Top of the 9th, 5-1 Sox.  Lead off Mookie Betts up to bat, who was a homer shy of hitting for the cycle.  He lines it into right, it gets past Springer, he’s going for two, he’s going for three!  Could it be an inside-the-park home run to hit for the cycle?!!!!  Mookie Betts had just hit a stand-up triple, almost an inside the park homer.

With a strong outing by Steven Wright and a powerful lineup, especially the 1-3 hitters, the Red Sox topped the Astros 6-2 to start a 5 game road trip.  They have two more games in Houston before heading to Atlanta.  Mookie Betts was 4-5 with a double and two triples, one almost an inside the park home run that would give him the cycle.  David Ortiz was also honored and received a cowboy hat as a gift from Minute Maid Park and the Houston Astros.

The Sox took right off in the 1st when Mookie Betts managed to turn a base hit into a triple.  He was quickly driven in on Dustin Pedroia’s single.  Xander Bogaerts kept it going on a base hit, and Bogaerts was driven in by Hanley Ramirez on a sac fly after a Big Papi walk that loaded the bases.  It was just a few feet away from being a grand slam, but Colby Rasmus got it and the Sox were held to just 2 runs after all that.  Collin McHugh got back in a jam when the top of the lineup struck again.  9th hitter Jackie Bradley Jr. got a double and Mookie Betts drove him in with a second double.  3-0 Red Sox.

While Steven Wright had only given up two hits and let one runner past first base, the Red Sox continued to rally on.  Hanley Ramirez got a line drive single up the middle and Travis Shaw got a base hit to sent him to third.  A wild pitch by struggling McHugh sent Shaw to second.  Brock Holt got the sharp RBI single to drive Hanley in, but Ryan Hanigan grounded into a double play to end the inning with a man on 3rd.   What a rally!

The next inning Mookie Betts got on base again, and Xander Bogaerts knocked an RBI double all the way down the third base line.  After the inning, McHugh was taken out of the game.  Reliever Chris Devenski gave up three hits over 2 innings, but no runs.  The Red Sox had a lead secure however, winning 5-0.  Tony Sipp got a 1-2-3 in the 7th, and Steven Wright gave up the first run on two walks and two passed balls by Ryan Hanigan.

The Red Sox answered in the top of 9th when Mookie Betts hit his second triple, and he scored on a wild pitch.  Xander Bogaerts was next hit by the pitch on the forearm and had to be pulled from the game.  He is still on the active roster but not in today’s starting lineup.  Chris Young pinch ran for Bogaerts.  In the bottom of the 9th, Robbie Ross Jr. was in trouble.  He gave up a single to Carlos Gomez and a walk to pinch hitter Jake Marisnick.  George Springer knocked in a run on an RBI single to left and Ross came out of the game.

Closer Craig Kimbrel secured the final out and got the save as the Red Sox came out victorious, taking down the ‘Stros by 4.  The Red Sox play Game 2 in Houston today.  Can they keep it going against the struggling Astros?