The Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 7-4 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep at Fenway Park. It was the first time the Astros have ever been on the high side of a sweep in that stadium. It was also the Red Sox' fourth straight loss and seventh out of 10 games. Wednesday's starter Kutter Crawford came away from the loss feeling pretty bummed.

“We knew we had a tough challenge ahead of us, and losing all those games is kind of a kick in the gut, really,” Crawford said.

The Red Sox were only 3.5 games back from the third AL Wild Card spot on Saturday. They were fighting to catch none other than the Astros, so this series had huge implications. Boston now enters September seven games back from a playoff spot.

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Kutter Crawford threw 2.2 innings against the Astros and gave up six earned runs on seven hits. Not his best showing. The Red Sox' rotation has been struggling to tread water in August. In 28 games this month, Red Sox starter made it through five innings only 13 times.

The lineup is hurting as well, particularly with outfielder Jarren Duran undergoing season-ending toe surgery. Seven games is not an insurmountable gap in September; anything can happen in the late-season playoff race. However, the Red Sox really missed a big opportunity to even things up in the standings with the Astros this week.

The Astros and the Texas Rangers currently hold the second and third Wild Card positions. The Toronto Blue Jays are the first team out, trailing the Rangers by three games and leading the Red Sox by four. Games against those three teams will be critical down the stretch. Boston has only six of those games left, and their playoff hopes will likely hinge on those two series.