When & Where
1:07 p.m. ET (NESN), July 19, 2009
Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Records
Red Sox (55-35, 1st place in AL East)
Blue Jays (45-47, 4th place in AL East)
Skinny
The Blue Jays woke up the bats on Saturday afternoon, rattling Brad Penny in the hurler's worst outing in months. Perhaps we're seeing a sign that Alex Rios, Lyle Overbay and Scott Rolen can turn things around for the struggling Jays; it's time for this fourth-place team to send a message that its season isn't over yet. For a team that dominated the whole American League back in April, a comeback certainly isn't impossible.
Starting Lineups
| Red Sox | Blue Jays |
| J.D. Drew, RF | Marco Scutaro, SS |
| Dustin Pedroia, 2B | Aaron Hill, 2B |
| Kevin Youkilis, 3B | Adam Lind, LF |
| David Ortiz, DH | Scott Rolen, 3B |
| Jason Bay, LF | Lyle Overbay, 1B |
| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF | Alex Rios, CF |
| Jason Varitek, C | Kevin Millar, DH |
| Mark Kotsay, 1B | Rod Barajas, C |
| Nick Green SS | Jose Bautista, RF |
Pitching Matchups
LHP Jon Lester (8-6, 3.87 ERA) vs. RHP Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.85)
The trade rumors keep buzzing, but Roy Halladay keeps blocking them out and acting like the best pitcher on the planet. Halladay hasn't won since June 7, when he earned his 10th victory, but he continues to get hitters out deep into games, putting this Blue Jays team in a position to win.
Halladay's not pitching for his future by any means — after years of dominance, everyone knows what to expect from Doc — but another good start today sure couldn't hurt the man's trade value. Also, every game counts when the Jays are trying to decide just how desperate they are to be trade-deadline sellers.
As for Lester, the Sox' 25-year-old southpaw comes into Sunday's start fresh off a dynamite finale to his first half — Lester struck out eight Kansas City Royals in eight shutout innings, allowing just four hits. Lester continues his evolution into one of the best power pitchers in the game. Every time out, he's taking steps forward.
Stat Sheet
Red Sox
The Red Sox are 17-12 in day games this season.
They are 5-8 on artificial turf.
Jon Lester has struck out 131 batters, second in the American League.
Jed Lowrie's home run off of Jesse Carlson on Saturday was his first of the season and the third of his major league career.
Mike Lowell has a .369 career on-base percentage against the Blue Jays. He has 12 home runs in 234 at-bats.
Kevin Youkilis' on-base percentage of .420 is second in the American League behind Joe Mauer's .444 mark.
Dustin Pedroia's 67 runs scored are second in the AL behind Chone Figgins' 69.
J.D. Drew has walked 51 times, seventh in the AL.
Rocco Baldelli is a .244 career hitter against the Blue Jays.
David Ortiz has struck out 113 times in his career against Blue Jays pitching.
Jason Bay has five home runs and 10 RBIs in just 22 games against Toronto.
Jason Varitek is 16-for-72 (.222) in his career against Roy Halladay.
Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are 29-23 on turf. Twenty-six of those 29 wins have come at the Rogers Centre.
Roy Halladay has 106 strikeouts and 17 walks this season for a ratio of 6.24.
Lyle Overbay and Adam Lind have each been intentionally walked six times.
Aaron Hill has hit 78 singles this season.
Hill (298), Alex Rios (291) and Vernon Wells (285) are all among the AL's top four in outs.
Scott Rolen is hitting .319, sixth in the AL.
Marco Scutaro is a .291 career hitter against the Red Sox, but his on-base percentage is just .326. He has only 10 walks in 48 games.
Lyle Overbay has faced Jon Lester 12 times. He has one double, two singles and a walk.
Black and Blue
Red Sox
Jed Lowrie made his return to the Red Sox on Saturday after recovering from his April 11 wrist surgery. He went 1-for-4 with a solo home run.
Jacoby Ellsbury has skipped the first two games of this series due to illness.
Jeff Bailey suffered a high left ankle sprain in the Red Sox' July 4 loss to Seattle and was placed on the 15-day DL.
Blue Jays
Vernon Wells has missed the first two games of this series because of a stomach ailment.
David Dellucci suffered a bruised foot after fouling a ball off in Friday night's game. He is currently listed as day-to-day.
Scott Richmond was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 1 with right shoulder tendinitis.
This Date in Red Sox History
In 1978, the Red Sox widened their lead over the Yankees in the American League East to 14 games, their biggest lead of this season. Their subsequent collapse, culminating in the summer's Boston Massacre, led to a one-game playoff at Fenway Park for the division crown; the Yankees would win the playoff and eventually the World Series.
Overheard
“It’s now clear that this round of talks won’t result in a deal, either. As a result, we’re going to table discussions again, which once again is a mutual decision, and pick them up most likely after the season."
–Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, in Saturday's Globe, discussing the state of the Red Sox' negotiations with Jason Bay, who could become a prized free agent this offseason.
The Press Box
Red Sox
The Jays teed off on Brad Penny.
The Sox cut their losses with Julio Lugo.
Contract talks with Jason Bay are on hold.
Blue Jays
Adam Lind went deep for No. 20.
Still more buzz about Roy Halladay…
Here's what's in Ricky Romero's arsenal.
MLB
CC Sabathia outdueled Justin Verlander.
Nice bounce-back effort from the Mets on Saturday.
Say goodbye to Matt Holliday's leg kick.
Outlook
There's nothing in baseball harder than beating Roy Halladay, but putting a fellow ace on the mound is a good start. Jon Lester has been dominant for the past two months, and seeing the two power pitchers face off will be a treat. Both teams will be hard-pressed to score runs with these guys bringing the heat — whichever pitcher makes a mistake first loses the game, and the series in turn.
