Red Sox reactions: Alex Cora ejected, Walker Buehler gives up 2 big homers in loss

Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Wednesday:

1) Boston dropped to 66-56. The Astros improved to 68-53. The Astros won the three-game series, 2-1. But Boston won the season series, 4-2.

2) Red Sox starter Walker Buehler settled in after he gave up two runs in the first inning. Jeremy Peña led off the bottom of the first with a 358-foot home run to left field. Buehler then allowed a pair of walks and an RBI single to Yainer Diaz.

He retired 15 out of the next 16 batters from the final out of the first inning through the second out of the sixth. With two down in the sixth inning, he walked Victor Caratini and gave up a two-run home run to Diaz, making it 4-1 Houston.

3) Red Sox manager Alex Cora was ejected during the seventh. It marked Cora’s 22nd career ejection as a manager, including his fifth this season.

Cora already had left the dugout during the top of the sixth inning to speak with the umpire crew. At that point, a potential balk by Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown was in question. It happened with Jarren Duran at third base and Houston leading 2-1.

“First of all, they got it right,” Cora said. “They got the call right. The only thing for me is like we’ve seen that situation before: that guys have a regular windup and they (the umpires) ask the guys (the pitchers) to declare. You don’t have to declare if you have a regular windup. It’s only if you have a hybrid windup. That’s when you have to declare because that way you’re not deceiving the runner. But throughout the last two years, we’ve seen situations that it’s a regular windup and they have asked the pitcher to declare. That was the only thing.”

Brown had already balked earlier in the sixth inning, sending Duran from first base to second.

“And then I went out there (in the seventh) just to educate myself to be honest with you,” Cora said. “That’s what I told him. I want to learn, I want to know. I don’t know if he took it that I was being sarcastic. I wasn’t. And then I was walking back and he threw me out.”

4) Masataka Yoshida and Romy Gonzalez singled to lead off the ninth inning against Astros righty Bryan Abreu, who was closing with Josh Hader on the IL. Abreu was able to escape, getting Wilyer Abreu to pop out, Ceddanne Rafaela to strike out on a foul tip and pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder to strike out swinging.

5) Buehler had a four-pitch inning in the fifth, recording a first-pitch lineout to center field, a two-pitch groundout to shortstop and one pitch groundout to second base. In all, he pitched 6 innings, allowing four runs, four hits and four walks while striking out three.

6) The Red Sox cut it to 2-1 in the second inning. Trevor Story doubled to lead off the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela knocked him home with a two-out RBI single to center field.

7) Third baseman Alex Bregman made a terrific barehanded play on Yainer Diaz’s slow ground ball down the line in the fourth. Bregman fired to first baseman Romy Gonzalez for the first out of the inning.

8) The Red Sox have a day off Thursday, then begin a three-game series against the Marlins at Fenway Park on Friday. Righty Lucas Giolito (8-2, 3.77 ERA) will start for Boston. The Marlins have not yet announced their starter.