Final, Red Sox 5-4: The Red Sox win!
Shane Victorino hit a ground ball to first base that Josh Thole couldn’t handle. Jonathan Diaz came around from second base with the winning run, and Boston escapes with a 5-4 victory.
The Red Sox looked to be closing in on a win sooner, but Jose Bautista launched a game-tying homer off Koji Uehara with one out in the top of the ninth.
Boston’s ninth-inning offense got going when Brandon Snyder singled into right field and Jacoby Ellsbury walked. Snyder, who made a great backhanded stop down at third base in the eighth inning, also drove in two runs with a double in the second inning.
The Red Sox took three of four from the Blue Jays this weekend. They will be off Monday before closing out their nine-game homestand with three games against the Padres.
Good night, everyone.
4:44 p.m., 4-4: The Red Sox are threatening.
Brandon Snyder, who drove in two runs back in the second inning, hit a one-out single into right field. Jacoby Ellsbury then walked.
Snyder has been lifted for a pinch-runner in Jonathan Diaz, and the Blue Jays are turning to Casey Janssen with the potential winning run on second base and one out.
Mid 9th, 4-4: Jose Bautista wants to keep playing.
Bautista crushed a solo home run off the Sports Authority sign on top of the Green Monster. We’re all tied up at Fenway.
Koji Uehara had recorded three straight saves since being named Boston’s closer, but Bautista wasn’t ready to go home yet. The slugger now has 19 home runs this season. He crushed two in the Blue Jays’ 6-2 victory on Saturday.
Jose Iglesias, Brandon Snyder and Jacoby Ellsbury are due up for Boston in the bottom of the ninth. Juan Perez will be the new Toronto pitcher.
End 8th, Red Sox 4-3: Daniel Nava reached with two down in the eighth inning, but the Red Sox’ lead remained at one run.
Koji Uehara, who recorded three straight saves on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, will look to pick up another one. He’ll pitch the ninth inning for Boston.
Uehara has his work cut out for him, though. Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are due up for Toronto.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 4-3: The Red Sox showed off some nifty defense in the eighth inning.
Colby Rasmus tried to bunt his way on to begin the inning. Andrew Miller had other ideas, though. Miller charged off the mound to make an excellent play.
J.P. Arencibia then ripped a hot shot down to third base, where Brandon Snyder made a nice backhanded play. Snyder, who doubled home two runs in the second inning, delivered a strong throw to first base to complete the out.
Maicer Izturis walked with two down, but Miller made sure it didn’t amount to a rally. The left-hander retired Emilio Bonifacio on a fly ball to center.
End 7th, Red Sox 4-3: Dustin McGowan was the new Toronto pitcher in the seventh.
McGowan faced the top of the Boston order, and he retired all three hitters he faced.
Jacoby Ellsbury struck out, Shane Victorino grounded back to the mound and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short.
McGowan made an excellent play on Victorino’s slow grounder out in front of the hill. The right-hander barehanded it, spun and threw a strike to record the out.
Andrew Miller will begin the eighth inning for Boston.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 4-3: Andrew Miller continues to put together an excellent season.
Miller struck out Josh Thole and Rajai Davis to end the top of the seventh inning. Jose Bautista was left standing on first base.
Miller got Thole with a 3-2 slider low and away. Thole tried to check his swing, but he couldn’t.
Davis went down looking at a slider on the outside corner.
It was interesting to see John Farrell turn to Alex Wilson in the seventh inning after Craig Breslow exited. Just a few days ago, Andrew Bailey likely would have been the guy. It’s clear that Farrell is trying to find low-leverage situations for Bailey while the right-hander works though his struggles.
3:53 p.m., Red Sox 4-3: Andrew Miller will enter with the tying run on first base.
Jose Bautista greeted Alex Wilson with a single into center field. Wilson then retired Edwin Encarnacion on a tricky pop up down the right field line.
Miller will battle with the left-handed-hitting Josh Thole upon entering.
3:49 p.m., Red Sox 4-3: Jose Reyes took Craig Breslow deep to lead off the seventh inning. He lifted a fly ball to left field that landed in the first row of Monster seats.
Alex Wilson is coming in to pitch.
End 6th, Red Sox 4-2: Jose Iglesias shot a two-out single into center field. That was it in terms of offense.
Iglesias, who is 1-for-3, has now reached safely in 36 of 38 games with a plate appearance. He has hits in 32 of his 37 games with an at-bat.
Craig Breslow will come back out to begin the seventh inning after pitching the Red Sox out of a major jam in the sixth inning.
Ryan Dempster surrendered two earned runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked three while throwing 96 pitches (59 strikes).
Mid 6th, Red Sox 4-2: The Red Sox got out of a major jam.
Craig Breslow got Maicer Izturis to pop out to short for the second out, and he struck out pinch-hitter Emilio Bonifacio for the third out.
The Blue Jays had the bases loaded with no outs, but Dempster and Breslow ensured that the Red Sox’ two-run lead remained intact.
3:29 p.m., Red Sox 4-2: Ryan Dempster’s day is done after 5 1/3 innings.
Josh Thole, who entered the game for Adam Lind, walked to begin the fifth inning. Rajai Davis and Colby Rasmus then struck back-to-back singles to load the bases.
Dempster got J.P. Arencibia to pop out to shortstop for the inning’s first out. The Red Sox are now turning to Craig Breslow with the bases still loaded.
End 5th, Red Sox 4-2: The Red Sox got one back on a Fenway double.
Jonny Gomes, who has had success against Mark Buehrle in the past, hammered a towering fly ball that dinged off the Green Monster. Jacoby Ellsbury, who reached to begin the fifth inning, came around to score.
Gomes almost dived past second base, but he managed to get his hand back on the bag in time to complete the double.
Ellsbury was standing on second base at the time of Gomes’ RBI double. He singled into left field to lead off the inning, and he moved up to second when Shane Victorino grounded out to third.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-2: Jose Bautista singled with one out, but Ryan Dempster made sure that the fifth inning went more smoothly than the fourth.
Dempster, who retired Jose Reyes via a groundout to begin the inning, induced a big double play following Bautista’s one-out knock.
Edwin Encarnacion chopped an 0-2 slider to Jose Iglesias, who started up the 6-4-3, inning-ending twin killing.
End 4th, Red Sox 3-2: Mark Buehrle worked another quick inning in the fourth.
The bottom of the Red Sox’ order, which did some damage in the second inning, didn’t pose much of a threat this time around.
Ryan Lavarnway and Brandon Snyder each flied out, and Jose Iglesias grounded out.
Lavarnway and Snyder, of course, are responsible for Boston’s three runs. They both doubled back in the second.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-2: The fourth inning was a battle for Ryan Dempster.
Edwin Encarnacion immediately got the ball rolling for Toronto’s offense with a single into center field. He moved up two batters later when Rajai Davis delivered a one-out single into left field.
The two singles from Encarnacion and Davis quickly put Dempster into a jam, and it got worse when Colby Rasmus singled into right-center field. Encarnacion scored from second base to give the Blue Jays their first run.
Davis, who has been running rampant in this series, swiped third base with J.P. Arencibia batting. It was Davis’ 19th stolen base of the season.
Arencibia ended up walking on five pitches to load the bases for Maicer Izturis. Izturis hit a hot-shot grounder to Daniel Nava at first base. Nava, making just his third start at first base, made a nice play on a tricky hop, and he fired to second base to record an out there. Jose Iglesias’ throw to first base wasn’t in time to nail Izturis, though, and the Jays scored their second run.
Dempster made sure a lead was still intact when the inning ended by getting Munenori Kawasaki to ground into an inning-ending forceout.
End 3rd, Red Sox 3-0: Mark Buehrle sped through the third inning.
Jonny Gomes, Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava failed to make a peep against the quick-working southpaw.
Gomes struck out for the first out. Buehrle fell behind in the count, 2-0, but he worked his way back and struck out Gomes with an offspeed pitch located down and away.
Napoli, who singled in his first at-bat after striking out four times in Saturday’s game, flied out to center field for the second out.
Nava grounded to second base to end the inning.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-0: Ryan Dempster got his first taste of trouble in the third inning. He washed it right out.
Toronto’s No. 9 hitter, Munenori Kawasaki, singled into center field with two outs. Kawasaki actually tried to bunt his way on earlier in the at-bat, but his bid rolled foul down the third base line.
Dempster then walked Jose Reyes to set up runners at first and second for Jose Bautista. The powerful Bautista didn’t get to flex his muscle this time around, though. He little a slow roller in front of the mound that Dempster fielded with his bare hand before throwing a strike to first.
End 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: Brandon Snyder is already making his first start with the Red Sox count.
The Sox got on the scoreboard in the second inning when Ryan Lavarnway followed up back-to-back singles from Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava with a blooper down the right field line. Jose Bautista, Munenori Kawasaki and Adam Lind all converged near the line, but the ball dropped in fair territory and kicked up into the seats. Napoli scored on the ground-rule double.
Snyder came up with runners at second and third, and he delivered. Mark Buehrle left a changeup out over the heart of the plate, and Snyder hammered it into the left-center field gap for a two-run double.
Buehrle plunked Jacoby Ellsbury with a 2-2 pitch. He struck out Shane Victorino and got Dustin Pedroia to hit a soft chopper down to third base to avoid any additional damage.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: So far, so good for Ryan Dempster.
Dempster enjoyed his second straight perfect inning in the second. He sat down Adam Lind, Rajai Davis and Colby Rasmus in order.
After Lind grounded out to second base harmlessly, Dempster struck out Davis, who has been a menace on the bases in this series. Dempster pounded the strike zone with back-to-back fastballs to get ahead, and he finished him off with a slider in the dirt.
Colby Rasmus lined out to Jacoby Ellsbury in right-center field to end the inning.
End 1st, 0-0: One thing you know you’re going to get with Mark Buehrle is a quick pace.
Buehrle, who doesn’t spend much time between pitches, issued a two-out walk to Dustin Pedroia in the first inning. He otherwise cruised through it.
Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out for the first out, and Shane Victorino flied out to center field for the second out. Jonny Gomes ended the inning by hitting a little dribbler back to the mound, where Buehrlee — a good fielding pitcher — handled it easily.
Gomes entered Sunday’s game hitting .333 (6-for-18) in his career against Buehrle, hence him batting cleanup with David Ortiz out of the lineup.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Ryan Dempster’s afternoon is off to a good start.
Dempster enjoyed a 1-2-3 first inning against the very top-heavy Blue Jays order.
Dempster began his day by striking out Jose Reyes. The right-hander quickly jumped ahead in the count, 0-2, and he put Reyes away with a 1-2 splitter that dropped off the table.
Jose Bautista, who crushed two home runs on Saturday, flied out to right field for the second out after ripping a few foul balls.
Edwin Encarnacion ended the inning by grounding to third base. Brandon Snyder, who is getting his first start with the Red Sox, took care of it.
1:37 p.m.: Ryan Dempster kicks off Sunday Funday with a first-pitch strike. Let’s play some hardball.
1:17 p.m.: How about a birthday shout-out to Mike Carp? Carp turns 27 Sunday.
To see how Carp’s 2013 season stacks up against Carl Yastrzemski’s 1961 season, pop on over to BostonFanFavorites.com.
1:04 p.m.: The Red Sox have a chance to do something they haven’t done in seven years.
The Sox enter Sunday’s game — the last of the month — hitting .299 in June. The last time that the Red Sox hit .300 in a month was May 2006, when they hit .306.
It’s also worth noting that the Red Sox have an AL-high 11 triples in June, which is their most triples in any month since June 2003, when they hit 15.
12:11 p.m.: The lineup cards are in, and John Farrell has elected to give David Ortiz the day off.
Farrell likes to use off days to his advantage, and with the Red Sox off Monday, Ortiz will be afforded two consecutive days of rest. Mike Napoli will shift to the DH spot with Ortiz on the bench, and Daniel Nava will start at first base.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia will also be out of the lineup on Sunday. Ryan Lavarnway will start behind the dish and bat seventh.
Brandon Snyder will get the nod down at third base for the series finale.
Check out the lineups below.
Red Sox (49-34)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Mike Napoli, DH
Daniel Nava, 1B
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Jose Iglesias, SS
Brandon Snyder, 3B
Ryan Dempster, RHP (5-8, 4.15 ERA)
Blue Jays (40-40)
Jose Reyes, SS
Jose Bautista, RF
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Adam Lind, 1B
Rajai Davis, LF
Colby Rasmus, CF
J.P. Arencibia, C
Maicer Izturis, 3B
Munenori Kawasaki, 2B
Mark Buehrle, LHP (4-5, 4.73)
8 a.m. ET: The Blue Jays have a chance to salvage a split.
Jose Bautista launched two home runs on Saturday as the Jays came away with a 6-2 win. The Red Sox kicked off the four-game weekend series with back-to-back wins on Thursday and Friday, and they had a chance to secure another victory on Saturday after Shane Victorino tied the game in the seventh inning with a two-run single. Bautista’s eighth-inning blast off Junichi Tazawa put Toronto back in the driver’s seat, though.
The Red Sox, who had won four straight before Saturday’s loss, will look to start up a new winning streak on Sunday. Ryan Dempster will take the mound, and he’ll go up against Mark Buehrle in a battle of two wily veterans.
Buehrle has faced the Red Sox twice this season. He received the loss while giving up five earned runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings on May 1. He didn’t factor in the decision on May 11, when he tossed seven innings of one-run ball.
Dempster, meanwhile, has gone up against the Blue Jays twice this season. He earned a win while surrendering one run over six innings on May 2, and he received a loss while surrendering six runs over five innings on May 12.
The Blue Jays came into the series trailing the Red Sox by 6 1/2 games in the American League East. They have a chance to leave the same way.
Sunday’s action is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Tune in on NESN, and follow along right here. I’ll try to make it worth your while.
