The Houston Astros will open their weekend series in Boston on Friday, May 1, against a pitcher they did not expect to see. Garrett Crochet was scratched because of shoulder inflammation, and minor league call-up Jake Bennett is expected to make his MLB debut instead.
It gives the Astros a new look at the start of a series that arrives at a good time for Houston. The club just came through a difficult stretch against two first-place teams and another winning team, while Yordan Alvarez continues to drive the offense and leads the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. He also just ended a 13-game hitting streak, which has helped keep Houston steady through the grind.
Bennett did not arrive in Boston by accident. He went 2-0 with a 0.86 ERA at Triple-A in the first month of the season, good enough to earn the call for a debut against one of the league's most scrutinized teams. The Red Sox return home on a two-game skid under their new skipper, after last weekend's firing of the manager and five coaches. They scored one run across their last two games and are 5-8 at home, a shaky backdrop for a roster trying to settle itself after the shakeup.
The matchup also gives Boston a chance to reset against a Houston staff that has its own trouble spots. A month ago, Mike Burrows beat the Red Sox by striking out six in five innings, but Houston has lost all four of his starts since then. In his last four outings, he has posted a 6.43 ERA and a 1.619 WHIP, numbers that have put pressure on every inning he works. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have hit the Game Total Under in 16 of their last 24 home games, a trend that reflects how little margin has been showing up at Fenway.
What had looked like a meeting with Crochet now turns into a debut and a test of depth for both clubs. Boston is trying to find stability under a new skipper. Houston is trying to cash in after surviving a brutal run through the schedule. On Friday night, the Astros vs Red Sox series will be less about the script that was planned and more about which side adjusts faster when the script changes.
