The
game and the day pretty much confirmed the worst for the Red Sox and
their fans. After Dustin Pedroia was put back on the disabled list,
Jon Lester (13-8, 3.26 ERA) pitched like he belonged on it.
It
started very early for the Jays. Fred Lewis walked to open the game.
Yunelsky Escobar then hit a ball that Beltre couldn't make the play
on, putting runners on first and second. Lester got the dangerous
Jose Bautista to fly out but he threw the ball away on a pickoff
throw which advanced the runners into scoring position. Vernon Wells
then walked to load the bases before John Buck drove in 2 runs with a
single. Aaron Hill then popped up but Lyle Overbay then capped off a
horrendous first inning for Lester with a 3 run home run. The Sox
were in a 5-0 hole before they even had a chance to bat and the game
was as good as over. In the top of the second, Lewis doubled and
Escobar drove him in with a single to widen the gap 6-0. Lester saved
himself by getting Bautista to fly out again and Vernon wells to bang
into a double play.
Meanwhile
the Sox offense could muster nothing against Jays starter Brett Cecil
(10-6, 3.90 ERA). In the top of the third, the Jays continued to
strike. John Buck singled to start the inning and Hill walked,
bringing up Overbay. Lyle then knocked Lester out of the game with
his second 3 run homer of the game to put the Sox in a 9-0 hole.
Scott Atchinson came in and allowed 2 singles but escaped the inning
with no further damage. He then pitched a scoreless fourth, one of
only 2 innings the Jays didn't score in.
In
the top of the 5th, the Jays went back on the attack. Atchinson got
Overbay to fly out but John McDonald and Travis Snyder hit back to
back singles, chasing Scott from the game. Michael Bowden came on and
got Fred Lewis to ground into a force out (Snyder out at second)
before Escobar doubled in the 2 runners to make the score 11-0. The
one bright spot for the Sox was the debut of highly touted prospect
Yamaico Navarro who singled in his first at bat in the bottom of the
5th.
After
that it was back to bad news central. Bowden got Vernon Wells to fly
out but allowed a base hit to John Buck before retiring Aaron Hill on
a fly out. With 2 outs, the Jays erupted when Lyle Overbay singled
and John McDonald launched another 3-run home run to put the Jays up
14-0. Bowden was able to strike out Travis Synder but the bullpen had
now allowed 5 runs in Lester's absence. In the 7th, the struggling
Manny Delcarmen took the mound and the hit parade continued. He got
Lewis and Escobar to fly out but the hitless Jose Bautista finally
woke up to belt his 38th home run of the year and 4th of the game for
Toronto. MDC got pinch hitter DeWayne Wise to strike out but the
leaky pen extended their woe to 6 runs allowed.
In
the bottom of the 7th the Sox finally got to Cecil but it was too
little too late. Darnell McDonald reached on a blown pop up play and
Jed Lowrie walked. Rookie catcher Dusty Brown then doubled in
McDonald and Lowrie to put the Sox on the board and chase Cecil from
the game. Jesse Carlson entered the game and got David Ortiz out to
end the Sox offense for the rest of the night.
Toronto
wasn't done yet as mop up man Tim Wakefield was last in line for a
beating. John Buck singled but Wake struck out Aaron Hill. Lyle
Overbay then drove in Buck with a single before Wakefield escaped
with no further damage but the game was effectively over. The Sox
pitching had given up 16 runs on 20 hits with 4 home runs...3 of
those being 3-run home runs.
With Lester and Beckett pitching ineffective along with the .500 pitching of John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka, the struggles of the bullpen and the position players going back on the disabled list...the season looks to be slipping away. Dice K (8-4, 4.17 ERA) looks for revenge tomorrow against Ricky Romero (10-7, 3.43 ERA)
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