Boston @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2015 ) Toronto 4, Boston 10

The Toronto Blue Jays have a chance to wrap up the American League East with a nine-game homestand and will play only division opponents the rest of the way. The Blue Jays open the homestand by hosting a dangerous Boston Red Sox team in the first of a three-game series on Friday.

Toronto, which sits 3 1/2 games in front of the New York Yankees with 16 games remaining, opened its 10-game road trip by dropping two of three in Boston but recovered to take a key set from the Yankees before finishing off a series win over struggling Atlanta on Thursday. The Blue Jays stumbled initially after Troy Tulowitzki went down with an injury last weekend before putting up 14 runs in the final two games against the Braves as Edwin Encarnacion became the third player on the team (Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista) to reach 100 RBIs. The Red Sox sit in last place in the AL East but outscored Toronto 22-13 in taking two of three from Sep. 7-9 and will be a factor in the division race with these three against the Blue Jays and four at New York bridging September and October. Boston sends Rick Porcello to the mound on Friday while the Blue Jays counter with Marcus Stroman.

TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), SNET (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (8-12, 5.06 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (1-0, 5.40)

Porcello has been a different pitcher since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 26 and is 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA in those four starts. The New Jersey native is still having some trouble keeping the ball in the park and yielded a total of four home runs in his last three turns. Porcello was lit up for seven runs on seven hits – three homers – in two innings to suffer a loss at Toronto on July 1.

Stroman made his season debut at New York on Saturday following a remarkable recovery from a torn ACL suffered in spring training. The 24-year-old, who held the Yankees to three runs and four hits in five innings, has been battling the flu this week but is expected to start on Friday. Stroman is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA in three career starts against Boston.

WALK-OFFS

1. Blue Jays rookie 2B Devon Travis (shoulder) will undergo exploratory surgery next week and is out for the remainder of the season.

2. Boston DH David Ortiz became the first player in team history with six 35-homer seasons on Wednesday.

3. Tulowitzki left the team this week and will visit a specialist about his fractured scapula.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 4