Friday’s game between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox changed shape before first pitch, when Garrett Crochet was scratched because of shoulder inflammation and Jake Bennett was expected to make his MLB debut for Houston. The Astros, originally set to open the weekend series in Boston against Crochet, were suddenly facing a different kind of test on Friday, May 1.
Bennett had two wins and a 0.86 ERA at Triple-A in the first month of the season, which is why Houston was willing to turn to him for such a spot start. Boston, meanwhile, returned home on a two-game skid under its new skipper after scoring just one run in its last two games and opening the day 5-8 at home.
That made the matchup more than a routine opener. The Red Sox were also trying to steady an offense that had little room for error, while Yordan Alvarez headed up the Houston attack after leading the AL in all three Triple Crown categories and finishing a 13-game hitting streak. The Astros needed that production to keep pressure on a Boston club that had already been pushed into an early-season hole.
Mike Burrows was the other starter mentioned in the game preview, and he came in with a clear line of history against Boston. A month earlier, he beat the Red Sox by striking out six in five innings, but Houston had lost all four of his starts since then, and he had posted a 6.43 ERA with a 1.619 WHIP in that stretch.
The backdrop was not flattering for either side. The Astros and Red Sox were both described as being in last place, Boston had fired its manager and five coaches the previous weekend, and Houston had just come through a difficult run against two first-place teams and another winning club. That kind of sequence can leave even a seasoned lineup exposed, which is part of why the market had reason to lean on recent form rather than reputation.
There was also a number hanging over the Red Sox that fit the way they had been playing at home. Boston had hit the Game Total Under in 16 of its last 24 home games, a reflection of the way its offense had sputtered and how often its games had failed to open up. On a Friday night that started with a scratched ace and a debut on the mound, the Red Sox had little margin to waste, and Houston had just enough power at the top of the order to make them pay for it.
The shift from Crochet to Bennett changed the feel of the series before it began, but it did not change the pressure on Boston to stop the slide or on Houston to prove Burrows’ recent struggles were only a rough patch. The game was set to tell which club could handle the disruption better.