Yainer Diaz hits walk-off HR as sloppy Astros high Red Sox

Yainer Diaz belted his first career walk-off home run with one out in the ninth inning as the Houston Astros overcame an error-prone performance and claimed a 5-4 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Monday.

Diaz drilled a first-pitch cutter from Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (3-2) 401 feet to left-center field. It marked the 14th home run of the season for Diaz and made a winner of Astros closer Josh Hader (6-6), who worked a perfect top of the ninth.

The Astros clawed back from a 4-2 deficit courtesy of a Jon Singleton sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and an RBI single from Mauricio Dubon in the eighth. The latter hit scored Chas McCormick, who singled and swiped second base while batting in the same spot in the order as Singleton.

Boston’s Masataka Yoshida snapped a 2-2 deadlock with a two-run pinch-hit homer in the top of the sixth.

Yoshida greeted Astros reliever Tayler Scott with an opposite-field blast into the left field seats above the out-of-town scoreboard. His ninth home run plated Romy Gonzalez, who reached on a throwing error by second baseman Jose Altuve leading off the frame. Yoshida pinch-hit for Connor Wong, who was 0-for-2 with a strikeout against Astros left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.

Kikuchi departed following back-to-back strikeouts of Danny Jansen and Triston Casas. His defense did him no favors. Houston committed a season-high four errors with Kikuchi on the mound, and Kikuchi was charged with three runs — one earned — on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He fanned seven and walked one.

Jarren Duran pounced on the first pitch of the game, a Kikuchi fastball, drilling his 16th home run to left field. Boston doubled the lead later in the inning when Astros third baseman Shay Whitcomb mishandled a two-out grounder from Jansen, enabling Rafel Devers to score from second base.

Kikuchi pitched around a fielding error by shortstop Jeremy Pena in the second inning and a throwing error by catcher Victor Caratini in the fifth. He induced double-play grounders from Rob Refsnyder in the third and Wong in the fourth to keep his pitch count in check despite the wobbly defense.

Boston starter Tanner Houck yielded three runs (two earned) on eight hits in six innings. He struck out eight without issuing a walk.

–Field Level Media