In one of the intriguing Major League Baseball series this week, the Boston Red Sox are facing the Houston Astros. On Monday night at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, we saw the return of Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from Tommy John Surgery.
Javier’s performance on Monday
Javier threw five innings and gave up two earned runs in a 7-6 Astros win over the Boston Red Sox. He gave up two walks, three hits, one home run, to go along with five strikeouts. In the 19 batters he faced, Javier threw 85 pitches of which 53 pitches were strikes.
Who contributed offensively for the Astros on Monday?
Second baseman Ramon Urias of Magdalena de Kino, Mexico delivered three hits as he had a single, double and home run. The home run was Urias’s ninth home run of the season, and was a two-run shot with two out in the bottom of the fifth inning, which also scored Astros first baseman Christian Walker of Norristown, Pennsylvania. At the time, the Astros took a 7-2 lead.
When did Javier pitch last?
Javier has not pitched since May 21, 2024. That was in a 6-5 Astros win over the Los Angeles Angels in a game that went into 10 innings. Javier was not all that effective as he gave up eight hits and four earned runs in four innings of work.
Why does this series have so much appeal?
The Astros lead the American League West with a record of 67 wins and 52 losses. They have a narrow one game lead over the red hot Seattle Mariners, who are in second place with a record of 66 wins and 53 losses. Seattle is the hottest team in the American League at the moment as they have won nine of their last 10 games.
The Red Sox are in second place in the American League East with a record of 65 wins and 55 losses. They are four and a half games back of the very surprising division leading Toronto Blue Jays.
Josh Hader having fine season for Houston
Astros closer Josh Hader of Millersville, Maryland has 28 saves for Houston this season. That is the second most in the American League. The only closer with more saves in the junior circuit is Carlos Estevez of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who has 30 saves for the Kansas City Royals.
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