The Toronto Blue Jays are preparing to face the Boston Red Sox, aiming to return to winning form after a recent defeat. Right-hander Dylan Cease (6-5, 2.67 ERA) is scheduled to start for Toronto at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Blue Jays experienced a 6-4 loss to Boston on Friday, marking their fifth defeat in six games and placing them 10 games under .500. During the game, Toronto initially fell behind by four runs but mounted a comeback attempt.
Kazuma Okamoto contributed to the Blue Jays’ effort with a three-run home run in the seventh inning. This was his 23rd home run of the season, surpassing Shohei Ohtani for the most home runs by a Japanese-born rookie in MLB history.
However, Toronto’s top relief pitchers were unavailable late in the game. Manager John Schneider brought in rookie CJ Van Eyk with the score tied 4-4. Van Eyk allowed four of the five batters he faced to reach base, resulting in two runs scored by Boston.
Schneider commented on the challenge for young pitchers in that situation, stating, “I know it’s tough. This is probably the hardest (ballpark) to come in in the eighth or ninth inning when you’re a young pitcher.”
Cease’s last outing saw him allow five runs (three earned) over six innings in a 7-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite striking out seven batters, the All-Star Game starter gave up two home runs, which was the first time since May.
Cease holds a 2-2 record with a 5.31 ERA in eight career starts against Boston. He has had success at Fenway Park, where he has a 1.25 ERA in four appearances. Earlier this season, on June 16, he pitched five scoreless innings against the Red Sox in a 6-1 victory.
Boston will counter with Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA), who is considered one of the American League‘s strong pitchers. Gray has not recorded a loss since April 14 and has delivered nine consecutive quality starts. In his last game against the Rays on Sunday, he allowed one run over six innings.
Gray has a 4-4 record with a 2.99 ERA in 15 career starts against Toronto. In his most recent appearance against the Blue Jays, Gray gave up one run over seven innings, though Boston ultimately lost that game 4-3.
The Red Sox’s lineup proved challenging in the series opener, with Anthony Seigler achieving his first career four-hit game. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a home run, and Romy Gonzalez delivered the go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning.
Seigler’s performance included leading off with a homer and achieving his first four-hit game in the majors. Gonzalez’s RBI double in the eighth inning broke a tie, and Seigler then brought Gonzalez home, extending Boston’s lead.
Aroldis Chapman secured his 24th save of the season in the ninth inning, moving past Dennis Eckersley for ninth place on the career saves list. Patrick Sandoval pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing no runs on five hits, while Garrett Whitlock (6-1) earned the win in relief.
Rafaela’s two-run home run in the third inning was confirmed after a review. Andruw Monasterio extended Boston’s lead with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. The Blue Jays’ offence has scored four or more runs in a game only twice since returning from the All-Star break, accumulating 13 runs over their last seven games.
Red Sox recent performance and key players
The Red Sox rebounded from a loss on Wednesday night against Baltimore, which ended a 15-game winning streak. Boston has a record of 24-6 in their last 30 games.
In the eighth inning of Friday’s game, Jarren Duran led off with his second hit of the night. Gonzalez then drove him in with a liner to left field. Seigler followed by bringing Gonzalez home three pitches later, giving Boston a two-run advantage.
The Blue Jays were able to erase a four-run deficit during the game, primarily due to Okamoto’s three-run blast in the seventh inning and Andrés Giménez’s sacrifice fly in the eighth. However, Van Eyk (0-1) ultimately took the loss for Toronto.
Upcoming pitching matchup
The upcoming game will feature Dylan Cease for the Blue Jays against Sonny Gray for the Red Sox. Cease will aim to improve his record and help Toronto secure a win.
Gray will look to continue his strong performance, having not lost since April 14. The Red Sox will seek to maintain their momentum against the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays will need to contend with Boston’s strong batting lineup, which demonstrated its capability in the series opener. The game is scheduled for Saturday.
Source: sportsnet.ca
