As for the game, GADZOOKS! That was one of the most decisive beatdowns in Fenway Park history. The Toronto Blue Jays laid waste to the bungholes of Martin Perez (4-4, 4.52 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox by setting a record with EIGHT home runs, 20 hits and 18 total runs. The Jays scored in every inning but 2 and multiple runs in 5 of those 7. Ryan Weber was the sacrificial lamb after Perez was lifted as he allowed ELEVEN runs in 5 2/3 innings. Things got so bad that infielders Marwin Gonzalez and Christian Arroyo had to pitch. Ironically Gonzalez threw one of the only scoreless innings the Sox pitchers had. Offensively, as usual, the Sox were held to just 6 hits by Robbie Ray and the Jays pitchers. When the destruction was over, the Sox fell further behind in the AL East race as the Jays won the game 18-4 at Fenway Park.
The massacre began in the top of the first inning as Marcus Semien hit a rocket over the head of Xander Bogaerts to start. Bo Bichette walked on 5 pitches not even close and Hunter Renfroe had to climb the right field wall to rob Vladimir Guerrero Jr of a home run. Teoscar Hernandez responded by hitting a home run all the way to Istanbul, Turkey to put the Jays up for good 5 batters into the game. Randal Grichuk flied out to right but Lourdes Gurriel Jr hit a home run off the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France to increase the lead. Cavan Biggio missed a home run by 3 feet off the right field wall and settled for a double. Kike Hernandez had to climb the centerfield wall to rob Riley Adams of a home run to end the inning but the game was already over 4-0.
Ray cruised in the bottom of the first as Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo walked but JD Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning.
Alex Verdugo reached into the stands to rob Jonathan Davis of a home run to start the top of the second but Marcus Semien hit a home run all the way to Moscow, Russia to increase the lead. Bo Bichette damn near missed the right field foul pole by inches and settled for a single. That was it for Perez who got the plug pulled after 1 1/3 innings and 5 runs allowed. Ryan Weber was called up today to take a beating and he came in to get Guerrero Jr to ground out to third. Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 5-0.
The Sox did get a run back in the bottom of the second when Xander Bogaerts smashed his 12th home run of the year to start. Renfroe popped up to first, Christian Arroyo flied out to right and Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 5-1.
Shockingly Weber held the Jays off the board in the top of the third inning as Grichuk struck out swinging to start. Gurriel Jr singled to left but Biggio beat out a double play ball.....BUT WAIT! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that the throw beat Biggio and sure enough, call overturned. The Sox were out of the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Kevin Plawecki struck out swinging to start. Danny Santana went down hacking and Hernandez lined out to center to end the inning.
The Jays put out a cigarette on the Sox heads in the top of the fourth although Adams struck out swinging to start. Davis lined one off of Weber for a base hit but Semien grounded out to third. Bichette ripped a base hit to right and Guerrero Jr singled home Davis to increase the lead. Bichette stole third and Hernandez smashed yet another 3 run home run to Istanbul to make this a laughter. Grichuk grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 9-1.
Verdugo took strike three to begin the bottom of the fourth and Martinez struck out swinging. Bogaerts walked but Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning.
Weber took another pounding in the top of the fifth as Gurriel Jr singled to right to start. Biggio walked but Adams struck out swinging. Davis walked to load the bases and Gurriel Jr scored on the sac fly by Semien. Bichette joined the homer parade by hitting a homer all the way to his father's house. Guerrero Jr singled to center but Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 13-1.
The Sox did fight back in the bottom of the fifth as Arroyo singled to left to start. Dalbec struck out swinging but Plawecki singled to left. Santana flied out to right but Hernandez doubled both men home. Verdugo grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox were down by ten 13-3.
Hernandez drives in a pair
The Jays were offended the Sox scored in the top of the sixth and Grichuk singled to left to start. Gurriel Jr banged into a double play but Biggio homered all the way to the Montreal Forum to increase the lead. Adams struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 14-3.
Martinez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth before Bogaerts struck out swinging. Renfroe walked but Arroyo took strike three to end the inning.
Weber took one final pasting in the top of the seventh inning as Davis struck out swinging to start. Semien flied out to left but Bichette doubled off the Monster, Guerrero Jr finally joined the homer parade with a 2 run shot all the way to Edmonton, Alberta. Hernandez doubled to left but Grichuk struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 16-3. The whole team ran up and hugged Weber as he came off the mound for taking one for the team. He ended up allowing 11 runs but saved the bullpen for tomorrow.
Joe Panik came in to play second, Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez came in to play first and Trent Thornton came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Dalbec stepped up by belting his eighth home run of the season but Plawecki popped up to first. Santana and Hernandez both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 16-4.
Dalbec hits one out
Marwin Gonzalez the infielder came in to pitch the top of the eighth and somehow didn't allow a run. Gurriel Jr grounded out to third, Biggio also grounded out to third and Adams flied out to left to end the inning. Verdugo lined out to right to start the bottom of the eighth before Martinez singled to center. Hernandez dropped a pop up from Bogaerts and forced Martinez at second before Gonzalez (hitting in Renfroe's spot) lined out to center to end the inning.
Gonzalez moved to second with another infielder, Christian Arroyo taking the mound for the top of the ninth inning. Davis walked but Panik banged into a double play. Bichette hit a routine grounder to Gonzalez...who booted it for an error. Naturally Tellez hit a 2 run bomb to outer space to wrap up the scoring. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning with the Jays ahead 18-4.
Jeremy Beasley finished off the torture in the bottom of the ninth as Arroyo flied out to center to start. Dalbec walked but Plawecki flied out to center. Santana grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Jays had won it 18-4.
Jackass of the Night is Martin Perez. Yes, Weber and Arroyo allowed 13 runs combined but none of that would have happened if Perez didn't suck, tossing just 1 2/3 innings and allowing 5 runs to take the loss.
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.
Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.
The Bad:
Danny Santana was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Ryan Weber allowed 11 runs in 5 1/3 innings, taking one for the team.
The Ugly:
Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in 2 runs.
Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.
JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.
Marwin Gonzalez was 0 for 1 with an error but pitched a clean top of the eighth.
Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run. He also allowed 2 runs in the ninth inning.
Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
That was a mugging with an audience. The Sox walked into a buzzsaw and it seems that the pitching that had held up for the first two months is starting to run out of gas. Garrett Richards, Nick Pivetta and Martin Perez had carried the team so far and they all looked awful their last few starts. It could only be temporary, after all the Houston Astros and Blue Jays have great offense, but it could be worse than we thought. Tanner Houck is still out with injury so it doesn't look like help is on the way either. The Sox are going to have to hang on until August when Chris Sale comes back and there's no guarantee he'll be the same pitcher he was before. The only silver lining about today was Ryan Weber, Gonzalez and Arroyo saved the bullpen for tomorrow in case the Jays hacked themselves tired. The New York Yankees also lost but the Tampa Bay Rays are beating up the hapless Orioles. The Sox can't afford to fall too far behind the Rays, especially on the hot streak they are on. Hopefully the Sox lick their wounds and come out fighting tomorrow night. The loss dropped the Sox to 39-27, 3 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look to keep the Jays under ten runs in the series finale. Nathan Eovaldi (7-3, 4.11 ERA) takes on Alek Manoah of the Jays. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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