HOUSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is feeling good about his team with Rafael Devers healthy and back in the lineup and the recent additions of Eric Hosmer and Tommy Pham.
Devers homered with two RBIs in his return from the injured list to lead the Red Sox to a 2-1 win over the Houston Astros Tuesday night, hours after they acquired Hosmer in a trade with San Diego.
The victory improved Boston to 53-52 and leaves the team two games back for the third Wild Card playoff spot.
“We trust the team,” Cora said. “We trust this group. Been there, done that. And now we’ve just got to play good baseball for two and a half months.”
Devers didn’t show any signs of rust in his return after sitting out since July 23 with inflammation in his right hamstring. He hit an RBI double in the fourth inning before hitting a tiebreaking solo homer with two outs in the sixth inning to help Boston to its third straight victory.
“It’s very important to come to Houston and beat this team, which is one of the best teams in the league and give that… raised our confidence on a level that we need,” Devers said in Spanish through a translator. “And that’s very good for us.”
Pham singled and scored on the double by Devers in his debut with the Red Sox after a trade from Cincinnati Monday.
“To have those guys in the lineup now we do believe we’re better,” Cora said.
The trade for Hosmer comes a day after they sent catcher Christian Vázquez to the Astros, a move that had some players worried the team was giving up on the season.
Hosmer was part of the deal with Washington for Juan Soto before he refused the trade and the Padres instead shipped him to Boston along with two minor leaguers and cash in exchange for minor league left-hander Jay Groome.
Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford (3-3)…
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