while the bats could never really get anything going as Toronto took the second
game of the series 6-2 at the Rogers Centre. Penny went five innings and
allowed six earned runs on eight hits and one walk while the big righty struck
out three. Penny, now 6-4 with a 5.02 ERA, threw just 83 pitches in the loss
and has won just one game since May 26.
Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 2
Rogers Centre, Toronto
July 18, 2009
Headliner: Pitching in just his third career major
league start, lefty Marc Rzepczynski went six innings and held the Sox bats to
just one run on four hits en route to his first career victory. Rzepczynski was
a little wild, walking four batters and throwing just 59 of 109 pitches for
strikes.
Dirt dog: In
his third at bat of his first game back from being out since April with a wrist
injury, shortstop Jed Lowrie ripped a line-drive homer down the left field line
for his first longball of the season.
Better luck next time: J.D. Drew and David Ortiz combined to go 0-for-10 with six runners left
on base.
Toronto’s Kevin
Millar had a rough day against his former employers as the Jays DH went 0-for-4
with three strikeouts, a ground into a double play and left five runners on base. It was the fourth time in
his last eight games in which he had a multiple strikeout performance.
Key moment: Tied
1-1 in the fourth, the Jays bats awoke and plated three runs thanks to an Alex
Rios RBI-single to left and a two-run double by Jose Bautista. The Jays would
get two more runs to cross the dish in the fifth thanks to a two-run jack by
Adam Lind.
On deck: The Sox wrap up their three-game set with
the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon in Toronto by sending southpaw Jon Lester to
the hill to square off against ace Roy Halladay. The Sox lefty is looking for
his ninth win of the season and is riding one of the hottest streaks in
baseball, having given up just three runs or fewer in each of his past eight
starts.
Halladay (10-3, 2.85) has been the hottest name on the MLB
trading block, but hopes to put all rumors aside as he takes on the Sox. The
tall righty hasn’t won a game since June 7, losing twice in his past four
starts. Halladay is a career 12-12 with a 4.46 ERA in 34 starts against the Red
Sox.
