Kevin Youkilis' bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth forced in the deciding run as Boston clipped Houston, 2-1, in the finale of a three-game interleague set.
Youkilis’ Bases-Loaded Walk In Ninth Helps Boston Complete Sweep Houston
Jacoby Ellsbury notched a pair of hits and Drew Sutton scored the deciding run for the Red Sox, who swept the series and have won four straight overall.
Josh Beckett (7-3) fanned a season-high 11 batters over eight solid innings, in which he allowed five hits and one run. Jonathan Papelbon turned in a scoreless ninth with three strikeouts to post his 17th save.
Brett Wallace posted two hits and Angel Sanchez knocked in the lone run for the Astros, who have lost 11 out of their last 13.
Mark Melancon (5-2) walked three in the ninth and took the loss.
After retiring Jason Varitek to start the ninth, Melancon walked pinch-hitter Sutton, then Ellsbury singled. Dustin Pedroia's fielder's choice left runners on the corners, and Adrian Gonzalez drew a free pass to load the bases. The move backfired as Youkilis followed by working a walk to force in Sutton and the Sox led, 2-1.
Papelbon allowed a two-out single to Wallace, but ended the game by striking out Chris Johnson looking.
Get team-specific game recaps, starting with Over The Monster and SB Nation Boston for the Red Sox and The Crawfish Boxes and SB Nation Houston for the Astros.
See More:
