Astros fall to Red Sox again

BOSTON (AP) - Welcome to the new league, Houston. It's started out just like the old one.

David Ortiz had two hits and three RBIs to extend his torrid start after a long layoff, and Felix Doubront overcame a wild first inning to pitch into the seventh as the Boston Red Sox beat the struggling Astros 8-4 on Saturday night.

Coming off 56 and 55 win seasons in their last two, respectively, in the National League, the Astros are off to a miserable start in their inaugural one in the American. They own the majors' worst mark at 7-17.

"I'm a tough, man. I've always said this - tough times don't last. Tough people do," Houston's first-year manager Bo Porter said. "I'll show up tomorrow with a smile on my face."

Houston looks to avoid a four-game sweep to Boston on Sunday. After that, it's on to New York for three games with the Yankees.

"Once we finish talking here, it will be over with for me and we're going to move forward to the next game," Porter said. "We're going to write the lineup. We're going to continue to give these guys an opportunity and expect them to take advantage. If the opportunity is not taken advantage of, at some point, as an organization we will make a decision that it's time to make changes."

It was 14th win in 19 games for the surging Red Sox (17-7). Boston can tie a club record for the most wins in April by completing the sweep.

Houston starter Brad Peacock (1-3) gave up five runs on six hits in 3 2-3 innings. He hasn't gotten past five innings in any of his five starts.

"I know we're all better pitchers than what we're showing out there," he said. "We're a young team. We're all young. We'll get out of it."

Boston matched its best start since 2002 with its fourth straight win.

Ortiz is hitting .519 (14 of 27) with two homers and nine RBIs since getting back into the lineup last Saturday. He missed the 71 of the final 72 games last season and all of spring training with a heel injury.

The Red Sox went 18-8 in April 1998 and 2003.

Jacoby Ellsbury had a two-run single for the Red Sox. Dustin Pedroia and Daniel Nava each added two hits and an RBI.

Doubront (3-0) walked three in the first, hit a batter, and had a wild pitch before settling down to hold the Astros to three runs, four hits, striking out eight and walking four over 6 2-3 innings.

Doubront retired 17 of 19 batters after the rough beginning. He was pulled with a runner on in the seventh. Alex Wilson escaped a bases-loaded, eighth-inning jam and Andrew Miller pitched the ninth.

Trailing 2-0, Boston scored four runs in the second on Ellsbury's two-run single and Ortiz's two-run double into the left field corner.

Ortiz's sacrifice fly made it 5-2 in the fourth after Nava doubled leading off and advanced on Pedroia's ground out to second.

Jose Altuve's run-scoring ground out cut it to 5-3 in the seventh.

Stephen Drew, Nava and Pedroia each had RBI singles in the seventh.

The Astros took advantage of Doubront's wild first to grab their first lead of the series. Doubront hit Brandon Barnes after a leadoff single before walking Brandon Laird. He then walked Chris Carter, forcing in a run, before Ronny Cedeno's sacrifice fly made it 2-0. The left-hander walked the next batter on four pitches, but got the final two outs easily.

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