Final, Red Sox 8-1: Andrew Miller wrapped things up in the ninth inning. The Red Sox rebound from an embarrassing 14-5 loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday to earn an impressive 8-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Jake Peavy was solid Friday, tossing seven innings of one-run ball. The right-hander allowed just one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out seven while throwing 113 pitches (74 strikes) to earn his first win of 2014.
The Red Sox’s offense set the tempo early. Mark Buehrle entered the game having surrendered just two runs over his first four starts, but Boston produced seven runs on 12 hits against the Blue Jays starter. The Red Sox finished with eight runs on 16 hits.
Will Middlebrooks collected two hits and two RBIs in his return from the disabled list. Jackie Bradley Jr. reached base four times and finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored. A.J. Pierzyznski had three hits, an RBI and two runs scored. David Ortiz homered.
All in all, it was a complete effort for the Red Sox, who really needed it after Thursday’s disaster. Clay Buchholz will look to keep the good times rolling Saturday, as he’ll face Brandon Morrow in a game scheduled for 1:07 p.m.
Mid 9th, Red Sox 8-1: A.J. Pierzynski and Jackie Bradley Jr. continued their big nights in the ninth inning.
Pierzynski doubled with one out, and Bradley knocked him in with a two-out RBI double down the left field line.
Pierzynski is 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Bradley, who also is 3-for-4, has reached base four times. He has two doubles, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored.
Andrew Miller will look to record the final three outs for Boston.
End 8th, Red Sox 7-1: Chris Capuano has been great this season.
Capuano struck out the side in the eighth inning. The left-hander sat down Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista in order.
Capuano hasn’t allowed a run in 14 innings pitched this season.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 7-1: Each member of the Red Sox’s starting lineup has at least one hit.
Shane Victorino was the final Boston starter to collect a hit. He doubled to lead off the eighth inning.
Victorino’s leadoff double didn’t lead to any additional damage on the scoreboard, though. Todd Redmond bounced back to retire the next three hitters he faced.
Jake Peavy’s night is done after seven strong innings. Chris Capuano will pitch the eighth inning for Boston.
End 7th, Red Sox 7-1: Jake Peavy is through seven innings, though the Blue Jays scored their first run in the seventh.
Juan Francisco launched a solo homer. Peavy tried to paint the inside corner with a 1-0 fastball, and it tailed back over the plate. Francisco crushed it into the upper deck at Rogers Centre.
Peavy walked Brett Lawrie but then settled back down. The right-hander struck out Colby Rasmus and retired Ryan Goins on a bouncer to first base.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 7-0: The Red Sox have produced 13 hits just one day after being shut down by CC Sabathia and Co.
The Red Sox left two men in scoring position in the seventh.
A.J. Pierzynski singled and Will Middlebrooks got hit by a pitch with one out. Jackie Bradley Jr. grounded to first base, at which point Pierzynski and Middlebrooks each advanced.
The Blue Jays replaced Neil Wagner with Todd Redmond with two outs. Dustin Pedroia flied out to end the inning.
End 6th, Red Sox 7-0: Jake Peavy came up with two big strikeouts to exit the sixth inning unscathed.
Jose Reyes doubled over Shane Victorino’s head with one out, and Melky Cabrera followed with a single into right field. Reyes was given the stop sign at third base, and he never crossed the plate in the sixth, as Peavy buckled down when necessary.
Peavy struck out Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion to end the inning. Bautista went down looking on a borderline 3-2 curveball, and Encarnacion foul tipped a 2-2 cutter into A.J. Pierzynski’s mitt.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 7-0: Will Middlebrooks has returned with a bang.
Middlebrooks has collected two hits and two RBIs in his first game since April 4. He produced an RBI single in the second inning, and then added an RBI double in the sixth inning after A.J. Pierzynski led off with a single into center field.
Middlebrooks was thrown out at third base in the sixth while trying to advance on a throw home.
Jackie Bradley Jr. reached base for the third time in the sixth. He walked on seven pitches, spelling the end of Mark Buehrle’s night.
The Blue Jays turned to Neil Wagner, and some sloppiness by the Blue Jays’ defense lengthened the inning.
Dustin Pedroia hit a ground ball up the middle that shortstop Jose Reyes ranged over to grab. Reyes flipped to second baseman Ryan Goins, who attempted to spin a double play. The only problem was that Goins’ foot came off the bag, and his throw to first base wasn’t in time, either. An error was charged to Reyes, although Goins really should have made an effort to stretch out like a first baseman at second base rather than aggressively go for the double play.
The miscue was big, as David Ortiz and Mike Napoli forced in a run with back-to-back two-out walks. Ortiz saw seven pitches and Napoli saw nine pitches as part of two lengthy battles.
End 5th, Red Sox 5-0: Jake Peavy has been in total control.
Peavy worked a 1-2-3 fifth inning. The Blue Jays have produced just two hits against the right-hander thus far.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 5-0: The Red Sox put a couple of runners on base in the fifth inning before Mark Buehrle escaped trouble.
Shane Victorino and David Ortiz were retired to begin the fifth, but Mike Napoli kept things going with a two-out single into left.
Jonny Gomes hit a chopper to third base that Brett Lawrie charged. Lawrie’s throw was high and first baseman Edwin Encarnacion was unable to apply the tag upon coming off the bag, resulting in an infield single.
Xander Bogaerts flied out to center field to end the inning.
End 4th, Red Sox 5-0: The Blue Jays really killed their own rally in the fourth inning.
Jose Bautista smoked a one-out double to get things going for the Blue Jays’ offense, and Edwin Encarnacion enhanced Toronto’s threat with a seven-pitch walk.
For some strange reason, however, Bautista took off for third base with Dioner Navarro at the dish. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski easily gunned down Bautista for the second out.
It didn’t make much sense for Bautista to go there. Not only are the Blue Jays trailing by five runs, but the slugger was being held on at second base by shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 5-0: Jackie Bradley Jr. is swinging a hot bat in this game.
Bradley, who doubled off the left field wall in the second inning, ripped a triple into the right-center field gap with two outs in the fourth inning.
The relay throw actually got away from third baseman Brett Lawrie, but pitcher Mark Buehrle was there to back it up. That proved big because Buehrle retired Dustin Pedroia on a fly ball to right field to end the threat.
End 3rd, Red Sox 5-0: Jake Peavy pitched a clean third inning.
Peavy took care of Colby Rasmus, Ryan Goins and Jose Reyes without much of an issue.
Rasmus’ popup in the infield was slightly adventurous, though, as it appeared Will Middlebrooks lost it. Xander Bogaerts raced over from shortstop to make the catch in foul territory.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 5-0: David Ortiz and Mike Napoli look poised to battle for Boston’s home run crown this season.
Ortiz matched Napoli’s team-high five homers with a solo blast in the third inning. Ortiz connected on a lined shot to right field that exited the yard in a hurry.
Napoli nearly answered right back, sending a fly ball to deep left-center field that clanked off the wall. Napoli cruised into second base for a one-out double.
Jonny Gomes walked, making life even more difficult for Mark Buehrle, who has been knocked around in the early going. Buehrle induced his second double play of the game, though, and escaped the inning with just the one run allowed.
End 2nd, Red Sox 4-0: Jake Peavy worked around a two-out single to enjoy his second scoreless inning.
Juan Francisco’s two-out hit was the only blemish, as Peavy handled Edwin Encarnacion, Dioner Navarro and Brett Lawrie.
Encarnacion struck out to begin the inning, marking Peavy’s third K of the contest.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 4-0: Mark Buehrle surrendered just two runs over his first four starts — a span of 28 innings. The Red Sox struck for four runs in the second inning of this one.
Mike Napoli began the second with a leadoff walk. Unlike the first inning, Buehrle couldn’t recover from the leadoff man reaching.
Xander Bogaerts dropped a bloop double up the right field line. Bogaerts was jammed with a 2-2 fastball, but he got his hands inside the baseball to collect the one-out hit.
A.J. Pierzynski knocked in Napoli from third base with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Will Middlebrooks, batting for the first time since being activated from the disabled list, sent a base hit into right-center field. Bogaerts raced around from second base with Boston’s second run.
Jackie Bradley Jr. went to the opposite field for a two-out double that set up runners at second and third for Dustin Pedroia. Pedey followed with a line drive into left field that scored two runs.
End 1st, 0-0: Jake Peavy, like Mark Buehrle, enjoyed a 1-2-3 first inning.
Peavy retired Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista to begin his fifth start of 2014.
Reyes and Cabrera both struck out swinging. Reyes fanned on a changeup that catcher A.J. Pierzynski blocked and fired to first base for the first out. Cabrera also whiffed on a changeup down.
Bautista hit a sky-high popup in the infield that Mike Napoli grabbed for the third out.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Mark Buehrle induced one of his trademark double plays in the first inning.
Dustin Pedroia capped a six-pitch at-bat with a line-drive single into center field. Two pitches later, Shane Victorino, who was activated off the disabled list Thursday, bounced to short. Jose Reyes made the play and flipped to Ryan Goins to begin the double play.
David Ortiz grounded out to end the inning.
7:08 p.m.:Â Mark Buehrle tosses a first-pitch strike.
Both Buehrle and Jake Peavy like to work quick, so we might actually be in store for a quick one.
6:35 p.m.: Will Middlebrooks returns to the Red Sox on Friday. Perhaps he’ll provide a boost to a Boston lineup that also got Shane Victorino back on Thursday.
Middlebrooks had been on the disabled list since April 6 with a calf strain, but his return certainly is a welcome sight for a club that has struggled to produce runs this season. Brock Holt was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket after Thursday’s game to make room for Middlebrooks on the 25-man roster.
Friday’s complete lineups are below.
Boston Red Sox (10-13)
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Shane Victorino, RF
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Jake Peavy, RHP (0-0, 3.33 ERA)
Toronto Blue Jays (11-11)
Jose Reyes, SS
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Bautista, RF
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B
Dioner Navarro, C
Juan Francisco, DH
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
Ryan Goins, 2B
Mark Buehrle, LHP (4-0, 0.64 ERA)
6:15 p.m. ET: The Boston Red Sox played hands down their worst game of 2014 on Thursday. Jake Peavy will be tasked with getting the Sox back on track Friday in Toronto.
The Red Sox committed five errors and collected just four hits Thursday as the New York Yankees pounded Boston 14-5 in their series finale at Fenway Park. Peavy will face Mark Buehrle on Friday as the Red Sox and Blue Jays begin a three-game series at Rogers Centre.
Peavy hasn’t factored into a decision yet this season, though he’s pitched well in three of his four starts. Peavy got roughed up a bit in his last outing Sunday, surrendering five earned runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings in a game Boston eventually won in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion against the Baltimore Orioles on Easter Sunday.
Buehrle has been lights-out for the Jays this season. The 35-year-old southpaw enters with a 4-0 record and a 0.64 ERA through four starts. Buehrle tossed seven shutout innings in his last start against the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.
Friday’s first pitch at Rogers Centre is scheduled to be delivered at 7:07 p.m. Tune in on NESN, and also stick around with NESN.com.
