Astros' 16-run loss to Red Sox tied for worst in team history - ESPN

HOUSTON — Alex Verdugo hit a leadoff homer with four hits and rookie Wilyer Abreu got his first major league home run among four hits as the Boston Red Sox tagged J.P. France for 10 runs in a 17-1 rout of the Houston Astros on Thursday.

The 16-run margin of defeat is tied for the largest in Astros history. It was the seventh time Houston had been routed that bad, according to ESPN Stats & Information, with the last time happening vs. the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 25, 2011.

The Red Sox set season highs with 17 runs and 24 hits, and it was the most runs and hits the World Series champs have allowed this year. Boston has at least one home run in 13 straight games, which is the team's longest streak since homering in 19 in a row in 2019.

The 24 hits in a game were the most for Boston since Aug. 15, 2015, and the 16-run margin of victory was the team's highest since a 19-3 win against the New York Yankees on July 25, 2019.

Verdugo drove in two runs and Abreu, who made his debut Tuesday, added four RBI in the victory.

Eight different hitters had multihit games for Boston and nine hitters recorded an RBI, which tied for second among MLB teams this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Tampa Bay had 10 players with an RBI vs. Seattle on June 30.

The Red Sox were up 13-1 before Astros catcher Martín Maldonado took the mound and gave up five hits, including a homer to Connor Wong, and four runs in the ninth. It was his second career pitching appearance and first since throwing a scoreless inning for the Brewers in 2014.

Boston went 10-for-22 with runners in scoring position, while the Astros were 1-for-12 while leaving 11 men on base.

Thursday's lopsided win salvaged a split of the four-game series between the clubs.

The