Red Sox lose fourth in a row, drop finale vs. Astros 10-2

On Sunday, the Boston Red Sox welcomed the Houston Astros to Fenway Park for the series finale, and Alex Cora's team was handed a sweep, as they dropped the game 10-2.

Boston's starting pitch James Paxton, who the team acquired at the deadline, was forced out of this one in the first inning due to a right calf strain.

The Red Sox's pitching staff, who has struggled since the All-Star break, couldn't pick them up, as Lucas Sims allowed one run in two innings, Brennan Bernardino allowed four runs in one inning and Luis Garcia allowed five runs in two innings.

Left-handed reliever Cam Booser pitched two scoreless, hitless innings and first baseman Dom Smith got on the mound for a scoreless inning of work himself.

Boston's bats were stifled by Houston again, as the only two runs they drove in were off of a Wilyer Abreu (0-for-3) walk with the bases loaded and a Masataka Yoshida (1-for-3) RBI single. Ceddanne Rafaela (2-for-3) was the only member of the lineup to record multiple hits, as the team struck out 13 total times.

This loss drops the Red Sox to 61-55 on the season and 27-31 at Fenway Park. Boston will host the Texas Rangers for a three-game set starting on Monday, and they'll need to turn things around quickly before their playoff chances slip away from them.

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