Red Sox vs. Blue Jays Series Preview: Welcome to Fenway

The Red Sox welcome the Blue Jays to Fenway for the first time this season.

The Boston Red Sox (36-17) welcome the reeling Toronto Blue Jays (25-28) to Fenway Park for a three-game series. The Red Sox have had success against the Blue Jays thus far, going 4-2 in six road games at the Rogers Centre.

The Red Sox took two out of three against the Atlanta Braves, but ended the series on a sour note when ace Chris Sale got knocked around. The Sox will begin the series against the Jays with a one-game lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees. The Red Sox are 7-3 in their least 10 games.

Meanwhile, the Jays are 3-7 in there last 10 games, and have slipped to fourth place (11 games out) in the division. They just took two out of three from the Philadelphia Phillies, though, in a solid pitching performance for the series.

Yet, the Blue Jays offense has been the reason for the team’s struggles. Josh Donaldson is batting .228 with five home runs. Justin Smoak is batting .247 with seven HR. Curtis Granderson is batting .242 and Kendrys Morales is batting .179. It’s been a barrage of mediocrity from the Blue Jays offense ever since their hot start to the season.

However, the Red Sox must be careful with the Jays. The Red Sox have an important four-game series in Houston against the Astros, but mustn’t overlook this series against the Jays. The slim division lead could twist into a gaping hole if the Red Sox don’t take care of business against the struggling Jays. A good team beats up bad teams, and the Red Sox can’t afford to stoop to Toronto’s level of poor baseball.

Pitching Matchups

Monday, May 28 at 1:05 PM David Price (4-4, 4.08 ERA ) vs. Aaron Sanchez (2-4, 4.07 ERA)

Tuesday, May 29 at 7:10 PM Rick Porcello (6-2, 3.74 ERA ) vs. Marco Estrada (2-5, 5.40 ERA)

Wednesday, May 30 at 7:10 PM Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1, 4.02 ERA ) vs. Sam Gaviglio (2-0, 2.30 ERA)

Series Notes

Price allowed five hits while striking out six in his last start against the Blue Jays on May 12.
Price is 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA in his last three starts.
Sanchez is averaging 5.5 walks per nine innings this year.
Sanchez has the second-most walks in the Majors (34).
Porcello’s production has dipped in his last seven games, posting a 5.18 ERA over that span.
Estrada will be going for his first win against the Red Sox this season in his third try. He’s allowed nine earned runs and 15 hits over 11 innings against the Red Sox this season.
Rodriguez is 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA in his last three starts.
After a tough start to the season, Andrew Benintendi has improved his batting average to .283 on the season.

Three Keys To Victory

Limit the damage done by Yangervis Solarte: The Blue Jays’ lineup has struggled to hit this season, but Solarte is having a decent season. He’s hitting .267 with 11 HR, yet the Sox have done a great job of limiting his production to 2-24 with a HR. Limiting Solarte can cripple the Jays’ overall offensive production.
Porcello: Can the real Porcello please stand up? The Red Sox need him to bounce back and pitch like he did earlier this year. A 5.18 ERA over seven games is unacceptable, but he has a chance to take advantage of a weak lineup at home and regain momentum for the season.
Price must out-pitch Sanchez: Price has had an inconsistent, drama-filled season thus far, but he looked great in consecutive outings. Can he keep the momentum going against the Jays in Fenway on a cold spring day? Sanchez has had two solid outings against Boston this year, giving up four earned runs in 11 innings while striking out 12. Price must pitch strongly against the Blue Jays who rank 27th in the majors in batting average (.229), but still rank ninth in total runs scored (246).

Next: Red Sox rotation days are numbered for lefty Drew Pomeranz

Check back with BoSox Injection prior to the start of every Red Sox series this season for our preview!

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