Toronto @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 18, 2010 ) Toronto 4, Boston 3
With their playoff hopes fading by the day, the Boston Red Sox are looking at personal feats as the season draws to an end.
Sunday’s starter, Jon Lester, is the first on the list.
Lester takes aim at his career-best 18th win of the season as the Red Sox host the Toronto Blue Jays in the finale of a disappointing three-game series at Fenway Park Sunday. The Red Sox have lost the first two games, squandering any chances to close the gap in the American League wild-card standings.
After losing a career-high four straight games, Lester has been Cy Young worthy. He has won four straight starts and six of his last seven. He has recorded a decision in his last 16 starts and struck out at least 10 batters in four straight outings.
All are career bests.
While Lester (17-8) will probably finish behind New York’s CC Sabathia, who won his 20th game on Saturday, and David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays in the Cy Young race, his season has been among the best in the AL.
There is, however, one outing that Lester would like to forget. The last time he faced the Blue Jays, the left-hander allowed nine earned runs on eight hits and three walks in just two innings. That outing raised his ERA from a season-low 2.80 to 3.26.
Since then he’s been brilliant, allowing just eight runs in 27 innings on 17 hits while striking out 42. Lester and teammate Clay Buchholz, with 16 wins, have both already recorded career highs for victories in a season.
Toronto starter Shaun Marcum (12-7) is no stranger to the Red Sox. Marcum has faced Boston four times this season, going 1-2. Marcum is 5-4 career against the Red Sox and beat them in early May, allowing just two hits and no runs in seven innings of a 3-2 win.
In his first start against Boston, he took a no-decision in the Red Sox’s 2-1 win.
The Blue Jays are hoping to finish above .500 on the season while enjoying Jose Bautista’s power feats. Bautista blasted his team-record 49th home run in Saturday’s 4-3 at Fenway. It was his eighth homer against the Red Sox this season.
Bautista is well ahead of the field for the major league lead. St. Louis’ Albert Pujols is second with 39.
Bautista is second in the AL in RBIs with 114, four behind Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera.
Toronto’s Aaron Hill is questionable for today’s game. Hill left Friday night’s game after being hit by a pitch by John Lackey and did not play on Saturday. J.D. Drew returned to the Boston lineup on Saturday after missing five straight games with a sore ankle.
The Red Sox trail the Tampa Bay Rays by eight games in the wild-card standings with just 14 games to play.