ALCS LIVE BLOG | Price, Sox bounce back to even series 1 - 1
The Red Sox and Astros' combined 211 regular-season win total is tied for second-most ever in postseason history. Only the Yankees-Padres 1998 World Series matchup had more (212).
The Boston Red Sox continue their record-breaking season Sunday in pursuit of the franchise's 13th pennant flag when they take on last year's World Series champions Houston Astros in Game 2 of the 2018 American League Championship Series (ALCS).
Game 1 went to the Astros. Justin Verlander kept the Sox dowm, allowing only two runs over 6 innings. The Astros broke it open late, with home runs from Josh Reddick and Yuli Gurriel in the ninth, and never looked back. Chris Sale had a shakey start, throwing 86 pitches in four innings of work, giving up two earned runs, walking four and striking out five.
David Price is on the mound for the Red Sox tonight, working to nail down his first postseason win. In ten postseason starts, he is 0-9 with a 6.03 ERA. Price will square off against a strong Gerrit Cole. First pitch is at 7:09.
GAME SCHEDULE
GAME 3: Red Sox @ Astros · Tue, Oct. 16, 5:09 PM
GAME 4: Red Sox @ Astros · Wed, Oct. 17, 8:39 PM
*GAME 5: Red Sox @ Astros · Thu, Oct. 18, 8:09 PM
*GAME 6: Astros @ Red Sox · Sat, Oct. 20, 5:09 PM
*GAME 7: Astros @ Red Sox · Sun, Oct. 21, 7:39 PM
*if necessary
ALCS GAME 2 LIVE BLOG
Bill Green 10:55 p. m. --Good night from Fenway ... see you on the 11:30 Go Pats!
Bill Green 10:55 p. m. -- Watching Craig Kimbrel save a game is like watching a 12 year old kid drive a car through a mine field. He makes it, but you wonder how. However, the big story here, is a gutsy Red Sox team once again battled back. Some choose to see things as they are and ask why, I chose to look at unexpected comebacks and say, "Why not?"
Bill Green 10:53 p. m. -- It's been interesting to watch the game of baseball evolve with proactive managers going deep into their bullpens much earlier in playoff games. It makes for a very exciting game, but,
Bill Green 10:41 -- Here's a stat. In the 34 years they have had an ALCS, only three teams have rallied from a 2-0 deficit and none of them lost those first two games at home. The Sox dodged a bullet tonight if they get the win.
Bill Green 10:39 -- There you go! Mookie Betts was huge tonight. He was the leader we need to get going and he led the game off with a double and then provided some insurance with that big double. Sometimes you need a certain guy to lead...he's that guy. Jackie Bradley had to big hit of course, and thus far the bullpen has done well. What a difference a day makes!
Bill Green 10:26 p. m. -- Nice inning by Porcello. I guess he pitches Game 4. As for Devers getting a hit there. I always like competition for a position--all the way from Little League to the bigs. I just think people concentrate and work harder when they are fearful of losing their position. Devers has been sharp tonight. Good for him. He seems to have won that job. We'll see what happens as the series goes along.
Bill Green 10:02 p. m. -- Mookie walks, wild pitch, wild pitch and passed ball. That's a very Little League run, but a run nonetheless!
Bill Green 9:53 p. m. -- Cole went six and gave up five runs-- Boston had him on the ropes in the first, but let him off. You can't miss chances!
Bill Green 9:50 p. m. -- This is it The Red Sox need a run or two or three.
Bill Green 9:45 p. m. -- I'm wondering if anybody is reading this. First person to email me at bill.green@newscentermaine.com gets five bucks next time I see you in person. I'd mail it, but I'm awful at putting stuff in envelopes, addressing them, getting stamps and taking them to the mailbox, it's too complicated a process.
Bill Green 9:43 p. m. -- Sale was taken to the hospital with a stomach virus. That's not good. They just announced today's attendance at 37960, however my friends say they got tickets off the Red Sox returned tickets site yesterday afternoon. Tickets for these games are reasonably easy to get, mostly because they're so expensive. The Red Sox are expert at pricing things at the highest or lowest sellable price--I have no facts to back that up, but I'm here a reasonable amount--that's my take. One of the press guys said they make five mill on stadiu tours. I don't know if it's true, but it sure is interesting to consider.
Bill Green 9:41 p. m. -- My 9:35 post prompts me to ask the question, is it me or do the Red Sox seem to hold on a lot? It's within the rules of baseball, I think it's 509 D that it's OK to score a couple of insurance runs if you're ahead!
Bill Green 9:40 p, m. Porcello warming for the REd Sox. He'll pitch the eighth.
Bill Green 9:35 p. m. -- Sorry, I went to get something to eat! It's funny what you miss at the ballpark. I couldn't figure out what that play at the plate was about. It was obviously a foul ball. I didn't see the ump signal out. They announced they were checking 509-C or something like that. The review took two minutes and twenty six seconds. It's tough to watch when it's so cold outside. I was hoping it would cool the pitcher off and thought I had a great thought when the ball came off Jackie's bat. Oh, well. We're getting htere now. The Stros are down to eight outs....how good is the Red Sox bullpen? :)
Bill Green 8:59 p. m. I can't believe Cora is taking Price out after 4 2/3. With one more out, Price stood to take the win. Of course, if Gonzalez hits it out of the park off Price, Cora would look darn dumb. On the other hand, if Gonzalez hits it out of the park off Barnes, Cora would look darn dumb. That's what managing is about. The crowd gave Price a stand O for going 4 2/3 and giving up 4. We used to have higher standards. I think PRice was decent and that two run double the other way really hurt. Just for the record, I would have stayed with Price.
Bill Green 8:56 p. m. Barnes warming in the bullpen. This is Price's last inning. They're propping him up and I understand why.
Bill Green 8:51 p. m. -- This is a big inning for Price --he could be in a position to get the win AND he said Bregman is a guy he needs to get out.
Bill Green 8:41 p. m. -- That is exactly what David Price needed. A nice clean inning after the Red Sox retook the lead. He also is strutting his stuff out there, like he's in a battle and he wants to fight. I like it. This could really get the monkey off his back. He needs at least another inning.
Bill Green 8:31 p. m. I decided to become a JBJ fan because everyone else dumps on him. He's as good a centerfielder defensively as I've ever seen and I saw Willie May. Of course, I didn't see Willie Mays in his prime. I also think Jackie has performed with a lot of class this year and occasionally he hits weak opposite field doubles which drive in three. Good for him.
Bill Green 8:24 p. m. -- I thought Gonzalez should have caught that ball, making this a back and forth game,. The Red Sox could certainly use a hit right here. By the way, A. J. Hinch is an impressive guy. He just seems to be in a "good zone." Confident, but nice. He should be. His team is loaded.
Bill Green 8:12 p. m. -- I refuse to lose the faith. We can come back on these guys. How's that for a lousy live blog? I really think Price has to come in on the righties with his cutter...he left it out a bit. That's the difference between 83 and 90.
Bill Green 8:01 p. m. -- Last night's 50/50 was rumored to be $40,000. I missed by a few hundred numbers.
Bill Green 8:00 p. m. -- By the way, you might hear a lot of f-bombs tonight. There are twenty mikes around the stadium. There's one in each base and they change the bases every three innings. There's a hollowed-out place in each base for the mikes.
Bill Green 7:55 p. m. -- I had Springer on my fantasy team when he came up in 2014. He was terrible the first year. Now that piece of junk actually looks like a two run double.
Bill Green 7:50 p, m. -- You gotta wonder if Alex Cora wants to run across the field and physically choke Bogaerts when he makes a lackadaisical play like that. I'm a big fan of Bogey...I thought he had a chance to be MVP when he got off to the hot start, but seriously, he forgot who was running there.
Bill Green 7:46 p. m. -- Price is throwing his four seamer 92, his two-seamer 91, his change up is at 83, so that's not bad in terms of differential, but it's way off the mid to high 90's Price as thrown in the past. A hitter faces a guy throwing it 92, is as concerned as he is when he's facing a guy throwing 97. He just has a little more time to make a decision. How much time? a ball moves about seven inches per mph, --five miles an hour is about a yard.
Bill Green 7:34 p. m. -- The thing to watch with Price tonight is the difference in speed between his fast ball and breaking stuff. Without a differential of about ten, it will be a tough time. I've always thought the key for a pitcher was the pitch you get the hitter out with. With the two guys he walked, he didn't seem to have that pitch then he came back.
Mookie Betts is the leader of this team and his leadoff double is HUGE. It sets the tone.
Benintendi follows. It's funny. When the ball drops in, you win. I'm talking in basketball, the ball bounces around and drops in. Same here. The Red Sox are getting the early breaks this is good.
Collin McCue is warming for the Astros.
Bill Green 7:40 -- Cole is a great competitor as are the Astros. Boston has them down here and Kinslers lousy at bat hurts. JBJ not getting it done is big. The Sox score two, one is unearned. It's a good start, but they were one hit away from a great start.
Jess Gagne 2:16 p.m. -- I love my job. I get to do some really cool things and travel to fun places. But sometimes I wonder, "If I ever left NEWS CENTER Maine, what would I want to do?' I think I found the answer today at Fenway.
Kelsey Doherty is the social media manager for the Boston Red Sox. Whenever you see a tweet from the Red Sox' Twitter account, she is most likely the one who crafted it. She gets a lot of love from fans for her work. I'm about to write her story! I'll post it here when I'm done.
PHOTOS | ALCS GAME 2 | Red Sox v Astros
PHOTOS | ALCS GAME 2 | Red Sox v Astros
ALCS | GAME 1 LIVE BLOG
12:14 a.m EST -- Game over, Astros top Red Sox 7-2
11:44 p.m. EST -- A home run for Josh Reddick off Brandon Workman in the top of the ninth, Astros now lead 4-2
10:34 p.m EST -- Correa with a base hit to center off Joe Kelly and Bregman scores, Astros retake the lead 3-2 in the sixth
Live Blog ALCS | Red Sox v Astros
Jess Gagne at 5:45 -- The weather turned from rain to sun as the two teams with the best records in baseball took the field to warm up for game one of the ALCS. I, of course, wore my LL Bean boots to the game, so I was prepared for all weather :) #suchaMainer.
It’s a huge sports day for Mainers with the Mariners playing their historic home opener in Portland and the Maine Black Bears continuing to dominate on the football field. We listened to the UMaine game on the radio on our drive down to Fenway. Check out this video of Bill celebrating Maine’s last-second field goal for the win!
You could feel the excitement in the air once we arrived at Fenway. There were a few “Houston Astros: 2017 World Champions” shirts floating around in the crowd -- the Astros got through Boston last year in the ALDS to earn those shirts -- but Sox fans were not intimidated. They were walking around confidently knowing that ace Chris Sale is on the mound leading the charge tonight. It’s a new year, and this is a new Red Sox team, and anything can happen in the postseason.
We know Maine fans are excited about this series. We met up with one before we left so he could show us his amazing collection of Red Sox memorabilia (check out the story here). If you’re a fan too, follow us on Twitter and Instagram for a behind the scenes look at Boston’s playoff run!
