The Sox won on Friday night, rallying in the eighth inning to win a rain-soaked wild one at Fenway, and they won Saturday as well, riding a stellar start from Clay Buchholz to another victory.
All that stands between the Sox and a sweep of the visiting Jays is… well, the best pitcher in the American League.
When and Where
1:35 p.m. ET (NESN), August 30, 2009
Fenway Park, Boston, Mass.
Records
Red Sox (75-54, 2nd place in AL East)
Blue Jays (58-69, 4th place in AL East)
Head to Head
The Sox have been dominant against Toronto, rallying for timely runs and putting up strong pitching performances when they’re needed most. They’re 5-0 against the Jays this month — they haven’t lost to them since six weeks ago. That game, the Sox lost 3-1 on a Sunday afternoon in Toronto on July 19. The starting pitcher for the Jays in that game? Yes, you guessed it — Roy Halladay.
Starting Lineups
| Blue Jays | Red Sox |
| Marco Scutaro, SS | Jacoby Ellsbury, CF |
| Aaron Hill, 2B | Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| Adam Lind, DH | Victor Martinez, C |
| Lyle Overbay, 1B | Kevin Youkilis, 3B |
| Vernon Wells, CF | David Ortiz, DH |
| Rod Barajas, C | J.D. Drew, RF |
| Travis Snider, RF | Rocco Baldelli, LF |
| Jose Bautista, LF | Jason Varitek, C |
| John McDonald, 3B | Alex Gonzalez, SS |
Pitching Matchup
RHP Paul Byrd (first start of 2009) vs. RHP Roy Halladay (13-7, 3.03 ERA)
If you’re looking for an explanation for Junichi Tazawa‘s recent demotion to the Gulf Coast League, this is it: The Sox have decided that the veteran Byrd is ready for a return to the big leagues. The Sox signed Byrd to a minor league contract three weeks ago, and with good reason — he was 4-2 with an 4.78 ERA in eight starts for the Sox last season. This August has been his spring training — he’s worked from being out of baseball all the way back to the starting rotation of a playoff contender.
As for the Jays’ starter, he’s got anything but a minor league contract. Halladay is the class of the American League — although he has cooled off a little since the trade rumors subsided at the July 31 deadline. His record in August has been fairly pedestrian — he’s 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA, and he’s been taken deep seven times in 36 innings. Not the strongest of months, but he’s still a prime candidate for Cy Young honors in the AL.
Stat Sheet
Red Sox
The Red Sox are 44-21 at home this season.
They are 21-17 in day games.
Paul Byrd has made 11 career starts against the Blue Jays. He is 5-5 with a 3.86 ERA.
Kevin Youkilis has a .555 slugging percentage, fourth in the AL.
Jason Bay is eighth in the AL with 83 runs scored.
Dustin Pedroia is 10th in the AL with 149 hits.
Jacoby Ellsbury is 50-for-164 (.305) since the All-Star break.
Alex Gonzalez is 9-for-51 (.176) since joining the Red Sox this month.
Victor Martinez has a career batting line of .315/.408/.507 against the Blue Jays.
J.D. Drew is a .248 hitter against the Jays. He has six homers and 14 RBIs.
David Ortiz is a .273 career hitter against Halladay. He has five home runs and six doubles.
Mike Lowell is hitting just .233 against Halladay, but he has three homers in only 30 at-bats.
Blue Jays
The Blue Jays’ last three games have all been decided by one run. They are 16-24 this season in one-run games.
The Jays have a team batting average of .268, fifth-best in the American League.
Halladay has struck out 188 batters and walked 61 this season.
Aaron Hill has 158 hits, seventh-most in the AL.
Adam Lind has 256 total bases, also seventh in the AL. (Hill is first.)
Marco Scutaro has 77 walks, fifth-most in the AL.
Lyle Overbay has a .367 on-base percentage on the road this season and a matching .367 mark against the Red Sox in his career.
Vernon Wells has a .354 OBP in August, his best of any month this season.
Black and Blue
Red Sox
Daisuke Matsuzaka will make a rehab start with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on Sunday afternoon. He is tentatively scheduled to start for the major league club on Sept. 9 against the Orioles.
Jed Lowrie experienced a setback in his rehab trip to Pawtucket, injuring his left wrist while swinging at a pitch on Wednesday night. He still hopes to return this season.
Jeff Bailey has been on the 15-day disabled list since July 5 with a high ankle sprain in his left leg.
Blue Jays
Jesse Litsch has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 14 with a strained right forearm.
Shaun Marcum has been on the 15-day DL since March 27 — he is recovering from surgery on his right elbow.
Dustin McGowan has also been out since March 27 after undergoing right shoulder surgery.
This Date in Red Sox History
In 1918, Theodore Samuel Williams was born in San Diego, son of the soldier Samuel Williams and the Salvation Army worker May Venzor. Ted Williams would go on to play 22 seasons for the Red Sox en route to becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Overheard
“Remember back in Texas when this first started with Wake and his lower back or his lower buttocks — wherever it was — kind of locked him up. That’s happened again. He was initially a little but tender after his start, which I think we all thought he would be. Then we wanted to wait a day and see if he got better, then today he came in and he was really sore.”
–Manager Terry Francona, in yesterday’s Globe, on the status of Tim Wakefield. Wakefield has reinjured his back and will miss his next start.
Press Box
Red Sox
Clay Buchholz was dominant on Saturday night.
A setback for Tim Wakefield.
A demotion for Junichi Tazawa.
Blue Jays
The Jays’ rally came up short on Saturday.
Roy Halladay got blasted last time out.
Here’s an update on Marco Scutaro.
MLB
Barry Zito brought the heat for the Giants.
Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin teamed up for a shutout.
David Price carried the Rays to victory.
Outlook
The Red Sox have dominated the Blue Jays at Fenway Park this season, but beating Roy Halladay is another story, home or anywhere else. The Sox broke through and beat Halladay last week, but can lightning strike twice? And more importantly, can it strike for a Red Sox team that’s giving Paul Byrd the first start of his 2009 season? Byrd says he’s ready for the major leagues, but beating Halladay in his first game back is a tall order. We’ll see what the Sox have in store for us this time out.
