NEWS » The Boston Red Sox may have won a major league-bes

t 108 games in the regular season http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , but they find themselves with a 1-0 deficit in the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros after dropping a 7-2 decision in Game 1.The World Series champions led through the majority of the game and survived a tying rally by the Red Sox in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead again in the top of the sixth. The Astros were up 3-2 into the top of the ninth and put away the game with home runs by Josh Reddick and Yuli Gurriel.Shortstop Carlos Correa drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out base hit off of the hard-throwing Joe Kelly."I was looking for a fastball, and he throws 100, so I had to be ready for that," Correa told TBS reporter Lauren Shehadi after the game. "It was up in the zone, and I put a really good swing on it."Kelly relieved Red Sox starter Chris Sale, who pitched four innings before manager Alex Cora pulled him. Sale only gave up one hit, but he walked four and gave up two runs. Sale settled down and pitched effectively in the third and fourth innings, but by then, he had thrown 86 pitches, and that count was too high.Game 1: Astros 7, Red Sox 2, Houston leads series 1-0Game 2:Sunday, October 14 at Boston (7:09 p.m. Jake Lamb Jersey , TBS)Game 3:Tuesday, October 16 at Houston (5:09 p.m., TBS)Game 4:Wednesday, October 17 at Houston (8:39 p.m., TBS)Game 5:Thursday, October 18 at Houston (8:09 p.m., TBS)*Game 6:Saturday, October 20 at Boston (5:09 p.m., TBS)*Game 7:Sunday, October 21 at Boston (7:39 p.m., TBS)**If necessary.All Times ET. Game 2 tickets:StubHub. Sale was ineffective, but Houston starter Justin Verlander was quite sharp and earned the win. Verlander gave up two runs on two hits, and he struck out six batters http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , dominating with his fastball.ESPN Stats amp; Info ESPNStatsInfoGeorge Springer gave the Astros a 2-0 lead with a bases loaded single.Springer currently has 12 RBI in his last 10 playoff games. Tonight is his 5th career multi-RBI game in the playoffs, 3rd-most in Astros history behind Lance Berkman (8) and Carlos Correa (7). 9B7G7AAbqdCorrea said Verlander gave the Astros just what they were looking for in the ALCS opener. "Whenever Justin is on the mound, we go to the field expecting to win," Correa said on the broadcast. "That's just what Justin gave us tonight. He did what he does best, shutting down the lineup. They have a great lineup over there, but he was lights out."Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 7:09 p.m. ET. TBS will televise proceedings.David Price, who was knocked out of his American League Division Series start by the New York Yankees after 1.2 innings, will start for the Red Sox.Hard-throwing right-hander GerritCole will be on the mound for the Astros.The Red Sox are going to to need a consistent pitching effort from Price, and their big hitters have to come through.Mookie Betts opened the game with a single off of Verlander, but that was his only hit in four at-bats. J.D. Martinez was hitless in three at bats, although he did have one walk.The Red Sox, who ranked first in the Major Leagues with 876 runs scored during the season, were held to three singles. They looked nothing like the team that scored 16 runs in Game 3 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium.They face a crucial game Sunday. If they drop a second straight home game to the Astros Jeff Mathis Jersey , they will take a 2-0 deficit to Houston and be attempting to win four of the next five games against the World Series champions.Gerrit Cole will take the mound for the Astros in Game 2.David J. Phillip/Associated Press PredictionThe Red Sox sent their best pitcher to the mound, and he was unable to pitch into the fifth inning. Price takes the mound in Game 2, and he has struggled throughout his postseason career.If he doesn't put an end to that streak Sunday, the Red Sox are likely to find themselves in a deep hole. Boston's hitters are also going to have to do quite a bit better with their offense after a three-hit performance in Game 1.Even if Price can pitch a solid game and Cole proves more hittable than Verlander, that doesn't mean the Red Sox will have enough to win this game.They must play a flawless defensive game, contribute timely hitting and make decisive pitches when the game is on the line.The expectation here is that the Red Sox will play better than they did in Game 1, but it will not be good enough.Houston wins Game 2 on the road and takes a 2-0 series lead. He was previously throwing 102 MPH in independent ball."The Milwaukee Brewers have been more active in signing players from the independent leagues in recent years under the David Stearns regime, and yesterday the club dipped into that talent pool once again and inked a flame throwing right-hander:Dula, 26, began his career as a 25th round pick of the Texas Rangers back in 2013. He possesses outstanding stuff but has had little idea where it’s going, and because of that he didn’t last too long in affiliated ball. Dula briefly reached Class A-Advanced in 2016, but was eventually released by the Rangers after that season. In 70 appearances and 82.0 innings in the lower minors, Dula worked to a 5.38 ERA with 84 strikeouts but a whopping 67 walks Tyler Glasnow Jersey , 22 hit batters, and 25 wild pitches.Dula found work in the Atlantic and Frontier Leagues in 2017, but pitched in 2018 he pitched in a rung of pro ball so low that it isn’t even listed on Baseball-Reference. Dula suited up for the Utica Unicorns this past season, a squad in the four-team United Shore Professional Baseball League that plays in the greater Detroit metro area. In 35 games and 31 innings pitched, Dula punched out 49 batters, but he also yielded 39 walks and a 5.23 ERA.Dula set velocity records during his stint in the USPBL, touching 102 miles per hour during a game while regularly hitting triple digits. That’s not necessarily a skill that can be taught, but the Brewers will be hoping that they can instruct the now 26 year old Dula how to locate the strike zone more regularly. He was an infielder in college and only had five innings of experience under his belt when he was drafted, so there is still a bit of a learning curve for the right-hander. Still, Dula was praised by the USPBL’s director of baseball operations on his way out:Dula becomes the 26th player signed by an MLB franchise out of the USPBL since the league’s inception in 2016, and the second by the Brewers. They also inked pitcher Logan Gillaspie earlier in 2018, and he went on to post a 3.26 ERA and 16:4 K/BB ratio in 19.1 innings between the AZL and Pioneer League this year.The Brewers also announced the following minor league player releases:We wish the best of luck to these players in the future.Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and USPBL.com