The Sox made it 9-4 on Friday night with a wild victory in the series opener. After a rain delay, an eighth-inning rally in the pouring rain gave the Sox a 6-5 lead, and Jonathan Papelbon worked out of a based-loaded jam to earn his 31st save. Now the Sox and Jays are at it again, with a pair of young hurlers duking it out in this Saturday evening contest.
When and Where
7:10 p.m. ET (NESN), August 29, 2009
Fenway Park, Boston, Mass.
Records
Red Sox (74-54, 2nd place in AL East)
Blue Jays (58-68, 4th place in AL East)
Head to Head
This Blue Jays squad began the season on top of the AL East, but they soon ran into a big problem — they just couldn't handle these teams head-to-head. The Jays have floundered this season, especially at the plate, against the AL heavyweights in New York, Boston and Tampa Bay. The Sox have to feel comfortable taking on these fourth-place Blue Jays within the friendly confines of Fenway Park.
Starting Lineups
| Blue Jays |
Red Sox |
| Jose Bautista, 3B | Jacoby Ellsbury, CF |
| Aaron Hill, 2B | Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| Adam Lind, LF | Victor Martinez, C |
| Lyle Overbay, 1B | Kevin Youkilis, 3B |
| Vernon Wells, CF | David Ortiz, DH |
| Kevin Millar, DH | Jason Bay, LF |
| Travis Snider, RF | Mike Lowell, 3B |
| John McDonald, SS | J.D. Drew, RF |
| Raul Chavez, C | Alex Gonzalez, SS |
Chicago's lineup will be announced as soon as it becomes available.
Pitching Matchup
RHP Clay Buchholz (2-3, 5.02 ERA) vs. LHP Ricky Romero (11-5, 3.91 ERA)
Buchholz has been less than stellar in his eight starts in the major leagues this season, struggling with his control and putting up a hideous 1.72 WHIP to go with the losing record and five-plus ERA. But the team's faith in Buchholz isn't wavering in the least — the Sox like their young fireballer. So much so, in fact, that the team released Brad Penny to ensure that Buchholz will keep his spot in the big league rotation. We'll see if that move pays off.
You could make a case for the Orioles' Nolan Reimold or the White Sox' Gordon Beckham, but Jays starter Romero appears to be the front-runner for Rookie of the Year honors in the American League. Romero has kept his ERA under four all season for the Blue Jays, and even when his run support has wavered a little, he continues to put this Toronto club in a position to win every time out. As young pitchers go, they don't get much better than this kid.
Stat Sheet
Red Sox
The Red Sox are 33-20 against AL East opponents this season.
Boston has scored 681 runs this season, third-most in the American League.
Clay Buchholz has a 2.82 career ERA against Toronto. He has struck out 20 Blue Jays in 22 1/3 innings.
Kevin Youkilis has a .417 on-base percentage, second only to the Twins' Joe Mauer in the AL.
Jason Bay has 29 home runs, tied for fifth in the AL.
Dustin Pedroia has scored 91 runs this season, third in the AL.
With 114 stolen bases in his career, Jacoby Ellsbury ranks seventh all-time among Red Sox players. Harry Hooper is the Sox' all-time leader.
Victor Martinez has a .906 OPS since joining the Red Sox. He has five home runs and 18 RBIs.
David Ortiz has 34 home runs and 115 RBIs in his career against the Blue Jays.
J.D. Drew is hitting just .239 against Toronto. He has only 13 RBIs in 109 games.
Jason Varitek has an .898 OPS at home this season. Ten of his 14 home runs have come at Fenway Park.
Alex Gonzalez is 1-for-2 in his career against Ricky Romero, with one RBI single.
Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are 17-35 against AL East opponents this season.
The Blue Jays have hit 263 doubles this season. Only the Red Sox (278) have more.
Ricky Romero has faced the Red Sox three times this season — he's 0-2 with an ERA of 10.50.
With 270 total bases, Aaron Hill is second in the AL, behind only the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera.
Marco Scutaro is fifth in the AL with 88 runs scored.
Lyle Overbay is 66-for-220 (.300) in his career against Boston.
Adam Lind has an .871 OPS on the road this season. Thirteen of his 25 home runs have come away from the Rogers Centre.
Black and Blue
Red Sox
Jed Lowrie, on the 15-day DL since Aug. 7 with a forearm injury, is in Pawtucket this weekend on a rehab assignment.
George Kottaras is also in Pawtucket. He is on a 20-day rehab program with the PawSox and has been out since July 30 with a back injury.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, out since June 20 with a strained shoulder, will be on the mound for the Portland Sea Dogs when they play the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Sunday afternoon.
Blue Jays
Edwin Encarnación was placed on the 15-day DL on Aug. 21 with a strained left hamstring.
Robert Ray has been on the 15-day DL since May 22 with soreness in his right shoulder.
Michael Barrett has been out since April 18 with a torn muscle in his right shoulder.
This Date in Red Sox History
In 2000, Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez started a benches-clearing brawl by plunking Devil Rays leadoff man Gerald Williams with a pitch in the bottom of the first. After the fighting subsided, Pedro proceeded to flirt with a no-hitter. He allowed no hits through eight innings, but Tampa Bay catcher John Flaherty led off the ninth with a single. Pedro finished the game with 13 strikeouts and zero walks.
Overheard
"He has the ability to change the game in different ways because of his legs, defensively or hitting the ball out of the ballpark. That's why he's a good player."
–Manager Terry Francona on the value of Jacoby Ellsbury, on MLB.com. Ellsbury recovered quickly from a high ankle sprain to reenter the Red Sox' lineup on Friday night.
Press Box
Red Sox
The Sox won one in the rain.
The Red Sox and the Jimmy Fund — a perfect match.
What's happened to Boston's ace?
Blue Jays
The Jays went down swinging.
Tough loss for Scott Richmond.
Toronto misses Scott Rolen.
MLB
Ichiro Suzuki defies reason.
The Angels picked up Scott Kazmir.
Tim Lincecum was superb again.
Outlook
Hard to bet against the Red Sox at Fenway — especially when they're taking on a struggling Blue Jays team that can't win in Beantown this season. The Sox will have their hands full with the capable rookie Romero, but ultimately, you have to expect them to find a way to win. The Sox went into this homestand looking to do some damage in the AL wild-card race, and it appears that that's exactly what they're primed to do. Expect more of the same in this one.
