As for the game, don't look now but the Boston Red Sox have hit a bit of a rut. David Price (7-2, 4.88 ERA) got smacked around by the Toronto Blue Jays and the bats were shut down by RA Dickey, leading to Boston's third straight defeat. If the Jays and Orioles can't be beaten then the Sox just may as well forget the AL East division race. As it was, the Jays took the opener of this three game set with a 5-2 win at Fenway Park.
The Blue Jays wasted no time scoring off Price in the top of the first inning as Jose Bautista hit a comebacker to the mound to begin the game. Josh Donaldson walked on 4 pitches that were borderline before Edwin Encarnarcion totally crushed a 400 foot bomb to dead center to give the Jays the lead. Michael Saunders singled up the middle but Justin Smoak banged into a double play to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.
Somehow the Sox answered in the bottom of the first against Dickey. Mr. Mookie Betts worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on the ground out by Dustin Pedroia. Xander Bogaerts moved Betts to third on a ground out and Mookie scored on a passed ball by Josh Thole. David Ortiz was hit on the hand by a 79 mph knuckleball and Hanley Ramirez drew a walk. Ortiz was ok at first but Travis Shaw hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.
Price settled down in the top of the second inning as Devon Travis froze on an 89 mph cutter. Kevin Pillar flied out to right but Darwin Barney walked. Thole grounded out to short to end the inning. Dickey also got himself back on track in the bottom of the second inning. Jackie Bradley Jr made his return grounded out to second, Christian Vazquez grounded out to short and Blake Swihart popped up to second to end the inning.
The Sox got a scare when Bautista singled off Price to begin the top of the third. Sox manager John Farrell and the trainer sprinted out of the dugout in record time to check on him but luckily David was ok. Donaldson flied out to right but Encarnacion singled to left. Bautista tried for third on the singleand Swihart fired over there...OUT! Too bad NESN missed it because they were too busy babbling about some bowling event Clay Buchholz is hosting. Saunders was plunked but Smoak lined out to center to end the inning.
The Jays got big defensive help in the bottom of the third. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third and Pedroia was totally robbed on a jumping catch by Barney. Bogaerts and Ortiz worked back to back walks but Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Jays struck again in the top of the fourth inning when Travis hit a routine grounder to Shaw who fired the ball 300 feet completely out of Fenway for a 2 base error. Pillar singled to left to advance Travis to third, who scored on the double play by Barney. Thole watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Jays up 3-1.
The Sox failed to even get a hit in the bottom of the fourth although Shaw walked to open the frame. JBJ grounded out but advanced Shaw to second, but Travis was out in a rundown on a grounder by Vazquez. Swihart popped up to third to end the inning.
Price got himself back on track in the top of the fifth by getting Bautista to pop up to center to begin. Donaldson walked but Encarnacion was rung up by 1st base umpire Jerry Meals. Saunders grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox mustered nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Mr. Mookie whiffed, Pedroia grounded out to third and Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. The Sox still didn't have a hit yet but were still in the game.
Price did what he could in the top of the sixth although Smoak singled to left to start. Price recovered to get Travis to line out to right. Pedroia snared a liner by Pillar and Barney froze for strike three to end the inning. Ortiz finally broke up the no-hitter with a double down the right field line to begin the bottom of the sixth. Ramirez hit a long fly out that moved Ortiz to third, but David was stranded when Shaw hit a comebacker to the mound. JBJ whiffed to end the inning, what a waste.
Price returned for one more inning in the top of the seventh and got Thole to ground out to second to start. Bautista walked but Donaldson struck out on a changeup before Encarnacion grounded out to short to end the inning. It wasn't pretty but Price allowed 3 runs, only 2 earned in 7 innings. Normally that should be enough to win.
Dickey returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Vazquez to pop up to short to start. Swihart whiffed but Mr. Mookie hit a ground rule double to chase Dickey from the game. Jays manager John Gibbons waddled to the mound and brought in Jason Grilli to pitch to Pedroia. Dustin grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Jays iced the game in the top of the eighth with Koji Uehara on the mound. Koji froze Saunders on a 2-2 fastball but walked Smoak. Travis twice missed a home run by inches but the third time was the charm as he launched a no-doubter to left to put the Jays up for good. Koji did manage to strike out Pillar but had thrown 30 pitches. Sox manager John Farrell pulled Koji to save him for better days although he had put the game out of reach.
Noe Ramirez was brought in and got Barney to fly out to left to end the inning but the Jays had put it away 5-1. Somehow the Sox managed to scratch out a run in the bottom of the eighth against Joe Biagini. Bogaerts walked and Ortiz doubled him to third, but all Ramirez could do was score Xander with a measly groundout to short. Shaw whiffed and Gibbons waddled to the mound again to bring in closer Roberto Osuna to pitch to JBJ. Jackie popped up to third to end the inning and the threat but the score was 5-2.
Ramirez returned for the top of the ninth and Thole swung at air to begin the inning. Bautista flied out to left and Donaldson grounded out to third to end the inning. Osuna returned for the bottom of the ninth and Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Vazquez....only to strike out. Swihart singled up the middle but Mr. Mookie flied out to right. A bit of annoyance occured when the home plate umpire called a balk on Osuna but the umps all huddled together to overrule it. Sox manager John Farrell stormed out of the dugout, tearing open his jersey and screamed at the first base ump that it was horse hockey to overturn the call.
The reversed balk came back to haunt the Sox as Pedroia singled in the hole at second to bring the tying run to the plate. Bogaerts had one last chance to extend his hitting streak and keep the game alive...but he whiffed to end the game. The Blue Jays had won it 5-2
Jackass of the Night is Travis Shaw. His error allowed the third run to score, he got caught in a rundown to kill a rally, left Ortiz standing at third on a groundout in the 6th and left David stranded at second in the 8th.
The Good:
David Ortiz was 2 for 2 with a walk and a hit by pitch.
One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list as David Price took the loss but went 7 innings and allowed just 2 earned runs. Price walked four and struck out 5.
Noe Ramirez tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3
Marco Hernandez struck out as a pinch hitter.
Koji Uehara allowed a 2 run homer in the eighth.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a walk but scored a run.
Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5.
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 to end his hitting streak but walked twice and scored a run.
Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.
Blake Swihart was just 1 for 4.
Final Thoughts:
Another game against the AL East and another loss. Once again the bullpen allows a few runs and unfortunately the bats were mostly silent most of the night. Price didn't have his best stuff but he gutted through 7 innings only for Uehara to vomit up his intestines in the eighth. Bogaerts' hitting streak came to an end and JBJ returned from leave ice cold but they should see better days. The loss drops the Sox to 32-23, tied for first place with the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles who defeated the New York Yankees 6-5. Tomorrow afternoon Steven Wright (5-4, 2.45 ERA) takes the mound opposite Marcus Stroman. The game begins at 4 PM at Fenway Park.
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