painted the extracurricular corner, had Eovaldi taking astatine slightest 3 steps to the dugout reasoning helium had onslaught three. But location sheet umpire Laz Diaz ruled it a ball.

Two pitches later, Castro took vantage of his 2nd beingness arsenic helium sent a 2-2 splitter into the spread successful close for the go-ahead run. Instead of a tied crippled with the Red Sox having a accidental to locomotion off, the Astros had a pb and ne'er gave it up. Eovaldi walked Altuve, ending his night, and Martin Perez was asked to support it a one-run game. But his archetypal transportation was crushed by Michael Brantley for a three-run treble that ended immoderate hopes of a comeback.

The opening of Game 4 carried implicit a acquainted taxable arsenic the archetypal 3 games of this series, with the Red Sox chasing different Astros starting pitcher retired of the crippled early. This time, it was Zack Greinke’s turn.

Astros manager Dusty Baker, fixed however his starting arms person fixed astir nothing, wanted Greinke to spell arsenic agelong arsenic helium could go. But helium lone gave him 4 outs.

Alex Bregman deed a high-arching alert shot disconnected Pivetta that yet landed successful the Monster seats to springiness the Astros a much-needed 1-0 lead. It was the archetypal clip the Red Sox trailed successful this bid since Game 1, but it didn’t past long.

After Rafael Devers induced a two-out walk, a quieted Fenway assemblage started getting loud. They attempted to get into the Astros’ starter’s caput with recurring chants of “Greeeinke!” arsenic Xander Bogaerts stepped up to the plate, and they were rewarded for their efforts. Bogaerts drove Greinke’s 1-0 slider heavy into the Boston night, clearing everything successful near tract and determination connected Lansdowne Street for the go-ahead two-run homer.

The blast was the Red Sox’ 21st homer of the postseason, mounting a grounds for astir ever successful a playoff tally antecedently held by the 2003 team.

Somehow, that people held up for six innings as, dissimilar successful Monday’s Game 4, the Red Sox missed connected a bid of large opportunities. They enactment a runner connected successful each inning from the 2nd to sixth, but couldn’t currency in.

Greinke near with 1 retired and 1 connected successful the second, but with 2 connected basal aft a Kyle Schwarber walk, the Red Sox couldn’t rally.

In the third, with a runner on, J.D. Martinez struck retired connected a poorly missed onslaught 3 call, which should person been shot four, by location sheet umpire Laz Diaz, which earned the ire of Martinez and Alex Cora, who was affectional successful his argument.

In the fourth, Christian Arroyo deed a one-out triple to the right-field corner, but Schwarber grounded retired with the Astros’ infield in, and Kiké Hernández popped out.

Bogaerts deed a one-out treble successful the 5th that astir missed being a homer, and helium couldn’t get successful either.

The Red Sox finished the nighttime 0-for-9 with runners successful scoring position.