Red Sox hit 3 homers, still fall to Blue Jays 9-7
Jon Lester‘s second start against the Blue Jays wouldn’t go anywhere near as well as his first, as he ran into early trouble. It all started in the first for the Red Sox, as they wasted a two-on and one out situation in their half of the inning. Lester got himself into an early hole as the Jays jumped ahead in the bottom of the first frame. Lester would walk Rajai Davis and then give up a loud double to Jose Bautista that put the Jays on the board.
However, Toronto’s biggest inning came in the third when Lester loaded the bases by way of a single, a HBP and a walk. Jarrod Saltalamacchia attempted to catch Bautista napping at first and instead sent the ball into right field, scoring two runs. J.P. Arencibia would hit a two-out double to plate a third run.
The Red Sox would dig in the fourth and fifth, however. Both David Ortiz and Mike Carp hit solo home runs in the fourth to bring the Sox within two. Then in the fifth, Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Dustin Pedroia, combined for three singles and one run before Jays starter, Brandon Morrow picked Ellsbury off second. However, in the bottom of the inning, Edwin Encarnacion crushed a Jon Lester fastball to left that would put the Jays up 6-3.
This new-look, gritty Red Sox club wasn’t going to give up easily though. Jonny Gomes hit his first home run of the year in the sixth, bringing the Sox back within two. Following a single, an error and a walk, Ortiz launched a bases clearing double in the seventh to put the Sox up 7-6.
It was all short-lived, though, as Junichi Tazawa came into the game and took the loss. With two outs and no one on in the bottom of the seventh, Tazawa walked Jose Bautista, and left a fastball over the plate, which Edwin Encarnacion took out of the park for the second time that night. The Blue Jays had the late lead and they weren’t giving it up. Joel Hanrahan gave up another run to the Jays in the eighth, but they wouldn’t need it as Darren Oliver and Casey Janssen slammed the door on the Sox.
With the loss comes the end of the Red Sox five game winning streak, not to mention preventing the Sox from setting a franchise record for wins in April. That said they enter May with the best record in the Major Leagues for just the 11th time. Looking ahead, the Sox will have Clay Buchholz facing off against Blue Jays southpaw Mark Buehrle tonight at 7:07 pm EST.