Toronto @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 28, 2010 ) Boston 2, Toronto 0
After yet another lost weekend, the Boston Red Sox welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to Fenway Park on Monday.
The Red Sox dropped two of three games to their rivals, the New York Yankees, and fell 6.5 games off the pace of the division leaders in the AL East. While it may not be a surprise that the Red Sox trail both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Yankees, the fact that Boston is behind the Blue Jays in the standings is shocking.
Toronto enters the three-game series as winners of seven of its last eight games. The Blue Jays won three of four at the Chicago White Sox over the weekend and improved their record on the road to 12-4. Toronto is currently four games back in the AL East.
The Blue Jays have been getting contributions from virtually every member of the lineup. At the beginning of the season it was a revitalized Vernon Wells who led the way. Since then, shortstop Alex Gonzalez has chipped in with a team-high 10 home runs and catcher John Buck has eight for the Blue Jays who continue to lead the majors in that department.
On Sunday even speedster Fred Lewis got into the act. Recently acquired from the San Francisco Giants, Lewis belted a three-run homer in the ninth inning off White Sox closer Bobby Jenks. His second homer of the season paced the Blue Jays to a come-from-behind 9-7 victory.
While the Jays are off to a surprising start, Boston's 16-16 record is a major disappointment.
The Red Sox added Monday's starter John Lackey to the fold in the offseason in the hopes of assembling the best starting rotation in baseball. That hasn't happened. In fact, heading into Sunday night's game, Boston's team ERA (5.11) ranked 26th in the majors.
Boston also added Adrian Beltre to bolster its defense but Beltre leads the majors in errors for a third baseman with seven. Beltre once made 29 errors with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but since then has been known as once of the top fielders in the game.
The Red Sox finally climbed above the .500 mark last week with a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim but after their nightmarish series with the Yankees, they're back to square one. Boston salvaged the finale against the Yankees, 9-3, on Sunday night.
The Reds Sox are anxiously awaiting the return of left fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who has missed all but six games this season after suffering four broken ribs in a game against the Kansas City Royals. Ellsbury recently took batting practice but there is still no timetable for his return.
Lackey (3-1) has had an up-and-down start with Boston, but after getting hammered by the potent Rays' lineup in mid-April, he's won his last two decisions.
The Blue Jays will start Brandon Morrow on Monday. Morrow (2-2) is among the league leaders in strikeouts with 42 in 33 innings.