We’ve got day baseball! The Red Sox will take on the Astros this afternoon at 2:10 p.m.
Thanks to last night’s 6-5 win at Minute Maid Park, the Sox will have an opportunity to pull out a series victory at Houston. They are in position to do so after Jarren Duran went 4 for 4, including a home run with two outs in the eight that broke a 5-5 tie.
Should they prevail, the Sox would improve to 21-14-6 in series play, and 11-7-3 on the road.
Cooper Criswell will get the start in today’s series finale. It will be the first start since July 23 for the righthander, who is 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA and a blown save over his past five relief appearances. The Astros will counter with three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who will be making his first start since June 9 and spent time on the injured list with neck discomfort.
After today’s game, the Sox will have Thursday off before returning to Fenway Park for eight games in seven days. (They will face the Blue Jays in a doubleheader on Monday.) The homestand will begin Friday when the Sox open a three-game series with the Diamondbacks.
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Here’s your preview.
Lineups
RED SOX (66-59): Duran CF, Abreu RF, Casas 1B, Devers 3B, Refsnyder LF, Yoshida DH, Wong C, Hamilton 2B, Rafaela SS.
Pitching: RHP Cooper Criswell (5-4, 4.56 ERA)
ASTROS (68-57): Bregman DH, Alvarez LF, Diaz 1B, Pena SS, Caratini C, Meyers CF, Dubon 2B, Whitcomb 3B, McCormick RF.
Pitching: RHP Justin Verlander (3-2, 3.95 ERA)
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Time: 2:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Verlander: Wilyer Abreu 0-1, Triston Casas 0-2, Rafael Devers 1-8, Rob Refsnyder 2-2, Connor Wong 1-2, Masataka Yoshida 1-3
Astros vs. Criswell: Has not faced any Houston batters
Stat of the day: David Hamilton stole his 32nd base in Tuesday’s win. Duran (38) and Hamilton are the third pair of Sox teammates to steal at least 30 bases in a season, and the first in 114 years.
Notes: The Red Sox are 16-9 in one-run games. … Criswell made 12 consecutive starts before his most recent stint out of the bullpen and went 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA during that stretch. The start against the Astros will mark his fourth consecutive road appearance. … Criswell will be making his first career appearance against Houston. Verlander is 6-6 with a 2.74 ERA over 20 career starts against the Red Sox. … The Sox are 25-16 against righthanded pitchers since June 9.
Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.