Buchholz, Red Sox Lose To Astros
HOUSTON -- Colby Rasmus belted his fifth career grand slam, delivering a much-needed blow to lift the Houston Astros to an 8-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at Minute Maid Park.
Rasmus crushed a 2-2 pitch from Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz (0-2) off the facing of the second deck in right field, snapping a 1-1 tie with two outs in the fifth inning and ending the Astros' four-game skid.
Houston (6-12) rallied in support of right-hander Mike Fiers, who allowed one run during a treacherous first inning but steadied himself to pitch effectively into the sixth. He turned a lead over to the bullpen, with the ensuing four relievers thwarting any notion of a comeback.
Fiers (2-1) surrendered two runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts. After allowing the first three batters to reach in the first inning, a stretch that included an RBI single from David Ortiz, Fiers settled in and retired 15 of 16 batters before second baseman Dustin Pedroia opened the sixth inning with a leadoff double to left field.
Pedroia eventually scored when Brock Holt greeted reliever Will Harris with a booming sacrifice fly to left, but Harris snuffed that rally and Boston (8-9) managed just one additional run via a two-out Josh Rutledge pinch-hit single in the eighth inning off right-hander Ken Giles.
Buchholz was unbeaten in four career starts against the Astros, a ledger that included two complete games. And, excluding a hiccup in the bottom of the second in which he allowed Houston to pull even when Jason Castro recorded an RBI groundout, Buchholz cruised early.
But with two outs in the fifth he allowed a single to George Springer before plunking Carlos Correa with a pitch to load the bases. Buchholz got ahead of Rasmus with a pair of nasty curveballs but oddly opted for a fastball that Rasmus promptly deposited into the right-field seats for a 5-1 lead.
Rasmus finished 2-for-5, adding an RBI double in the eighth. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs.
NOTES: Red Sox RHP Carson Smith worked an inning at extended spring training and should begin an injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday. Smith, acquired via trade from Seattle during the offseason, was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 3 with a right flexor muscle strain. ... RHP Eduardo Rodriguez threw 75 pitches in extended spring training and will be sent to Double-A Portland to begin his injury rehab assignment on Thursday. Rodriguez, placed on the 15-day DL with a right patella subluxation on April 3, is scheduled to make at least two rehab starts before being considered for recall. ... The Astros continue to be plagued by ineffective early-inning pitching, with the two first-inning runs surrendered by RHP Collin McHugh on Friday night bumping the total to first-inning runs allowed by the Astros to 23, roughly 27 percent of their total runs allowed this season. ... Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts was not in the starting lineup after being hit by a pitch on the right wrist in the ninth inning on Friday night. Bogaerts was hopeful that he might be available defensively in the interim until the soreness subsides.