Yainer Diaz hit a go-ahead solo home run with one out in the ninth inning to lift the Houston Astros to a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.
The Astros evened the score with an RBI single by Mauricio Dubón in the eighth inning. Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (3-2) struck out Yordan Alvarez on three pitches in the ninth, but Diaz, who also homered on Sunday, hit the next pitch deep to left-center field, giving Houston its 11th win in 12 games.
“It was a very proud moment in that situation to be able to do that, hit that home run there,” Diaz said in Spanish through a translator. “And hopefully I get more opportunities like that to be able to do that again.”
Josh Hader (6-6) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the win.
The Astros managed to win despite committing a season-high four errors on a night with unusually poor defense.
Jarren Duran hit a leadoff home run, and Masataka Yoshida’s two-run homer in the sixth inning put the Red Sox ahead 4-2.
Red Sox starter Tanner Houck gave up eight hits and three runs—two earned—while striking out eight in six innings.
“We threw the ball well,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You’re going to have stretches like this and you’re going to win some and lose some. But I do believe the way we’ve been throwing the ball from the first to the sixth inning, we’re going to be OK. I think that’s the most important thing.”
Houston starter Yusei Kikuchi allowed six hits and three runs—one earned—in 5 2/3 innings in his fourth start since being traded from Toronto on July 29.
“Not our best defensive performance, which is not who we are,” manager Joe Espada said. “We take pride in our defense and today was not one of those days, but (Kikuchi) pitched a heck of a game. He gave us a chance to win and that’s what good teams do, they find ways to win. We fought to the end.”
