Still, Boston can clinch its third straight series win Tuesday night when Clay Buchholz goes to the mound opposite Shaun Marcum.
First pitch is 7:07 p.m. and we'll follow everything for you right here.
Final, Red Sox 13-12: Twenty-five runs, 34 hits against 12 pitchers in over four hours. It all adds up to one win for the Red Sox, who have taken five of their last seven, each victory coming by one run.
Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek and Adrian Beltre each have three hits in the game. Varitek drives in four and Scutaro scores four for Boston.
We'll get a little bit of reaction and come back to tie things together.
Mid 9th, Red Sox 13-12: Here we go. After everything that has gone on in this one, getting a clean save and going home is just what the doctor ordered. Jonathan Papelbon has dominated the Blue Jays in his career.
End 8th, Red Sox 13-12: Toronto picks up a safety and will get the ball back with two timeouts. Oh, this isn't the Argonauts game? OK, then hope for the Sox to tack on some insurance runs. The way this one is going Jonathan Papelbon will need some wiggle room in the ninth.
Here are some of those Hideki Okajima numbers:
- His ERA, WHIP and opponents' average increased each of his three full seasons and have skyrocketed early in 2010.
- His WHIP in the first half of 2009 was 1.08. After the break it was 1.57.
- Righties hit .309 against him in 2009 and he entered Monday with a .350 mark.
- He has now allowed four runs in two innings over his last three appearances.
- He is on pace to throw in 89 games.
10:50 p.m.: If you're not worried about Hideki Okajima yet, then you might want to take a look at the numbers and consider that he is getting used at an alarming rate thus far. Does not bode well. Okajima is relieved by Daniel Bard after failing to get an out in the eighth.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 13-10: It's Toronto's turn to record a 1-2-3 inning, its first since the second.
Jonathan Papelbon is certainly available after sitting Sunday. We're not sure on Daniel Bard. Terry Francona removed him after throwing just 15 pitches and striking out the side Sunday, saying after the game "that was plenty" for Bard.
Hideki Okajima is on to start the eighth.
End 7th, Red Sox 13-10: Perhaps we've settled down a bit here, and you can give Manny Delcarmen some credit on that front. He has set down six straight since coming on as the fourth Red Sox pitcher of the night.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 13-10: Casey Janssen works around a two-out single by Adrian Beltre to retire the Sox without a run being scored. It is the first half inning without at least one run coming in since the bottom of the second.
Five Red Sox batters have three hits in this one. Nobody else has more than one for Boston. Kind of odd.
End 6th, Red Sox 13-10: Manny Delcarmen comes on to get all three men he faces and send this one to the seventh with the Sox up three.
Whenever you get a game like this to start a series it can cause a ton of headaches for managers. Terry Francona and Cito Gaston will be praying for good outings by their starters tomorrow. The bullpens will be spent.
Speaking of starters, Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 69 pitches in a simulated game Monday afternoon. He is on track to start Saturday in Baltimore.
10:11 p.m.: The bottom of the sixth inning lasted about 30 seconds before Terry Francona was forced to march to the mound and pull Scott Schoeneweis. Lyle Overbay led off with a solo shot. On comes Manny Delcarmen.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 13-9: Through six at bats the Red Sox have already set season highs in runs and hits (17) and probably a bunch of other stuff I haven't found yet. They score four with two outs in the sixth and retake the lead for the third straight inning.
Darnell McDonald had a two-out RBI double and Marco Scutaro followed by beating out an infield hit to score a run. Dustin Pedroia then doubled in two more.
The top third of the Boston lineup is a combined 9-for-12 with nine runs scored and four RBIs.
The Bruins have been done for several minutes now and this one may have two more hours left at this pace. Both games started at 7:10 p.m. Crazy stuff here in Toronto.
Congrats to the B's.
9:54 p.m.: Two on and two out in the sixth for Darnell McDonald. The Blue Jays are making a pitching change.
End 5th, 9-9: When Scott Atchison got the first two outs in the fifth it looked as if we might actually get a a scoreless frame. Such a silly thought.
The Blue Jays tie it (again) on two hits and a walk. Both teams have nine runs on 12 hits and four walks thus far.
9:39 p.m.: Scott Atchison allows an infield single and a walk with two outs in the fifth and gets the hook. Scott Schoeneweis is on to face Adam Lind.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 9-8: Back and forth we go. Whichever team reaches 20 runs first wins. Kevin Youkilis gives the Sox the lead again with a run-scoring single to plate Dustin Pedroia.
Pedroia singled with two outs and stole his second base before coming in on the base hit.
End 4th, 8-8: Two more runs charged to Josh Beckett after Alex Gonzalez drives in a pair with a two-out triple in the fourth. It would've been a pretty good catch, but you could make a case that Bill Hall should've had that one. He may have been a bit wary of the wall and pulled his arms in a bit too soon.
That wasn't the issue, however. The leadoff walks by Beckett and the hanging slider by Scott Atchison were.
Toronto has seven hits and three walks in the last two innings.
Beckett has given up 15 runs on 16 hits in his 10 innings over his last two starts.
9:06 p.m.: Josh Beckett never had it in this one. He is gone after walking the first two men in the fourth. Back-to-back ugly starts for Beckett.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 8-6: Four innings, four RBIs for Jason Varitek. He has a pair of two-run singles already after smacking one to center with the bases loaded in the fourth.
The Sox got a run earlier in the inning on a wild pitch with the bases full. If you can think of a way to score a run, it'll happen in this game.
Here's a pretty amazing stat for you. Dana Eveland entered the night with a 17.36 ERA in three career starts against Boston. He actually saw it rise, to 18.24, after giving up seven runs in three innings. I mean, you have to put in some work to raise an ERA of 17.36. Eveland did, allowing eight hits and walking three.
8:41 p.m.: It figures to be a long night for both bullpens. Dana Eveland's night is over with no outs and two on in the fourth.
End 3rd, Blue Jays 6-5: This one is staying true to form, if you go by the history of both pitchers. Dana Eveland has been hit hard, as he always is against the Sox. And Josh Beckett continues to get hammered in Toronto.
Four extra-base hits and a pair of singles add up to six runs off Beckett in the third. The big blows are a three-run homer by Jose Bautista and a two-run double for Lyle Overbay. Beckett also walked a batter and faced 10 overall.
In 32 innings at this stadium, Beckett has given up 31 runs on 41 hits, 13 of which have been home runs.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 5-0: It's almost awkward to see the Red Sox out in front by a wide margin so early in a game. They've played from behind for the better part of two weeks, it seems. But a two-run single by Jason Varitek and a two-run double by Adrian Beltre in the third gives Josh Beckett plenty to work with.
The hits were huge, not just because they drove in four runs, but because the Sox were dangerously close to wasting a huge opportunity. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out. Mike Lowell then flied to center and J.D. Drew struck out. At that point in time Boston had six hits and one walk in 2 2/3 innings, but just one run to show for it.
The captain's hit gives him six RBIs in 25 at bats.
End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: I went 2-for-16 as a utility player my senior year in high school. But every once in a while I see a pitch thrown by a major leaguer and think to myself that I'd be able to hit it. Such was the case on a slow hanging breaking ball that Josh Beckett threw Alex Gonzalez in the second, a curve he got away with.
Gonzalez absolutely crushed the ball down the line in left and into one of the many empty seats out there. The very next pitch he fouled to Kevin Youkilis at first, and Beckett could breathe a sigh of relief.
John Buck had a two-out double in the frame. The Jays have yet to score but are hitting the ball hard and all over the place.
By the way, one of my two hits that year was a bunt single. I did win the coach's award for hustle and spirit and all that stuff, though.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: There have been two balls hit in this game already that appeared to be gone off the bat. One, Vernon Wells' double in the first, just didn't have enough lift. But Bill Hall's drive in the second just flat-out died in center.
You wonder if that play at the plate in which Kevin Youkilis was called out will come back to hurt the Sox. Dana Eveland looked like he settled down a bit in the second and might be able to put up a few zeroes.
End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Adam Lind is now 6-for-12 (.500) lifetime against Josh Beckett and Vernon Wells is 11-for-34 (.324) after they get consecutive hits in the first with two outs.
Lyle Overbay, who entered 10-for-33 (.303), is retired to strand a pair in scoring position.
Some hard hit balls in the first off Beckett, whose struggles in this building and against this club are notable (see initial post below).
Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: The Sox got the benefit of a couple of calls in the Baltimore series, but they have a run taken away in the first on a poor call at home plate.
Kevin Youkilis was clearly safe at home on the back end of a J.D. Drew single to right. Marco Scutaro scored ahead of Youkilis on the play, but the score should clearly be 2-0 right now.
Here is how it all went down:
In his first at bat against his old team, Scutaro singled to center field. The hit echoed in the cavernous, and largely empty, Rogers Centre.
Even with the Jays hosting the Red Sox, whose fans are always well-traveled, the place is sparsely settled. This has been a troubling issue in Toronto all season.
Youkilis singled with one out and Mike Lowell lined a third base hit to left to load the bases. After a good battle with Dana Eveland, Drew grounded a base hit to right that ended up scoring just one.
Despite that bad call, the inning continued Boston's abuse of Eveland. They are now hitting .481 (26-for-54) against the lefty.
7:00 p.m.: If you are wondering where to find the Red Sox on your TV (the game is on NESNplus), go to www.nesn.com/nesnplus to locate the station in your area. The Bruins are on NESN, and you can follow James Murphy's loaded live blog for updates on that end of things.
6:38 p.m.: Roughly 30 minutes to first pitch and we wanted to update you on a few news items from the day. First, reports surfaced earler that the Red Sox signed Cuban catcher Adalberto Ibarra, adding another backstop to an already well-stocked system.
Ibarra may move quickly ahead of prospects Luis Exposito and Tim Federowicz in the system and could be in the mix for the big club going forward, especially if a void is created if/when Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek move on.
We also posted a quick update on the Alan Embree situation. Terry Francona has been asked of late about Embree, who has been dominant of late for Triple-A Pawtucket. The skipper has not said anything about a move, of course, but it would be a surprise if Embree is not brought up soon, even with Tim Wakefield going to the bullpen.
Consider the history here.
In mid-March, the Red Sox sent a scout to Oregon to watch Embree in a personal workout. They signed him. Once in Fort Myers they shuttled him back and forth between the minor league complex and the big league complex so that he could get his work in. They brought him north to Pawtucket and put the April 15 deadline on his minor-league assignment. When he wasn't ready they extended it to April 30. Now that he's finally throwing the ball well, why would they let him go?
Seems like a lot of work to get Embree back to an acceptable level. Just saying goodbye wouldn't make sense.
Nothing is firm but do not be surprised if the two Scotts, Atchison and Schoeneweis, will both be replaced by Wakefield and Embree before the month is over.
4:30 p.m.: The Red Sox lineup is in at Toronto's Rogers Centre, and again it's something new. Take a look:
Marco Scutaro SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Mike Lowell DH
J.D. Drew RF
Jason Varitek C
Adrian Beltre 3B
Bill Hall LF
Darnell McDonald CF
This is the first time all season that Kevin Youkilis has been out of the cleanup spot. And while Terry Francona can insist all he wants that Jason Varitek and Josh Beckett are not being paired together on purpose, that makes four straight Beckett starts with 'Tek behind the plate.
Then again, the captain remains second on the team in home runs, slugging percentage and OPS. Hard to keep him out of a struggling lineup too often, and with a lefty on the mound it gives him a better chance to have success.
8 a.m.: Josh Beckett will attempt to exorcise his Rogers Centre demons when he gets the start in the opener of a 10-game road trip against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.
Beckett is 3-5 with a 6.62 ERA in his career versus the Blue Jays, and he has a 7.76 mark in five starts in Toronto. He is also coming off seven rough innings against Texas in which he gave up seven runs while walking a season-high five.
The Sox will be counting on Beckett to help turn things around after a 4-6 home stand which ended in difficult fashion. Boston blew a late 4-1 lead and lost to Baltimore on Sunday in extra innings, dropping to 5-8 at home.
Dana Eveland, who has struggled mightily in his career against Boston, makes his fourth start of the season for the Jays.
First pitch will be tossed at 7:07 p.m., the always awkward start for evening games at Rogers Centre.
