Taxed rotation issues highlighted in loss with reinforcement on way

HOUSTON -- When James Paxton took the mound on Monday night, the veteran left-hander just didn’t seem as sharp as usual.

The start was just Paxton’s third on four days of rest, and the Astros capitalized, recording nine hits and seven runs (six earned) against the starter in the Red Sox’s 9-4 loss at Minute Maid Park.

“My body felt fine,” Paxton said. “It just didn’t feel like it was coming out of my hand great.”

Boston (66-59) fell to four games behind Seattle (70-55) for the final American League Wild Card spot.

Thanks to Adam Duvall’s three-run shot (psychically predicted by NESN broadcaster Kevin Millar), Paxton escaped from the first, allowing just one unearned run, with a 3-1 lead. But he struggled in the second and fourth innings, allowing three runs in each frame behind long rallies and a Chas McCormick three-run homer. A few defensive miscues didn’t help, either.

“When we give these guys more than 27 outs, that’s what’s going to happen,” manager Alex Cora said.

Paxton fell to a 9.82 ERA in his three starts with four days of rest, compared to a 2.95 ERA when starting with five or more rest days. He’s not the only one on Boston’s staff who has benefited from an extra day off: rookie Brayan Bello has a 5.75 ERA with four rest days, compared to a 3.27 ERA with five or more and Kutter Crawford owns a 4.94 ERA with four rest days vs. a 3.86 ERA with five or more.

All in all, Boston starters are preventing just over a run with more rest (5.52 ERA with four days rest, 4.42 ERA with five or more).

So as workloads climb for the Red Sox’s mix of veteran and young starters, managing the inning counts and days off will be crucial.

Boston’s crew of relievers stepped in nicely amid losing Tanner Houck, Chris Sale and Garrett Whitlock to injury.

But the Red Sox can only lean on their bullpen -- which worked the second-most innings in the Majors (118) in July -- for so long, especially as they play a stretch of 16 games in 16 days.

“Going [every fifth day] is something you have to do in baseball,” Paxton said. “I was asked to do it this time around. It didn’t go great. But I’m sure it’s going to happen again, and I’ll get after it again out there.”

Sale and Whitlock are back. Chris Murphy’s valiant effort in relief (four innings, two runs on back-to-back homers in the eighth) boosted the club’s ‘pen before Houck returns on Tuesday. Cora said to expect around 75 pitches from Houck in the right-hander’s first start since suffering a facial fracture on June 16.

The Red Sox also kicked off a stretch of 28 of 38 remaining games against teams above .500. They took advantage of a 13-game span of facing clubs below .500, going 9-4. Boston starters surged at the end of that run, with a 2.31 ERA in their past five starts.

Paxton couldn’t continue the trend, as the Red Sox also started a stretch of seven out of 10 games against Houston.

“He had to grind, make pitches in tough situations, and that’s what [the Astros] do,” Cora said. “They’re really good offensively just like us.”

Thankfully, after Houck’s return, Sale and Bello -- Wednesday and Thursday’s probable starters -- will be pitching on five days of rest.

Based on past performance, that extra day sure could pay off.