Red Sox 6, Astros 1
BOSTON -- Clay Buchholz went the distance and struck out eight to win his fourth straight decision and lead the Boston Red Sox to a 6-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Saturday's middle game of a three-game weekend set at Fenway Park on Independence Day.
The right-hander retired 12 batters in a row between the second and fifth innings before Astros catcher Hank Conger singled to center to lead off the sixth. Buchholz (7-6) allowed one run on six hits in nine innings and has posted a 0.87 ERA in his last four starts for Boston (38-45).
Center fielder Mookie Betts went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs while shortstop Xander Bogaerts was 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Boston. Catcher Sandy Leon went 3-for-4.
Red Sox left fielder Hanley Ramirez went 0-for-4 as his team-high, eight-game hitting streak ended.
Collin McHugh (9-4) came up short in pursuit of his 10th win for Houston (48-35). The right-hander took the loss and was charged with four runs, three of which were earned, on seven hits and three walks while striking out one in 5 1/3 innings.
Astros second baseman Jose Altuve extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a ninth-inning single and went 1-for-4.
Boston scored three runs in the first five innings. Bogaerts' first-inning grounder to right plated Betts from third for the game's first run. Betts' sacrifice fly to left an inning later brought right fielder Shane Victorino home to make it 2-0.
Brock Holt's bunt in the third drew a two-base throwing error from Conger to put the second baseman in scoring position. Bogaerts doubled to left to bring him home in the next at-bat.
Betts tacked on two more runs with an RBI-double to left in the sixth and another to deep center in the eighth.
Alejandro De Aza, who entered as a defensive replacement for Ramirez in the eighth, capped the Red Sox scoring with an infield RBI-single with the bases loaded in the eighth after winning a foot race with Astros first baseman Jon Singleton.
Third baseman Luis Valbuena singled up the middle with two gone in the ninth to score Altuve from third and account for the Astros' lone run.
Houston squandered an early opportunity with a runner on third and one out in the second, as back-to-back strikeouts from center fielder Colby Rasmus and Singleton ended the inning.
NOTES: The Astros and Red Sox wore American flag-themed caps and jerseys to celebrate Independence Day. ... Houston is now 3-10 all-time at Fenway Park ... Astros 2B Jose Altuve was batting .083 (1-for-12) against Red Sox starting RHP Clay Buchholz, his worst average against any pitcher with at least 10 at-bats. ... Houston starting RHP Collin McHugh had never faced Boston. ... Red Sox 3B Hanley Ramirez's .378 batting average (65-for-172) against the Astros was the highest all-time mark against the franchise with a minimum of 150 plate appearances. ... Boston was considering activating 2B Dustin Pedroia (right hamstring strain) for the final three games before the All-Star break. ... The Red Sox recalled RHP Steven Wright from Triple-A Pawtucket. RHP Noe Ramirez, who lost his major league debut Friday, was optioned back to Pawtucket.