Red Sox Face Astros After Three Straight Losses

HOUSTON, Texas — The Boston Red Sox are in a slump, losing three consecutive games, after a near comeback against the Houston Astros on Monday night. Boston will start Dustin May at 8:10 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday as they seek to turn their fortunes around.

May, who joined the Red Sox from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline, faced a tough outing in his debut with Boston, earning a loss after allowing three earned runs in just 3 ⅔ innings against the Royals.

The Red Sox are currently four and a half games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East and one and a half games behind the Mariners for a wild card spot. This recent slide is reminiscent of their six-game losing streak in June.

In Monday’s game against the Astros, the Red Sox saw Garrett Crochet allow five earned runs, marking his shortest outing of the season. Red Sox manager Alex Cora noted, “It’s a tough stretch, but we believe we can turn it around.”

On the other side, Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti will make his second start since returning from injury. He had missed four months with a fractured thumb.

Boston’s lineup features Roman Anthony in left field and Masataka Yoshida as designated hitter, among others. Alex Bregman, playing against his former team, expressed excitement, stating, “It’s going to be great to be back in Houston and playing against a really good ball club.”

For the Red Sox, facing Arrighetti could prove challenging as Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran both hold 0-3 records against him. Meanwhile, Altuve, Correa, and Walker lead the Astros’ offense, facing May who has struggled against some hitters in the past.

A stat of note: Arrighetti struck out a career-high 13 batters against the Red Sox last August in a previous outing. Bregman returned to Houston strong, hitting a home run in the first game of the series, further fueling his team’s morale.

As the Red Sox seek to recover from their losing streak, they aim to build on their recent performances and stay competitive in the playoff race.