HOUSTON — Jackie Bradley Jr. singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning early Monday morning, and the Boston Red Sox survived a blown save by Craig Kimbrel as they beat the Houston Astros 7-5 in a game that lasted more than five hours.

The Red Sox led 5-3 with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth, but Carlos Correa doubled just over the leap of right fielder Mookie Betts and Colby Rasmus followed with a game-tying home run.

Heath Hembree, Boston’s sixth pitcher of the night, earned the victory with three scoreless innings.

Back-to-back singles by Hanley Ramirez and Travis Shaw started the winning rally against Astros reliever Ken Giles. After a sacrifice bunt by Brock Holt, Ryan Hanigan drew a 13-pitch walk to load the bases for Bradley, who hit a line drive to right.

Hanigan scored an insurance on a wild pitch.

IF JOHN FARRELL has lost the Red Sox clubhouse, if his players are tired of playing for him and if the 53-year-old manager’s voice has grown stale, there are no clear signs of it.

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“I think he’s done fine,” said Dave Dombrowski, the president of baseball operations, when asked about Farrell’s performance during a conversation with the Boston Herald. “I think he’s a good manager, actually.”

From eschewing his first chance to pinch-hit for red-hot Travis Shaw with lefty-mashing specialist Chris Young, to using Young against a right-handed starter, to his bullpen management during tight games in a season-opening homestand, Farrell’s in-game decision-making has been dissected and critiqued by sports talk radio hosts, newspaper columnists and, surely, thousands of fans across New England.

Farrell knew what he was getting into when the season began. It’s part of the job in Boston, where coaches and managers can’t go long without winning before speculation begins to swirl about their job security.

It’s his fourth year as the Red Sox manager. Since winning a World Series in 2013, the Red Sox are 157-183. Some might believe it’s time for Farrell to move on.

Farrell was asked how he’s been handling the pressure.

“I have higher expectations than anyone else,” he said.

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Asked if he’s been ignoring the voices that have been clamoring for his job, Farrell was resolute.

“I care about our players, and that’s where my focus remains,” he said. “It’s always been there.”

Dombrowski made his support for Farrell clear.

“I think John Farrell has done a fine job managing our team,” Dombrowski said. “The only thing I would tell him is the same I would tell any manager: You need to manage with your conviction. Whatever you believe is the right move, you’re the one who is most knowledgeable in the case, and you do what you think is the right thing to do.”


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