GAME #69, BOSTON RED SOX AT HOUSTON ASTROS

[Bear]

RED SOX V ASTROS

SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017, 8 PM AT MINUTE MAID PARK

TV:  ESPN

BOSTON, (38-30)............................................................................HOUSTON, (46-23)

BOSTON:

DAVID PRICE, LHP, 1-1,5.09 ERA, 21K

Price is expected to make his scheduled start Sunday despite a blister on his
left hand.  It will be the 31-year-old's fifth outing this season.  Price allowed three
runs, four hits and four walks in six innings vs. the Yankees in his last start.

HOUSTON:

JOE MUSGROVE, RHP, 4-5, 4.81 ERA, 45 K

Musgrove pitched 4 2/3 innings Monday, his first start since hitting the
10-day DL on May 27, (shoulder discomfort).  Over 75 pitches, he
allowed two runs on five hits vs. the Rangers.

Price, Musgrove set for Father's Day faceoff

Christian Boutwell

The Red Sox and Astros will face off Sunday in their series finale -- and last meeting until they close out the season from Sept. 28-Oct 1. The Father's Day matchup at Minute Maid Park will be nationally televised as part of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

The Astros will turn to Joe Musgrove, who tossed 4 2/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball on a limited pitch count in his first start since coming off the disabled list. Musgrove (4-5, 4.81 ERA) said he doesn't expect to be on a pitch count Sunday.

"Hopefully no pitch count," he said. "I should be back to somewhere around 100 pitches. Yeah, I'll try to be as efficient as I can tomorrow and hopefully at least get [to the seventh inning]."
David Price, Boston's left-handed starter, will make his fifth start of the season. In his last outing on Tuesday, Price (1-1, 5.09 ERA) threw six innings on 103 pitches and allowed three earned runs on four hits.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Musgrove has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last seven starts.

• In seven career starts against the Astros, Price is 4-2 with a 2.68 ERA. He's allowed 15 earned runs in 50 1/3 innings vs. Houston with 61 strikeouts and only eight walks.

• The Red Sox and Astros and all MLB clubs will wear specifically designed Father's Day uniforms as well as blue ribbons and blue wristbands to raise awareness and funds toward the fight against prostate cancer. For the first time, Father's Day games across MLB will feature a blue-stitched Rawlings baseball, the official ball of MLB, as the official game ball. Players and all on-field personnel have worn blue ribbons and sported blue wristbands on Father's Day since MLB first partnered with the Prostate Cancer Foundation in 1996. Overall, PCF has raised more than $700 million for prostate cancer research to date.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170617237103874/price-musgrove-set-for-fathers-day-faceoff/?game_pk=491131

[Bear]

RED SOX (38-30)

Mookie Betts, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Andrew Benintendi, LF
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Josh Rutledge, 3B
Christian Vazquez, C

David Price, LHP (1-1, 5.09 ERA)

ASTROS (46-23)
George Springer, RF
Jose Altuve, 2B
Carlos Correa, SS
Brian McCann, C
Carlos Beltran, DH
Yuli Gurriel, 1B
Alex Bregman, 3B
Derek Fisher, LF
Jake Marisnick, CF

Joe Musgrove, RHP (4-5, 4.81 ERA)

http://nesn.com/2017/06/red-sox-vs-astros-lineup-hanley-ramirez-returns-for-series-finale/

[Bill-806]

E S P N ,   I guess it is better than nothing ........   SOX really need to win this one, score some RUNS please !!!

[ipot]

David Price vs Joe Musgrove, Astros' #5 starter = see last night's game.  Rinse, repeat.

[SeaBeachFred]

David Price vs Joe Musgrove, Astros' #5 starter = see last night's game.  Rinse, repeat.

The Yankees lost again to the A's---four straight.  The same question as twice before.....CAN WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT?????  My heart tells me one thing, my head another.  For Pete's sake , can the Red Sox ever stop running in place and fly out of the blocks?  Exasperating.  I also still don't like that batting order.  Benintendi should bat second, Pedroia first, Mookie fourth, and hold my nose as his lack of RBI's, Bogaerts third and Hanley and MOreland going between fifth and sixth.  Speed you say?  Well Mookie can run but the team hasn't run all year so that is not an issue.  I wonder why Farrell is so stubborn about it.  It worked earlier in the season when we were putting more runs on the board.

[Rob from Mass]

I am not much for scoreboard watching in June but Fred makes a great point.Now that the Yankees finally stopped playing over their heads tonight is a great time for the offense to show up and finally, pound the ball.Enough of this 3 hits BS to drive home a run.

[Rob from Mass]

XB goes deep for an early 1-0 lead and Price quickly gives it back.

[longgame]

Well David "Not Worth The" Price looking pretty bad again tonight.  Lucky to be holding them to one the way he's pitching.  The guy can't locate at all, it's pathetic to watch.  Then we have to listen to the ESPN team on top of that!  The offense also looks as "dynamic" as ever. 

[markj]

4 runs in 4 games (so far). Serious return of the noffense.

[markj]

Xander goes deep again to put the Sox back on top 3-2.

[markj]

JBJ adds a run. Sox up 4-2.

[Schloicka]

JBJ finally hits the high fastball. Drives in 2. 5-2 Sox in the 6th.

[markj]

I missed that JBJ drove in 2.

And then Price, who should have been done, gives back a run.

[markj]

Oh c'mon. This is pathetic. Sox are determined to lose this game. Hembree makes it a one run game.

[Schloicka]

Guess it's a game of hr's.