Crochet — who dropped to 13-5 with a 2.48 ERA in 24 starts — typically goes heavy with his fastball the first time through the lineup. He altered his approach slightly because of Houston’s “aggressive tendencies” that he noticed during the scouting process. So he mixed in more secondary pitches early.

In their series opener on Monday night against the Houston Astros, the Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead with Garrett Crochet on the mound. The ace looked to be in control through his first two innings, but the second time through the order, everything flipped on its head.

Crochet was pummeled for five runs in four innings, his shortest outing with the Red Sox, and neither Bregman's two-run homer, nor a four-run seventh-inning rally, were enough.