As the summer days dwindle, so too, it would seem, are the chances of the Red Sox making the playoffs.
After another late-inning collapse, this time a 5-4 loss to the Astros thanks to Yainer Diaz’s walkoff homer, has dropped the Sox to 4½ games behind the Royals for the last wild-card spot. They are 12-17 since the All-Star break.
The Astros are trending in the opposite direction, winning 11 of their last 12 to open up a five-game lead on the Mariners in the AL West. They announced on Monday that Justin Verlander, out since June 9 because of stiffness in his neck, will return to start the series finale Wednesday, opposite Cooper Criswell.
Tonight’s matchup will have Nick Pivetta, 1-4 with a 5.17 ERA over his last nine starts, on the mound for the Sox. The Astros will counter with Ronel Blanco, who also has just one win in his last nine starts, posting a 3.83 ERA in that span.
Lineups
RED SOX (65-59): Duran CF, Abreu RF, Casas 1B, Devers 3B, O’Neill LF, Yoshida DH, Jansen C, Hamilton 2B, Rafaela SS.
Pitching: RHP Nick Pivetta (5-8, 4.49 ERA)
ASTROS (68-56): Altuve 2B, Alvarez DH, Diaz C, Pena SS, Singleton 1B, Dubon LF, Meyers CF, Whitcomb 3B, McCormick RF.
Pitching: RHP Ronel Blanco (9-6, 2.89 ERA)
Time: 8:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Blanco: Wilyer Abreu 0-2, Rafael Devers 0-1, Jarren Duran 1-3, David Hamilton 1-2, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-1, Connor Wong 0-2, Masataka Yoshida 0-2
Astros vs. Pivetta: Jose Altuve 2-8, Yordan Alvarez 0-5, Alex Bregman 1-5, Victor Caratini 0-1, Mauricio Dubón 0-1, Chas McCormick 0-3, Jeremy Peña 0-3
Stat of the day: Since the All-Star break, the Red Sox lead MLB in blown saves with 12.
Notes: With his next home run, Rafael Devers will become the 11th Red Sox to reach 200 home runs with the team, but the first to do so before turning 28. … In four appearances (three starts) against the Astros, Pivetta is 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA. … His last road win came on June 17 at Toronto, where he allowed three runs on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts over seven innings in a 7-3 victory. … Blanco is winless in his last six starts (0-3, 4.06 ERA). He deserved a better fate his last time out though after limiting the Rays to two hits and no walks in six shutout innings. Houston prevailed, 2-1, in 10 innings. … The Red Sox lead MLB in doubles with 247, while their 1,134 hits are best in the AL.
Follow Andrew Mahoney @GlobeMahoney.