Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 1
The Boston Red Sox take the first game of the series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox bullpen excels on Tuesday, allowing one baserunner while retiring the final 13 Blue Jay batters in a row.
Red Sox – Blue Jays Game Summary
The Red Sox, after a 1-2-3 first inning, started the second off strong with a lead-off double by Masataka Yoshida. With two outs in the inning, Nathaniel Lowe took advantage. Lowe smacked a 2-1 fastball down the middle, 109 miles per hour off the bat, past a diving Andres Gimenez, to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. The inning ended with runners on second and third.
The second inning saw the Blue Jays mere inches away from taking the lead. After loading the bases with two outs, a George Springer grounder down the line barely scooted foul. Then, an outside 3-2 slider rang Springer up for strike three.
The scoring tempered down until the bottom of the fourth. After two straight base hits, Gimenez would ground into a fielder’s choice, scoring Nathan Lukes and tying the game at one.
Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito was removed from the game during the fifth inning, but the Blue Jays couldn’t regain the lead.
The sixth inning featured yet another RBI single from Lowe, retaking the lead for the Red Sox. After a fielder’s choice from the recently returned Wilyer Abreu, Carlos Narvaez came up with two outs. The 1-2 splitter from Kevin Gausman was smashed over Lukes’ head, driving in two runs, and making it a 4-1 ballgame.
From there, the Blue Jays went down 1-2-3 in each of the next four innings. The two Justins, Justin Wilson and Justin Slaten, pitched in relief along with Garrett Whitlock, and finally Aroldis Chapman, who shut down the Blue Jays, securing the win.
What Went Right for the Red Sox
Hitting Against Ace
Gausman had been pitching possibly the best he’s pitched so far this season. In his first three starts in September, he pitched to a 0.78 ERA, only allowing two earned runs through 23 innings.
The Red Sox smacked him around for nine hits and one walk, while driving in four runs. The Red Sox’ performance against a pitcher of Gausman’s caliber, especially so close to playoff time, is a very good sign.
Shutdown Bullpen
After a fifth-inning walk allowed by Justin Wilson immediately after taking over for Giolito, the Blue Jays couldn’t get another baserunner for the rest of the game. There were 13 straight Blue Jays batters retired to end the game. This is another great sign heading into the end of the season, this time from Boston’s top four relievers.
What Went Wrong for the Red Sox
Giolito Looked Shaky
Giolito only allowing one run in this outing was very shocking. Despite only allowing three hits, he walked four, while Trevor Story didn’t help with two early fielding errors. And, you could argue that he only got out of the second inning due to a questionable call.
This is the third of his last four starts in which he’s walked three or more batters. He’s not going particularly deep in those starts either. The most he’s pitched was 5 2/3 against the New York Yankees on September 12. He’s also thrown 90 or more pitches in all of those starts.
Top of the Lineup Performance
Jarren Duran, Trevor Story, and Alex Bregman all performed horribly. They batted a combined 1-for-14, the only hit being a fifth-inning double from Story. Luckily, the rest of the lineup picked up the slack.
Looking Ahead
The Red Sox look to take the series on Wednesday against the Blue Jays, who sit in first place in the AL East, and became the first AL team to clinch a playoff berth on September 21. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 Eastern with Garrett Crochet on the hill for the Red Sox against Max Scherzer.
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