Game 122: Red Sox at Astros lineups and notes
First pitch in Houston is at 7:10 p.m. Eastern. Here's a preview.
Advertisement
Lineups
RED SOX (66-55):
TBA
Pitching:
RHP Walker Buehler (7-6, 5.40 ERA)
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
ASTROS (67-53):
TBA
Pitching:
RHP Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.51 ERA)
Time:
7:10 p.m.
TV, radio:
NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Brown:
Wilyer Abreu 0-4, Roman Anthony 1-3, Alex Bregman 2-3, Jarren Duran 1-5, Carlos Narváez 0-2, Ceddanne Rafaela 2-5, Trevor Story 0-2, Abraham Toro 1-6, Connor Wong 1-2, Masataka Yoshida 0-4
Astros vs. Buehler:
Jose Altuve 1-8, Victor Caratini 3-10, Carlos Correa 3-7, Yainer Diaz 2-3, Mauricio Dubón 1-5, Cam Smith 0-2, Jesús Sánchez 2-7, Taylor Trammell 1-1, Ramón Urías 2-4, Christian Walker 6-27
Stat of the day:
The Red Sox scored 10-plus runs for the 19th time this season on Tuesday.
Notes:
In his second outing with the Red Sox, May struck out eight and walked one. He tossed six scoreless innings for just the fourth time in his career. 'I definitely try to ride the highs,' May said. 'I had a lot of lows this year, so whenever I do have the good moments, I try to let my brain know that 'hey, you got it, it's still in you for sure.' ' ... Roman Anthony has homered twice in his last two games after homering twice in his first 50. He became the fourth Red Sox player to homer in back-to-back games at age 21 or younger, joining Ted Williams, Tony Conigliaro, and Rafael Devers. Anthony also drew four walks Tuesday. 'I understand the quality of hitters I have behind me, so it makes my life easier,' Anthony said. 'I'm more than glad to take my walks.' ... Buehler is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in four career starts against the Astros. He tossed 4 ⅓ innings against Houston on Aug. 2, allowing three earned runs and settling for a no decision in a Sox win at Fenway. ... Brown made his only career start against Boston on Aug. 1, allowing just one earned run on four hits over seven innings, but also had to settle for a no decision in another Sox win.
Advertisement
Amin Touri can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
2 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
How to watch Saturday's Cup race at Richmond: Start time, TV info and weather
With two races remaining in the regular season, Richmond Raceway will play host to its only Cup race this season Saturday night. The 16-driver playoff field essentially has three open spots with 13 winners essentially having locked into berths. Tyler Reddick (plus-117 points on the cutline) likely will secure a spot Saturday at the 0.75-mile oval regardless of his finish. Alex Bowman (plus-60) and Chris Buescher (34 points over Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate Ryan Preece) are holding onto the final two provisional spots on points. Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs and Brad Keselowski are among the drivers who will need a win at either Richmond or Daytona International Speedway to make the playoffs. Dustin Long, Richmond is the fourth of six short-track races this season. Chase Briscoe is the only driver with top-10 finishes in the first three short track races. Saturday will mark the first time in 67 years that Richmond is scheduled for only one race weekend with NASCAR's premier series. The short track had two annual races on the Cup schedule from 1959-2024 (one of its 2020 races was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Details for Saturday's Cup race at Richmond Raceway (All times Eastern) START: The race is scheduled to start shortly after 7:30 p.m.. PRERACE: The Cup garage will open at 4:30 p.m. ... The drivers meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. ... Drivers introductions will be at 6:55 p.m. DISTANCE: The race is 400 laps (300 miles) on the 0.75-mile oval in Richmond, Virginia. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 20. Stage 2 ends at Lap 230. ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 39 cars entered at Richmond Raceway. TV/RADIO: USA Network will broadcast the race starting with Countdown to Green at 7 p.m. ... Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage. FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Partly cloudy with a high of 88 degrees and light winds. It's expected to be 79 degrees with a 2% chance of rain around the start of the Cup race. LAST TIME: Austin Dillon won the Aug. 11, 2024 race in overtime, but the victory was stripped of playoff eligibility after NASCAR penalized Dillon for wrecking Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap.
New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
Meet college football's next best hope for a two-way star in a post-Travis Hunter world
This article is part of our Freaks List series, which chronicles the strongest, fastest and most physical players in college football. LAS VEGAS — Koi Perich looks different from his Minnesota teammates in practice, and it's not because of his 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame. Outside of the quarterbacks, half the Gophers wear maroon jerseys, while the other half don white. Each day, Perich pulls on a split-colored jersey with maroon on one side and white on the other. On defense, Perich lines up at safety. Then he flips over to offense and plays receiver. For good measure, Perich also returns kicks and punts. Advertisement 'This isn't a gimmick,' Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. 'This is a real thing where he's going to play offense. It could be a Wildcat quarterback. He's going to be on defense, he's going to kick return, he's going to punt return. But Koi will show us what he can handle and how much we give him.' Travis Hunter blazed a path for current and future two-way football stars by channeling his exceptional athletic ability into an unprecedented workload during last year's Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at Colorado. First in line to follow his example is Minnesota's sophomore safety, who made an immediate impact in his debut college season and has eyes on adding to his plate this fall. He's perhaps the most versatile threat in college football, but the major question facing Perich is whether he can produce on offense while remaining effective on defense, where he primarily shined as a freshman. 'I've played offense and defense my whole life,' Perich said. 'Ultimately, it's just playing football.' It's unfair to compare anyone's production directly to Hunter, who earned first-team All-American honors at cornerback and receiver last year, finishing with 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 16 scores, plus four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. But Hunter's snap percentage is more of a true mark for Perich. Last fall, Hunter competed on 84.6 percent of Colorado's snaps from scrimmage (86.8 percent on offense, 82.9 percent on defense), which was well beyond any other college player. 'We're going to do as much as Koi will allow us to do,' Fleck said in July. 'There's not a lot of people who can do that and do it successfully. We feel Koi can, and I'm not comparing him to Travis by any means, but I'm saying that he is somebody who did it within the last decade. That's how hard it really is. And if you're going to do it, you've got to be both feet in on it. But if there's one person that can do it, it's Koi.' Advertisement It requires talent, conditioning and endurance for any player to threaten Hunter's average of 119 snaps per game. But it's not hyperbole to suggest Perich can approach a similar snap count while impacting games on both sides of the ball. As a true freshman last fall, Perich led the Big Ten with five interceptions and was the only Football Bowl Subdivision freshman since 1976 to total more than 100 punt return yards (188), 100 kick return yards (314) and five interceptions in a season. Among Big Ten performers, Perich ranked fourth in punt return average and sixth as a kick returner. Reminder: Freshman Koi Perich led the @bigten in INTs last season 😲 Relive all 5️⃣ of the @GopherFootball star's picks 👇#B1GFootball x @koiperich3 — Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) June 30, 2025 In consecutive games, he intercepted game-sealing passes in the final seconds. In preserving a 24-17 victory against USC, Perich elevated to snag a jump ball in the end zone with nine seconds left to prevent the Trojans from running another play. He followed that pick with a goal-line interception with no time remaining in a 21-17 win at UCLA. 'I saw the videos of him jumping at the USC game,' Gophers defensive end Anthony Smith said. 'He got up there pretty high.' Perich's leaping ability was honed on the basketball court in tiny Esko, Minn., an unincorporated town located near the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. Perich averaged 17.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game as a senior at Esko High. But it was how high he soared — and his collection of broken rims — that left an impression on Fleck. 'I've got my dollar popcorn, my dollar diet soda, and I got some gummy bears and I'm like, 'OK, when am I gonna see … there it was,'' Fleck said. 'He did a 360 windmill dunk. And it wasn't the dunk; it was how high he was. Advertisement 'We were taught in the NFL there's a measuring stick of how fast a guy can get vertically, not just how high they can jump, but how fast they get vertically. It was very, very fast.' During his senior track season at Esko, Perich won the 100-meter dash at his sectional meet, with a time of 10.87 seconds that was tops in his class, but an injury sidelined him for state. As a sophomore, he'd won the state title in the long jump. That athleticism translated to the football field. As a high school senior, Perich scored 27 touchdowns, including five on interceptions, three on punt returns and another on a kickoff return. As a late addition to the 2024 All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Perich blocked a punt and had a goal-line interception to earn game MVP honors. Perich became an early recruiting priority for Fleck, but the head coach quickly discovered Perich had no attachment to his state's lone FBS program. Known as one of college football's most aggressive recruiters, Fleck made it a mission to catch the prospect's attention. He had to prove to Perich that he could count on three things if he stayed at home: 1) He could reach the NFL; 2) He could compete for a College Football Playoff berth; 3) The program could help him grow as a person. At one of Perich's high school games, Fleck rented a plane that flew above the stadium with a 'Row The Boat' sign trailing behind. The Gophers' full-court press sales pitch caught Perich's attention. 'I remember going to a high school game, watching one of the best performances I've ever seen from a high school player, and he knew it,' Fleck said. 'He was confident. The beginning of warmups, all the way through the end of the game, he pointed at me on the sideline. I've never pointed at a coach.' Few players emit the type of confidence Perich exudes in most public interactions. At a midsummer news conference, Perich walked to the podium wearing a WWE-style championship belt. He had earned it through team workouts and felt it was the right moment to display it. One of Fleck's friends watched the news conference live and sent him a screenshot, to which Fleck responded, 'That's Koi.' His swagger endears himself to Gophers fans and inevitably draws the ire of Minnesota's rivals. Advertisement Perich told reporters he never watched college football growing up — including the Gophers — and 'would just skip through college if I could and just gone straight to the Vikings, but you've got to do your three years.' His nonchalant attitude toward college football was clear during the recruiting process and especially at the end. Ohio State offered Perich with about seven weeks left in the recruiting cycle. 'It was super close. It came down to the last day,' Perich said. 'Ohio State is Ohio State. What I liked more about Minnesota was just ultimately their NFL safeties.' Koi Perich says he dreamed of playing for the #Vikings growing up. But, college wasn't part of the plan. "I would skip through college if I could… and gone straight to Vikings." — KSTPSports (@KSTPSports) July 16, 2025 Since 2019, Minnesota stars Antoine Winfield and Tyler Nubin have become All-Americans and second-round draft picks; Jordan Howden was a fifth-rounder. 'They laid the steppingstones for me,' Perich said. Perich describes the primary attributes of Hall of Fame safeties and his plans to emulate them: Ed Reed's ball skills, Brian Dawkins' hitting prowess, Troy Polamalu's instincts. Perich said Reed is one of the three living athletes he'd like to meet for a meal (LeBron James and Tiger Woods are the others). Perich has drawn comparisons to former Iowa All-American and current Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean, from both inside and outside the Minnesota program. DeJean, who debuted at No. 60 in the latest NFL Network player rankings, dabbled as a two-way player in 2023 but broke his leg during a November practice his final season with the Hawkeyes. A season-ending injury is a worst-case example of what could go wrong from a player playing both ways, but coaches also fear elite players could wear down more gradually over the course of a game and limit their effectiveness at their natural position. Advertisement But Perich is undeterred. At an open Gophers scrimmage this month, Perich cruised past his teammates on a post route, slowed his stride and hauled in a deep pass for a 70-yard gain. After hitting the turf at Huntington Bank Stadium, he hopped up and immediately stuck out his arm signaling first down. His confidence, ability and potential all showed up in one play. 'He is a very, very confident individual,' Fleck said. 'I love that in terms of one of our best players, because everybody feeds off that.' Perhaps the right goal for Perich isn't to chase Hunter but to stretch his own boundaries. But by following Hunter's example, Perich could pilot his own path to excellence. 'Hopefully I get that chance. That would be very fun,' Perich said. 'Honestly, I think I have the ability to do it.' The Freaks List series is part of a partnership with GMC Sierra EV. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
With the Rafael Devers deal off the books, where does all that money go now?
There is financial symmetry between the franchise player sent away and the franchise player newly signed. It's not an immediate dollar-for-dollar exchange, but eight years from now, when the guaranteed portion of each contract ends, the final season's salary will be the same: $29 million for Rafael Devers, $29 million for Roman Anthony. Advertisement The Boston Red Sox did not have to pick one or the other. They began locking up homegrown players long before Devers was traded, and their pockets are deep enough for both, but it was a convenient swap. By trading Devers, the Red Sox saved $232 million over the next eight years. A month-and-a-half later, they signed Anthony for $130 million over the next eight years. The Anthony deal includes a $30-million team option for 2034, but the two contracts cover the same guaranteed seasons, and because the Devers deal came with $7.5 million in annual deferrals, the two contracts will begin to cost roughly the same amount of money in their second halves. In other words, a good amount of that saved Devers money is going to end up in Anthony's pockets. But not all of it. The Red Sox have played well since trading the face of their franchise. They have played their way into playoff position, and if they can stay there, it will be their first postseason appearance since 2021. They have fully turned the page from the roster that last won a championship in 2018 — Devers was the last holdover — and a new core has emerged. A lot of it, like Anthony, is signed well into the future. With Anthony as their new centerpiece, Garrett Crochet their new ace, and Alex Bregman — for now — their new third baseman, what is the state of the Red Sox going forward? And where are they going to have to spend the rest of their Devers savings — and beyond — to keep this return to relevance going? Beyond Anthony, the Red Sox have five other players signed for at least three more seasons. The last two years of Whitlock's contract are club options, but he's been excellent since returning to the bullpen. Crochet and Bello are a sustainable one-two punch at the top of the rotation (something the Red Sox lacked for much of the past half-decade), and Anthony and Rafaela could be outfield mainstays (a potent left-handed bat in a corner and a potential Gold Glove winner in center) unless Rafaela is ultimately needed in the infield. Advertisement The wild card here is Campbell, who made the Opening Day roster, signed an extension at the end of spring training, and has been stuck in the minor leagues since the end of June. Is he the team's future at second base? At first base? In some sort of super utility role? Less than that? Duran signed a $3.75-million deal for this season, and it came with an $8-million team option for next year. He still has a couple years of arbitration eligibility beyond that —as a Super Two, he's arbitration-eligible four times — and the question is not whether the Red Sox will re-sign him but whether they'll end up trading him. Their outfield is deep with Duran, Anthony, Rafaela and Abreu (plus Yoshida and maybe Campbell). Utilityman González, injured first baseman Casas, and backup catcher Wong are heading for their first rounds of arbitration. González has become the least complicated of the three (an infield version of Rob Refsnyder), while Casas just keeps getting hurt (92 games the past two seasons) and Wong is having a shockingly bad season (though the emergence of Narváez has kept that from mattering too much). Even with an arbitration raise, Wong could remain a relatively cheap backup for a team without a ton of in-house catching depth. Mayer — a top prospect like Anthony and Campbell, but one who hasn't signed an extension — could be headed for Super Two status that would award him four years of arbitration instead of three, but even as a Super Two he would have six more seasons of team control before becoming a free agent. The Red Sox have built a lot of cheap pitching depth, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. Fitts, Harrison, Weissert, Winckowski and Campbell were trade acquisitions, Slaten was taken in the Rule 5 draft, Kelly and Bernardino were minor league signings, and Dobbins (8th) and Murphy (6th) were relatively late-round draft picks who've pitched their way into Major League roles. David Sandlin, another trade addition currently in Triple A, is likely to be added to the 40-man roster in the offseason to provide further rotation depth. Advertisement There could be a lingering need for a top-of-the-rotation starter and a back-of-the-bullpen reliever, but the Red Sox don't necessarily have to scramble or spend on pitching depth the way they have in previous seasons. Three Red Sox are locked up through 2027, and all three carry significant uncertainty. To be fair, Story has turned things around nicely, which is good for the Red Sox because Story clearly is going to be somewhere in the infield picture the next couple of years (whether he remains a shortstop remains to be seen). Yoshida is going to be a left-handed bat of some sort, but he's only recently gotten back on the field. Hicks, meanwhile, takes up a little less than half of the short-term money saved by trading Devers. Hicks is in the second year of a backloaded four-year, $44 million contract that likely puts him in the bullpen with Whitlock for the next two seasons. At his best, Hicks has been pretty good — and like Whitlock, he's been occasionally a starter — but like Story and Yoshida, he's been inconsistent and occasionally hurt. Like the previous group, Bregman is technically signed for the next two years, but he can opt out this winter or next. He'd be turning away from a massive annual salary, but he could seek the long-term commitment that players typically covet. Rather than an annual game of contractual chicken, the situation could resolve in a long-term extension that makes Bregman a veteran mainstay alongside the young homegrown core. If, however, Bregman decides to opt out, the Red Sox would have plenty of payroll space to shop at the top of the upcoming free agent market, where the best fit would be … Alex Bregman. These are mutual options for next season. Buehler and Hendriks have not performed well enough to justify such huge salaries going forward. They will presumably become free agents. Giolito, though, is complicated. The Red Sox currently hold a $14-million club option for 2026 — which they would surely exercise — but it becomes a $19-million mutual option (meaning Giolito can opt out) if Giolito reaches 140 innings. He's trended right at that number. If he exceeds it, it's surely good news for the 2025 Red Sox — it means he kept pitching well to the end of the season — but it could cost the 2026 team an affordable, impactful No. 3 starter if Giolito decides instead to test the open market. Advertisement Given the uncertainty of Giolito, the looming presence of Sandoval could be important. The Red Sox signed Sandoval to a two-year deal in December knowing he would likely spend most of 2025 rehabbing from internal brace surgery (he's going to end up missing the entire season). But he remains under contract for next year, when he'll be 29 with a 4.01 career ERA. Coming off a pair of encouraging seasons, Crawford is going to end up missing all of 2025 due to various injuries. That means his salary for 2026 will be basically identical to what it was in 2025, and his Super Two status means he's eligible for two additional rounds of arbitration. He remains a cheap back-end starter option for next season. Houck's status is more complicated. He made nine starts this season. They weren't very good 8.04 ERA), but still, an arbiter could award him a small raise for next season. Except, he might not pitch at all next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this month. So, tendering Houck a contract for 2026 would really be an effort to keep him around for 2027, which would be his last season before free agency. The Red Sox are paying only about a third of the Matz and May contracts, meaning they have about $20 million in payroll coming off the books automatically this offseason (basically all of which will go to paying the first year of Crochet's long-term extension). But the Red Sox could also save almost $40 million more in mutual options that could be declined, and another $40 million if Bregman opts out. Though those potential savings come at the cost of holes that will need filling. As for the automatic free agents, the loss of Chapman will leave the Red Sox without an established closer, and Refsnyder's departure will cost them a vital right-handed bat (one that emerged from obscurity to put up elite platoon numbers the past four years with the Red Sox). Wherever he signs, Refsnyder's sure to make a lot more than $2 million next year. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
