Boston @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( May 28, 2016 ) Boston 9, Toronto 10

The Boston Red Sox have found an opposing offense that can match up with their own and are in danger of being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox will try to get the necessary outs late in the contest and avoid a three-game sweep when they visit the Blue Jays for the finale on Sunday.

Boston knotted it at five runs apiece in the eighth inning on Friday only to watch Koji Uehara serve up a tiebreaking two-run homer to Josh Donaldson in the bottom of the frame, and had a lead disappear in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday as Craig Kimbrel blew a save in a 10-9 setback. The Red Sox built an 8-4 lead in Saturday’s contest but had Tommy Layne and Junichi Tazawa serve up two runs apiece to tie it before Kimbrel made David Ortiz’s go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth irrelevant. Toronto (26-25) has powered its way to four straight wins to pull above .500. The Blue Jays totaled 28 runs in the last four games and Russell Martin has three home runs in that span, including one in Saturday’s triumph.

TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), Sportsnet (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH David Price (7-1, 5.34 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH R.A. Dickey (2-6, 4.60)

Price has won each of his last three starts since making a mechanical adjustment, allowing a total of six runs in 21 innings while striking out 23. The Vanderbilt product finished out last season with Toronto and is making his first start at Rogers Centre since losing to the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Price surrendered two runs in seven innings to earn a win over the Blue Jays at Fenway Park on April 16 and is 11-1 with a 3.34 ERA in 15 career starts at Rogers Centre.

Dickey is having some trouble finding consistency and followed up eight scoreless innings at Texas on May 13 with a pair of losses. The veteran knuckleballer was ripped for nine runs on 13 hits - including four home runs - over 12 2/3 innings in his last two outings. Dickey made back-to-back starts against Boston in April and lost both while yielding 11 runs (eight earned) on 14 hits and six walks in 9 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts has hit safely in 21 straight games to lift his AL-leading batting average to .351.

2. Toronto placed SS Troy Tulowitzki (right quad) on the 15-day DL.

3. Boston moved RHP Clay Buchholz to the bullpen, and he could be available to make his first relief appearance on Sunday.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 3