Toronto @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( May 20, 2014 ) Toronto 7, Boston 4

The Boston Red Sox have enough problems with their offense without trying to trade home runs with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox will attempt to keep the Blue Jays in the park and snap a five-game slide when they host the second of a three-game series on Wednesday. Toronto clubbed four home runs in Tuesday’s 7-4 win as Boston again struggled to deliver a clutch hit and extended the longest losing streak of the John Farrell era.

Edwin Encarnacion hit two of those four home runs on Tuesday and has nine of his 11 in May as he continues to heat up. Melky Cabrera added a home run and a pair of doubles as part of a four-hit night in the opener and helped control the Red Sox offense with his smooth handling of balls off the wall in left field. The Blue Jays have won six of their last eight to pull two games over .500 at 24-22 and are getting strong starting pitching to go along with the home run-based offense. Boston never lost four in a row en route to the World Series title in 2013.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Rogers SportsNet-1 (Toronto), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Drew Hutchinson (2-3, 3.64 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (2-3, 6.17)

Hutchinson is coming off one of the finest performances of his career - a three-hit shutout of the Texas Rangers on Friday. The 23-year-old struck out six and walked one in his first career complete game, bouncing back nicely from a loss to the Los Angeles Angels in his previous turn. Hutchinson missed the Red Sox in the first meeting between the teams and won his only chance against them by allowing one run in seven innings on June 3, 2012.

If Boston is looking for a pitcher to keep the ball in the yard, then Buchholz is a strong choice with only one homer allowed in his last five outings. That is one of the few positives for the 29-year-old, who surrendered 10 hits for the second straight start at Minnesota last week and has completed seven innings just once. That lone seven-inning stint came at Toronto on April 26, when Buchholz got the win while allowing three runs and six hits, including no home runs.

WALK-OFFS

1. SS Stephen Drew is expected to undergo a physical on Wednesday before officially signing with the Red Sox.

2. Encarnacion is 1-for-21 in his careerwhile Cabrera is just 4-for-18 against Buchholz.

3. Boston LHP Felix Doubront left Tuesday’s game with numbness in his shoulder and will undergo an MRI exam.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 5