Rick Porcello didn’t get off to the best start Friday night.
The Boston Red Sox right-hander struck out Ben Revere to open the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, but the next two batters reached on back-to-back singles. Porcello got out of the jam thanks to a double play, but his hard work was far from over.
The fourth inning ultimately cost him in the 6-1 loss. Porcello gave up a leadoff walk to Jose Bautista, who came around to score on Justin Smoak’s double two batters later.
“I think the two things I can take away from tonight that were in my control that I didn’t do very well was the leadoff walk to Bautista in the fourth — he’s a great hitter, but at the same time I want to make him swing the bat and earn his way on the bases as for anyone leading off in the inning — and then falling behind Smoak 2-0, that was the biggest thing,” Porcello said on “Red Sox Final” after Friday’s loss.
“To fall behind him 2-0 with first and second and I have to come in the strike zone with something, and he put a good swing on that ball and drove it in the gap. The pitch itself — I’ve got to throw a strike — it was down and he really put a good swing on it.”
But that’s what the Blue Jays do. The American League East leaders have one of the most potent lineups in baseball with Donaldson, Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion anchoring the middle of the order.
“He was having trouble with his curveball,” interim manager Torey Lovullo told reporters after the game, via the Providence Journal. “That’s something he could go to in his past outings. Fastball command was what we expected. The changeup was very effective. We just gave this team extra chances at times, and they took advantage of them. That’s why they’re in first place.”
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Some additional notes from Friday’s game:
— Marcus Stroman made the most of his opportunity against the Red Sox. The Blue Jays starting pitcher allowed one earned run, six hits and one walk while striking out three in seven innings. It was just his second start of the season after tearing his ACL in spring training.
— Boston had eight hits, seven of which were singles. Mookie Betts had the only extra-base hit with a double, but it came far too late to make a difference in this one. Betts led the Red Sox with two hits.
— Two noticeable bats were missing from Boston’s lineup. Dustin Pedroia and Pablo Sandoval both got the night off, while Betts and Xander Bogaerts returned after sitting out Wednesday.
— It was a raucous atmosphere in Toronto. The announced attendance for Friday’s game was 47,126, but it sounded like more with the roof closed. It appears those fans are ready for some postseason baseball.
— With the win, Toronto now is 4 1/2 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East. The Blue Jays’ 85-62 record is second in the American League, only one game behind the Kansas City Royals.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
