Toronto @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 21, 2010 ) Toronto 4, Boston 5
After allowing 23 runs in the past two games, the Boston Red Sox needed a starting pitcher to give them some length in Saturday night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Daisuke Matsuzaka did just that.
Matsuzaka pitched eight strong innings and the Red Sox walked off with a win in the 11th inning to snap a two-game losing streak. The Red Sox and Blue Jays complete a three-game set at Fenway Park Sunday afternoon.
While Matsuzaka answered the call on the mound on Saturday by fanning eight and allowing four runs in eight innings, Jed Lowrie played the role of hero.
Lowrie led off the 11th inning with his third home run of the season. He cracked the game-winner off Casey Janssen into the bullpen in right center field. Lowrie has just seven homers in his career but four of those have come against the Blue Jays.
Lowrie was nearly the game’s goat. With two outs in the top of the 11th inning, Lowrie dropped an easy pop up in foul territory. But Jonathan Papelbon (5-5) struck out John Buck to end the inning setting up Lowrie’s heroics.
It was the seventh walk-off win of the season for the Red Sox, who are clinging to hopes of catching the Tampa Bay Rays in the wild-card race despite a litany of injuries which has even trickled down to the minor league level.
Boston, which trails the Rays by 5 ½ games, put Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron on the disabled list this week with injuries that could end all of their seasons.
On Saturday, they added Carlos Delgado to the minor league DL with a sore back. The Red Sox signed Delgado a couple of weeks ago in the hopes he could give them a left-handed bat off the bench or platoon with Mike Lowell, but Delgado has been able to play only sparingly at Triple-A Pawtucket.
With Boston’s offense depleted by the injuries, it continues to rely heavily on its starting pitching. Clay Buchholz (14-5) gets the start today.
Buchholz has been Boston’s most consistent starter of the season and has won his last four decisions. He helped the Red Sox beat Toronto 10-1 earlier in the month at the Rogers Centre. Buchholz allowed just one unearned run in eight innings in the game on five hits. He is 5-3 lifetime against the Blue Jays.
Shaun Marcum starts for the Blue Jays, which trailed 4-1 Saturday before rallying for three runs in the sixth inning to tie the game. Lyle Overbay homered for Toronto, his 16th of the season and his third in the last two games. Overbay has nine RBIs in his last two games and has reached base safely in 10 of his last 14 plate appearances.
Marcum (11-6) took the loss against Buchholz on Aug. 11, allowing eight runs including four home runs in just four innings.
He is 5-3 lifetime against the Red Sox.