BOSTON – David Price didn't pick up that elusive first career playoff victory as a starter. But no offense to the lefthander, that wasn't the first priority for the Boston 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.
"This is bigger than David Price," he said on Sunday night. "This isn't about me. This is about the Boston Red Sox."
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.
"I knew I missed it," Bregman said. "If I got it, it would have been on the street behind Fenway Park."
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 New York Yankees, when he lasted 1 ⅔ innings. This time Price allowed four runs, five hits and four walks in 4 ⅔ 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 righthander 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 ⅓ 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.
