BOSTON -- For the third time in four games, Trevor Story went yard as part of a three-home run barrage by the Red Sox offense, which paced the club to a 7-3 win over the Astros on Saturday.
“I feel like it’s go time,” said Story. “Everyone calls it the dog days of August, but this is the final push to really show what you’re about.”
Trailing 2-0 after the first half inning, Romy Gonzalez wasted no time in getting the hosts on the board, taking the first pitch he saw and dropping it on the front lip of the Green Monster, just above the line for his first career leadoff home run and eighth of the season.
Following up on a game-tying Rob Refsnyder RBI single in the third, Story took a 2-1 sweeper from Astros starter Colton Gordon and launched it to left field, giving Boston the lead for good.
“He has a sneaky fastball, and you have to respect that,” Story said of Gordon’s arsenal. “His sweeper was pretty good, [he had] it down all day but you get one in the middle of the plate, and you try to take advantage of it.”
His 18th home run of the year marked his fourth straight game with a hit, and with his RBI double in the seventh inning, the shortstop had seven extra-base hits, six RBIs and two walks over that stretch. The team improved to 16-1 on the year when Story connects for a home run.
After injuries took the majority of his last two seasons from him, Story struggled to get used to playing on a daily basis once again, but the team’s trip to Milwaukee in late May seemed to signal his resurgence.
“He’s simplified his approach halfway through the season, in Milwaukee,” explained Red Sox manager Alex Cora. ”He wasn’t able to do what he did -- putting the ball in play. With two strikes, he’s taking his shots to right field. But early in the count, if something’s close to him, everybody knows he’s doing damage to the pull side.”
“Without getting too much into the details of it, that was kind of the process of getting back into playing every single day and getting comfortable with that,” added Story. “The last thing was trusting myself, not trying too hard.”
Since that Milwaukee trip ended on May 28, Story has hit .291, and after going 2-for-3 in Saturday’s win, he improved his batting average to .254. His 68 RBIs are tied for sixth in the AL.
In the bottom of the fourth, Abraham Toro blasted a two-run, 382-foot home run into the Monster seats to put the Sox up 6-2.
For his second straight outing, starter Walker Buehler failed to get through five innings, going just 4 1/3 frames after allowing nine hits, three runs and three walks. Justin Wilson picked up the win, his third of the season, in relief.
“This guy is too important for us,” Cora said of Buehler, who has allowed at least three earned runs in nine of his last 11 outings. “He knows he’s better than this, and we know he’s better than this.”
Steven Matz, acquired at the Trade Deadline, made his debut for the club with a scoreless inning of work in the sixth.
The win was Boston’s fourth straight and the 11th in their last 12 home games. They also clinched their third straight series victory, and coupled with a loss by the Yankees, moved into sole possession of second place in the American League East.
“It was fun,” said Buehler of the game’s atmosphere on Saturday. “The crowd was rocking, it’s a beautiful day here at Fenway, it’s nice to have that right in the middle of summer.”
“People love us … I don’t think they hate us,” noted Cora. “This town, they love the Red Sox, and they’re showing up and you can feel it in the city, and you can feel it at Fenway.”