Mookie Betts, Red Sox Beat Astros Despite Shaky David Price to Even Up ALCS at 1

The American League Championship Series is now a best-of-five ordeal.

The Boston Red Sox evened their battle with the Houston Astros at a game apiece with a 7-5 victory in Sunday's Game 2 at Fenway Park. It was the first loss of the postseason for the defending champions.

Jackie Bradley Jr. gave Boston the lead for good with a bases-clearing double in the third inning, Mookie Betts provided insurance by scoring in the seventh and driving in a run in the eighth, and the bullpen allowed one run in 4.1 innings to preserve the win.

David Price's Postseason Struggles Loom Over Red Sox

Price was the storyline entering the contest, and he did nothing to change the narrative by allowing four earned runs, five hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. His numbers would have been worse if Matt Barnes didn't strand both inherited runners in the fifth.

The southpaw is a five-time All-Star who won the 2012 American League Cy Young, but his postseason struggles are an inescapable chapter of his story. He sported a 3.25 career regular-season ERA and 5.28 career postseason ERA before Sunday's poor showing, which took on a here-we-go-again feel when he walked two in the first inning.

George Springer (two-run double) and Marwin Gonzalez (two-run homer) brought the inevitable damage in the second and third, respectively, which was more of the same after Price allowed three earned runs, three hits, two home runs and two walks in just 1.2 innings of Boston's only loss in the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees.

Boston is in the middle of a competitive window, and these playoff issues are going to loom beyond just this season. He won't become an unrestricted free agent until 2023 if he exercises his player option, and he figures to do just that since he is due north of $30 million in each of the next four years.

As for the current World Series chase, Price's lackluster outings put additional pressure on the bullpen, Rick Porcello—who had a 4.75 career playoff ERA before he pitched in relief Sunday—and Nathan Eovaldi—who has one playoff start on his resume. Even Chris Sale is a question mark after Boston announced its ace was admitted to the hospital for evaluation because of a stomach illness.

The Red Sox will be in dire straights if one or more members of the starting rotation struggle and create a situation in which Price takes the hill in a must-win game.

Cole's Poor Outing Ramps Up the Pressure on Keuchel, Morton

Justin Verlander is a headline-maker for the Astros, but Gerrit Cole formed a dominant one-two punch after coming over from the Pittsburgh Pirates during the offseason. He finished the 2018 campaign with a 2.88 ERA and career-best marks of a 1.03 WHIP and 276 strikeouts and continued his success by allowing just one earned run with 12 strikeouts in seven innings in the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians.

However, he wasn't the same force Sunday and allowed five runs (four earned), six hits and two walks while striking out five in six innings. He hurt himself with a throwing error before Rafael Devers' RBI single in the first inning made it 2-0, but Bradley's hit in the third was the dagger.

The lackluster showing changed the formula for the Astros against the best offense in all of baseball. Houston was in a position where Verlander and Cole could have clinched a spot in the World Series by winning all four of their combined starts, but Dallas Keuchel or Charlie Morton will need to deliver to keep the chances of a back-to-back title alive.

That won't be an easy task considering the Red Sox led all of baseball in runs (876), hits (1,509), doubles (355), batting average (.268), on-base percentage (.339) and slugging percentage (.453) and have momentum after beating Cole.

Keuchel may not be on the level of Verlander or Cole this year, but he won the 2015 AL Cy Young and beat the Red Sox in last year's ALDS. He also earned a win over the Indians in this year's ALDS, allowing two earned runs in five innings, and has a 3.28 ERA in nine playoff appearances.

He is also well-positioned as a left-hander to neutralize Devers, Andrew Benintendi and Bradley, who all tallied RBI from the left side of the plate in Sunday's win.

As for Morton, his next playoff appearance will be his first this year, but he made four postseason starts during last year's World Series run and finished with a career-best 3.13 ERA during the 2018 season.

Keuchel and Morton will be tasked with facing a Boston offense that is daunting beyond just the MVP candidates in Betts and J.D. Martinez. The contributions of Devers, Benintendi and Bradley underscore how dangerous the Red Sox are throughout a lineup that will continue to put pressure on the Houston starters.

Someone besides Verlander and Cole will need to be cool under that pressure to clinch another American League championship.

What's Next?

The series shifts to Houston for Tuesday's Game 3, where an Astros team that was 46-35 at home and 57-24 on the road during the regular season will try to capitalize on home-field advantage.