Red Sox play afternoon baseball and will face future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander in series finale
The Red Sox will play day baseball this afternoon in their series finale with the Astros from Minute Maid Park, with the first pitch expected at 2:10 p.m.
Boston is coming off a 6-5 win over Houston on Tuesday night, thanks to Jarren Duran’s 4-for-4 performance at the plate, including a homer with two outs in the eighth inning that broke the 5-5 tie.
“We turn the page really quick, and it starts with the leadoff hitter,” said manager Alex Cora of Duran. “Ground ball off the glove of Singleton, and he gets to second, that set the tempo for the rest of the night.
“He’s becoming one of those guys that I bet people pay to watch. They want to see it. You better get here early because, from the very first pitch on, he’s going to do something special.”
The Red Sox will turn to Cooper Criswell on the mound; it will be his first start since July 23, when he faced the Rockies at Coors Field. The righty is 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA and a blown save over his last five relief outings. This will be Criswell’s first career appearance against the Astros.
Rafael Devers enters the game riding a five-game hitting streak. Over the course of the streak, he’s 7-for-22 with four runs, two doubles, two homers, five RBI, and one walk. Devers is one homer shy of 200 career; he also has one career homer against Justin Verlander.
The Astros are countering with future Hall of Famer in Verlander, who is making his first start since June 9 after spending time on the injured list with neck discomfort. Verlander has made two rehab appearances in Double-A for Corpus Christi, including hurling four innings last Thursday. The veteran righty is 3-2 this season with a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts.
Red Sox vs. Verlander: Wilyer Abreu 0-1, Triston Casas 0-2, Rafael Devers 1-8, Rob Refsnyder 2-2, Connor Wong 1-2, Masataka Yoshida 1-3
Red Sox (66-59) lineup vs. the Astros (68-56):
Jarren Duran / CF
Wilyer Abreu / RF
Triston Casas / 1B
Rafael Devers / 3B
Rob Refsnyder / LF
Masataka Yoshida / DH
Connor Wong / C
David Hamilton / 2B
Ceddanne Rafaela SS
SP: Cooper Criswell / (5-4, 4.56 ERA)
The first pitch is at 2:10 p.m. and can be seen on NESN, FuboTV, or Sling, and it can be heard on WEEI 93.7 FM.
