Boston @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2015 ) Boston 7, Toronto 6

The Toronto Blue Jays squandered an opportunity to knock their magic number down on Saturday and are trying to avoid tightening up the American League East race any further. The Blue Jays attempt to maintain their cushion and earn a series win when they host the Boston Red Sox in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.

Toronto took a 4-2 lead into the ninth inning on Saturday, knowing the second-place New York Yankees had already won, and watched the combination of Roberto Osuna and Aaron Sanchez surrender five runs. The late collapse caused the Blue Jays’ lead over the Yankees in the AL East to dip to 3 1/2 games, and Toronto will welcome New York to town for a three-game showdown starting on Monday. The Red Sox took two of three from the Blue Jays at Fenway Park earlier this month and are trying to wrap up a winning road trip after going 4-4 over the first eight games. Boston is using a six-man rotation down the stretch and will send Rich Hill to the mound on Sunday against Mark Buehrle.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Rich Hill (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH Mark Buehrle (14-7, 3.66)

Hill made his first start since 2009 last Sunday at Tampa Bay and yielded one hit while striking out 10 in seven scoreless innings. The 35-year-old, who was plucked out of the independent Atlantic League this summer after last pitching in the majors out of the Yankees bullpen last season, issued one walk and did not factor in the decision. Hill is 0-1 with a 5.17 ERA in nine career appearances (two starts) in his career against Toronto.

Buehrle is in danger of not reaching 200 innings for the first time since his 2000 rookie campaign with the Chicago White Sox. The veteran is at 179 1/3 innings with three starts scheduled the rest of the way and has not gone more than six innings in any of his last five outings. The shortest of those five came at Boston on Sep. 7, when Buehrle was lit up for five runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings to suffer the loss.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts is 14-for-36 during an eight-game hitting streak.

2. Saturday’s loss dropped Toronto to 73-1 when leading after eight innings.

3. Boston 3B Pablo Sandoval (illness) sat out the first two games of the series and is day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 9, Red Sox 5