The Houston Astros were back at it Sunday Afternoon after losing an offensive showdown on Saturday night, hoping for better results.

On the mound for the Boston Red Sox was right-hander Joe Kelly. Kelly was recently acquired in the John Lackey trade from the St. Louis Cardinals and has barely been able to "get his foot wet" with the Red Sox organization. In two games with the Red Sox he has no wins or loses but has a 2.09 ERA with thirteen innings pitched.

On Sunday afternoon, his record on the season fell to 2-3 after struggling mightily. Everything just fell apart in the second inning as Kelly's command was not good and the strikes that he threw were getting pounded. Following a couple of singles and a walk, the Astros had the bases loaded with no outs. Marc Krauss drove the first run of the game home with a single off of the Green Monster in left field. Matt Dominguez then hit a sac-fly that gave the Astros an early 2-0 lead.

With one out, Marwin Gonzalez hit into an inning-ending double play but not for long. After review, the shortstop threw the ball to first base before stepping on the bag. That mistake ended up being huge as two batters later, Jose Altuve launched his first career grand slam to give the Astros an early 6-0 lead. Altuve ended up 4-5 on the day for his third four-hit game of the season.

In the third inning, Dexter Fowler belted a solo home run above the Red Sox bullpen giving the Astros a 7-0 lead. Joe Kelly was done after only four innings. Along with his struggles came the high pitch count. Kelly allowed seven runs on seven hits while walking six. The Astros added on one more run in the top of the ninth but they were in full control by then.

Pitching for the Astros was right-hander Collin McHugh. McHugh was 5-9 on the season with a 3.08 ERA coming into Sunday’s game. He was sailing along pretty nicely in this game. The early lead gave him a lot of breathing room but it was still early to make any predictions. McHugh did have a little bit of trouble with his command. He has been dealing with a blister problem from earlier on this season but that might not be contributing to his pitching today.

In the bottom of the third inning following Brock Holt's walk, Daniel Nava drove him home with an RBI double to get the Red Sox on the board. That was the only run they scored all day though. Despite McHugh walking four and allowing seven hits, he rose to the occasion when he was in danger. Whenever the Red Sox were threatening, McHugh settled down and got out of the inning. He lasted six innings due to 109 pitches being thrown but he lasted long enough to earn his sixth win on the season. The Astros ended up winning 8-1.

The Astros will now continue their rough ten-game road trip by traveling to New York to face the Yankees on Tuesday night.