BOSTON _ David Price didn't pick up that elusive first career playoff victory as a starter. But no offense to the left-hander, that wasn't the first priority for the Red Sox on Sunday night.
It was avoiding an 0-2 deficit heading back to Houston in this American League Championship Series, something the Red Sox accomplished with a 7-5 victory over the Astros. Game 3 of the best-of-seven is Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.
Closer Craig Kimbrel made Red Sox Nation nervous again, allowing a run in the ninth on a Jose Altuve single with two outs. Alex Bregman sent a shiver through Fenway with a high fly to the warning track that Andrew Benintendi caught in front of the Green Monster.
Price, 0-9 in 10 postseason starts with a 6.03 ERA coming in, was far from electric on another cool night at Fenway. But he didn't take his team out of the game early, as he did in Game 2 of the Division Series against the Yankees, when he lasted 1 2/3 innings. This time Price allowed four runs, five hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Price walked two in the fifth and, with two outs and Marwin Gonzalez, who homered in the third, coming up, Alex Cora pulled Price for Matt Barnes. The right-hander struck out Gonzalez on four pitches to end the threat, the start of a good night from a bullpen that so far this postseason has been better than expected.
Barnes threw a scoreless 1 1/3 innings, Ryan Brasier added a scoreless inning, and so did Rick Porcello, a starter whom Cora summoned for an inning, as he did in the ALDS against the Yankees. Kimbrel, who nearly torched the Game 4 clincher against the Yankees, earned the save.
The Red Sox grabbed a 5-4 lead in the third on Jackie Bradley Jr.'s bases-clearing double off Gerrit Cole. They added a tack-on run in the seventh against Lance McCullers Jr. on a walk, a wild pitch and two passed balls to make it 6-4. Mookie Betts' RBI double in the eighth made it 7-4.
Cole was coming off an ALDS Game 2 start against the Indians in which he allowed one run over seven innings and struck out 12. He was not sharp Sunday, allowing five runs (four earned), six hits and two walks over six innings. The right-hander did recover well after Bradley's go-ahead double, retiring the final 10 he faced.
Betts led off the first against Cole by driving a 3-and-1 fastball to center for a double. Benintendi, swinging first pitch, lined an RBI single to right. Xander Bogaerts followed with a trickler back to Cole, who fired wildly to first for an error. Steve Pearce walked on four pitches to load the bases for Rafael Devers, who slashed a two-run single to left to make it 2-0.
Price could not provide a shutdown inning. Carlos Correa reached on an infield hit and Martin Maldonado yanked a cutter down the left-field line for a double. Price got Josh Reddick to pop out, but George Springer, last year's World Series MVP, fisted a fastball down the right-field line for a two-run double that that tied it at 2.
The Astros retook the lead in the third. Yuli Gurriel, who hit a three-run homer in Game 1, singled with one out. Tyler White flied to right and Gonzalez hammered a full-count fastball to left and nearly out of the stadium, the blast pushing Houston ahead 4-2. It gave the Astros a record 14 straight postseason games with at least one home run, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Red Sox came right back. Bogaerts singled with one out and Pearce sent a screamer to left, where Gonzalez just missed making a running catch, instead crashing back-first into the Monster and crumpling to the track on the double. With runners and second and third, Cole walked Devers on four pitches, loading the bases once again for Kinsler, who again struck out. But Bradley launched a 2-and-1 fastball high off the Monster for his three-run double.
