Red Sox gun for six straight at Toronto (Aug 30, 2017)
TORONTO -- The Boston Red Sox are having their way with the Toronto Blue Jays this season.
When the teams meet in the finale of a three-game series Wednesday night, the Red Sox will be trying for their sixth straight win at the Rogers Centre.
They won their fifth in a row there Tuesday night, a 3-0 victory behind the 11-strikeout pitching of Chris Sale, who reached the 1,500-strikeout plateau after 1,290 innings, the fewest required to reach that number in major league history.
The Red Sox (75-57) are 9-3 this season against Toronto, and the final two series of the season between the teams will be at Fenway Park.
The Blue Jays (61-71) are 23-33 against the American League East, a good reason they are last in the division.
The Red Sox, who lead the AL East by four games, are 29-27 within the division.
Toronto lost the first two games of the series to left-handers Drew Pomeranz and Sale. On Wednesday, Boston will start right-hander Rick Porcello (8-15, 4.57 ERA), and the Blue Jays will counter with left-hander J.A. Happ (6-10, 4.10).
The Blue Jays have continued the downslide after a 1-5 road trip, winning just once in the first five games of their six-game homestand.
"We feel we've gone on runs this year where we've been good and then we'd finish a good run with a bad one," said first baseman Justin Smoak, who leads Toronto with 36 homers and 84 RBIs. "It's just one of those things where we just haven't kept that run going."
Happ will be trying to cut his losses at two in a row.
Over his past five starts, he is 3-2 with a 3.94 ERA. Happ won the first three of those starts, allowing one run in each outing, then lost the next two, allowing five runs each time.
He has pitched once this season against the Red Sox, a no-decision July 18 in the Blue Jays' 5-4, 15-inning loss at Fenway Park. He allowed five hits, two walks and two earned runs while striking out two over five innings.
Happ is 5-3 with an ERA of 3.66 in 14 career games (13 starts) against Boston.
Porcello is 4-1 with a 4.66 ERA in his past five starts.
He will be facing the Blue Jays for the second time this season. He allowed six hits and three unearned runs over seven innings in taking the loss on April 19 at the Rogers Centre.
He is 7-8 with a 4.70 ERA over 18 career outings (17 starts) against the Blue Jays.
The Red Sox have continued their domination of the Blue Jays without some key players who are ready to return soon -- second baseman Dustin Pedroia and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
Wednesday will be a key day for Pedroia, who has been out for about a month with left knee inflammation. He will test in baserunning, which could determine if he returns for the weekend series against the New York Yankees.
"All the other stuff I've done and tested it and been good," he said on Tuesday. "Tomorrow's a big day."
Red Sox manager John Farrell added, "We felt all along that (Wednesday) would be a pivotal day. Right now, he's clearly moving in the right direction."
Bradley, out with a sprained thumb, could be ready to return Saturday, when he is eligible to return from the disabled list.
A bright spot for the Blue Jays has been the eight-game hitting streak by shortstop Ryan Goins, who went 1-for-3 Tuesday and is batting .350 (28-for-80) during his streak.
The Blue Jays also might have found at least a temporary solution to their rotation woes. Left-hander Brett Anderson, making his Toronto debut, allowed only one run on six hits and did not walk a batter in 5 2/3 innings in taking the loss against the Red Sox.
"I thought he was tremendous," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He works fast, his stuff's good. He gets a lot of ground balls. We've always known that. ... It was a great night for him. Opened a lot of eyes."
