Jake Bennett Set for MLB Debut as Astros Vs Red Sox Shifts
astros vs red sox changed fast for Boston on Friday, May 1. Jake Bennett is expected to make his MLB debut after Garrett Crochet was scratched because of shoulder inflammation, flipping the opening pitching matchup for the weekend series in Boston.
The Red Sox had been lined up to start Crochet, their ace, against Houston before the scratch. Instead, the club is expected to turn to Bennett, a minor league call-up who has yet to throw a major league pitch.
Bennett’s Triple-A start
Bennett arrived with a strong first month at Triple-A. He had two wins and a 0.86 ERA, which is the line Boston is banking on as it hands him the ball for his debut.
That move lands in a tense stretch for the Red Sox. They returned home on a two-game skid under the new skipper, scored one run in their last two games and are 5-8 at home. Boston also fired the manager and five coaches last weekend, so the first home series under the reworked staff already carried extra weight before the pitching change.
Houston’s Burton matchup
Houston is expected to counter with Mike Burrows, who has already seen Boston once this season. A month ago, he beat the Red Sox by striking out six in five innings, and since that outing the Astros have lost all four of his starts.
Burrows has also posted a 6.43 ERA and a 1.619 WHIP in that stretch. That leaves both clubs leaning on a matchup that looks different from the one originally scheduled, with one side forced into a debut and the other trying to end a run of losses behind its starter.
Alvarez and the home under
Yordan Alvarez still gives Houston the most dangerous bat in the game. He leads the AL in all three Triple Crown categories and just finished a 13-game hitting streak, giving the Astros one proven run producer even as the pitching script changes.
The Red Sox have also seen their home games trend low. They have hit the Game Total Under in 16 of their last 24 home games, and that line fits the shape of a game in which Boston is trying to steady a staff shakeup while handing a debut to Bennett in the first game of the series.
