Toronto @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 4, 2016 ) Toronto 4, Boston 6

The Boston Red Sox avoided their first four-game slide of the season and maintained their spot at the top of the American League East with a 6-4 victory on Saturday. The Red Sox will try to pad their lead and earn a series win when they host the Toronto Blue Jays in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.

Boston has no trouble outscoring opponents and finally got enough pitching to come up with a win when Steven Wright and three relievers put together a solid outing with a combined one earned run on Saturday. Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts had a 26-game hitting streak come to an end in Friday’s 5-2 loss but bounced back with three hits on Saturday to push his American League-leading batting average to .350. The Blue Jays allowed a total of five runs during a four-game winning streak before eclipsing that total on Saturday and have earned the win in eight of their last 10 contests. Toronto is dealing with an injury to reigning MVP Josh Donaldson, who sat out the last game and is day-to-day with a jammed thumb.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, TVAS, Sportsnet (Toronto), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (3-2, 2.43 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0, 3.00)

Estrada has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the American League over the first two months of the season and is coming off a dominating performance against the New York Yankees on Monday. The Long Beach State product scattered three hits over eight scoreless innings to earn the win and worked at least seven frames in each of his last three outings. Estrada held Boston scoreless over seven innings at home on April 10 but was ripped for four runs and eight hits over six frames at Fenway Park just six days later.

Rodriguez made his season debut on Tuesday after starting the season on the disabled list due to a knee injury suffered in spring training. The 23-year-old Venezuela native yielded two runs on six hits and no walks over six innings to earn the win. Rodriguez, whose return pushed Clay Buchholz to the bullpen, split a pair of starts against Toronto in his 2015 rookie campaign but had the worst start of his young career at home against the Blue Jays on June 14 when he was rocked for nine runs in 4 2/3 frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox LF/C Blake Swihart (ankle) and C Ryan Hanigan (neck) each left Saturday’s game and are day-to-day.

2. Toronto LF Michael Saunders is 5-for-15 in the last four games after going hitless in his previous four contests.

3. Boston DH David Ortiz has hit safely in 12 straight games.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 2