MLB Playoffs: Red Sox and Astros back to even

The Boston Red Sox square the ALCS at a game apiece with a 7-5 MLB playoffs victory over the Houston Astros

The American League Championship Series moves to Houston for Tuesday’s third game in exactly the MLB playoffs situation everybody expected: deadlocked.

The Boston Red Sox recovered Sunday at Fenway Park from their sub-standard first game showing to hand the Houston Astros a 7-5 defeat. To do so, the Red Sox relied on two of their most iconic figures, MVP candidate Mookie Betts and the Green Monster.

Betts was the game’s pivotal carbon-based force. He doubled twice, both of those hits figuring in Red Sox runs. He also free-lanced his way around the bases following a seventh inning walk, assisted only by Astros catcher Martin Maldonado’s inability to actually catch.

The Monster came up large during Boston’s three-run third inning…more on that in a moment.

The anticipated pitching duel between Boston’s David Price and Houston’s Gerrit Cole never really materialized. Price, who had pitched well toward the conclusion of the regular season, lapsed into his usual post-season mode, surrendering four runs, all of them earned, in four and two-thirds innings. Cole pitched nervously, at times trying to force his fastball to even greater velocities, in the process allowing five runs and walking three.

Cole’s problems began at Go. Betts led off the Boston first with a double, and Andrew Benintendi sent a run-scoring line drive into right field for a single. Six pitches into the game Boston had a lead. That lead expanded to 2-0 when Cole threw a Xander Bogaerts tap right back to him over the head of first baseman Yuli Gurriel, walked Steve Pearce and allowed the inning’s third hit to Rafael Devers.

Houston squared matters off Price in the second on a Carlos Correa single, a Martin Maldonado double and George Springer’s double, which sent both runners home.

With two out and Gurriel on base in the top of the third, Marwin Gonzalez hit a Price offering well over the wall in left to give Houston its only advantage of the night, 4-3.

But that lead did not last long, and Boston could thank the Monster’s nooks and crannies. In the bottom of the third, one-out hits by Bogaerts and Pearce plus a walk to Devers loaded the bases for Bradley, who unloaded them with a shot that caromed off the Monster in the left field corner, then rode a ledge along the foul line long enough to prevent Gonzalez from reaching the ball to throw out Devers, carrying the go-ahead run, at home.

In the seventh, Betts scored a run assisted by Houston reliever Lance McCullers’ knuckle curve, which was both uncontrollable and uncatchable. Betts walked, took second on a wild pitch, went to third when Maldonado boxed his effort to corral another McCullers pitch, then scored when the Houston catcher encored his miss.

The Red Sox added an insurance run in the eighth off Houston’s bullpen second string, Betts driving the run home with his second double.

The Astros managed a consolation run in the ninth off closer Craig Kimbrel when Springer doubled and Altuve singled him in.

The ALCS turns to Houston as the Red Sox and Astros continue their MLB playoffs series Tuesday at 5:00 PM Eastern.