MLB GAME RECAP

Sunday Night: Red Sox outlast Astros in extras

The Sports Xchange

April 24, 2016 at 10:27 pm.

Apr 24, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (25) drives in a run with a single during the twelfth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 24, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (25) drives in a run with a single during the twelfth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON — After blowing a ninth-inning lead, the Boston Red Sox scored twice in the 12th to beat the Houston Astros 7-5 Sunday at Minute Maid Park.

In the 12th inning, with runners on second and third, Jackie Bradley Jr. roped a slider into right field, scoring Hanley Ramirez for the go-ahead run. Astros reliever Ken Giles (0-2) surrendered another run when a fastball got away from him for a wild pitch, allowing Ryan Hanigan to score.

Dustin Pedroia paced the Red Sox with three hits. Bradley finished with two hits and two RBIs, and Ramirez, Mookie Betts and David Ortiz added two hits apiece.

The Astros (6-13) lost their first extra-inning game of the season, while the Red Sox (9-9) moved to 1-1 in extra-inning games. Boston took two of three in the weekend series.

The Red Sox’s sixth pitcher of the night, Heath Hembree, threw three scoreless innings for the win, allowing just two hits. Hembree (1-0) struck out four and didn’t issue a walk.

Houston’s Colby Rasmus forced extra innings when he blasted a ninth-inning Craig Kimbrel pitch into the Astros’ bullpen for a two-out, two-run shot that tied the game at 5.

Kimbrel blew a save for the first time in six chances since joining the Red Sox in the offseason.

In the past two games, Rasmus has two home runs and seven RBIs. He leads the team with seven long balls this season. In his last 37 games, Rasmus has 17 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Evan Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez collected two hits each for Houston. Gonzalez homered, and Altuve stole two bases, though he also committed two errors.

The Red Sox didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard. In the first inning with the bases loaded, Ramirez hit a grounder to third, scoring Betts, and Ramirez reached on a fielder’s choice. Initially, Ortiz was ruled out at second, but after a review, it was deemed that Altuve had not touched second for the out.

Travis Shaw followed with a run-scoring walk off Astros starter Scott Feldman, who struggled with his command early. Brock Holt then laced a sacrifice fly to right-center, scoring Ortiz making it 3-0.

The Red Sox scored in the first inning for the fifth game in a row. Since April 11, Boston has outscored its opponents 22-4 in the first inning.

This season, Houston has been outscored 27-16 in the opening inning.

In the second, the Astros got on the board using the home run ball. On a 0-1 pitch from Henry Owens, Gonzalez put one in the left field seats for his first home run of the season, making it 3-1. It was the first home run for Gonzalez since Sept. 29 at Seattle, snapping a 22-game, 39-at-bat homerless streak.

The Red Sox padded the lead to 5-1 thanks to back-to-back RBI doubles from Hanigan and Bradley in the third.

Four of the Red Sox’s first six hits were for extra bases, of which three were doubles, increasing Boston’s major-league-leading doubles total to 47.

In the bottom of the third, Houston scratched back two runs. Tyler White recorded his 13th RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to right-center, and Gattis got his first RBI of the year with a single to center, making it 5-3.

Owens, in his first start of the season, lasted just 3 1/3 innings giving up three runs on five hits while striking out and walking four.

Feldman was done after 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits. He struck out three and walked four.

NOTES: Prior to the game, the Red Sox called up LHP Henry Owens and RHP Pat Light from Triple-A Pawtucket, and they sent down LHP Roenis Elias and RHP Noe Ramirez. … Boston SS Xander Bogaerts returned to the lineup Sunday after being hit in the right wrist with a pitch Friday. … Houston LF Colby Rasmus has reached base safely in 17 of 19 games this season. … Astros RHP Lance McCullers (right shoulder soreness) threw another bullpen session Sunday, his second session in three days. McCullers will leave for extended spring training in Florida on Sunday night. … Houston 1B Tyler White returned to the lineup Sunday after getting a day off. … Astros DH Evan Gattis may get an opportunity to catch a few innings in a game soon. It would be his first time catching since 2014, when he was with the Atlanta Braves.

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