Red Sox Look to Capitalize on Friday’s Rout in Saturday Matinee in Toronto

The Red Sox aim for their eighth straight win in Toronto when they take on the Blue Jays in a Saturday afternoon affair.

Boston snapped a four-game losing streak with a 14-3 rout of the Jays in the opener Friday night, and the team hasn't lost in the Rogers Centre in nearly a year.

The Sox hit four homers and had 14 hits in the easy win, backing Jon Lester's six effective innings.

John Lackey will look for a similar effort opposite Brandon Morrow in the second game of the series.

WHEN AND WHERE

Red Sox (50-36) at Blue Jays (43-44)
Friday, July 10, 1:07 p.m.
Rogers Centre, Toronto

HEAD TO HEAD

Boston has won six of seven meetings this year, including all four in Toronto.

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP John Lackey (9-4, 4.40 ERA) vs. Brandon Morrow (5-6, 4.69 ERA)

While he has received some minor criticisms for allowing his fair share of hits and walking plenty, Lackey continues to eat innings and is showing signs of becoming the pitcher many hoped to see when he arrived in Boston.

Despite taking the loss his last time out against Baltimore, Lackey is 5-1 with a 3.71 ERA over his last eight starts. Additionally, he appears to have curbed his early control issues by striking out 25 and walking just five over his previous five outings.

Lackey is 4-3 lifetime against Toronto and owns a 3.04 ERA in eight career starts at the Rogers Centre.

Morrow has lasted at least six innings in seven straight starts and continues to sport an impressive strikeout rate, fanning 107 through 96 innings so far. He has a 6.48 ERA in 10 career appearances — two starts — against Boston.

LINEUPS

STAT SHEET

Red Sox

• Manager Terry Francona won his 900th career game Friday.
• Center fielder Mike Cameron is batting .478 (11-for-23) against lefties.
• Boston's three home runs in the fourth inning Friday fell one shy of matching a club record for one frame.

Blue Jays

• Lefty Ricky Romero has given up 13 earned runs in five innings over his last two starts.
• Catcher Jose Molina has homered in his last two games after going the first 27 games without one.
• Second baseman Aaron Hill is 2-for-17 over his last four games and his average is down to .187.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox

• Josh Beckett threw a four-inning simulated game Tuesday at Tropicana Field. He reported no issues and will start for Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday.
• Right-hander Clay Buchholz was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a left hamstring strain. He is expected to be the team's second starter after the All-Star break.
• Jason Varitek (foot) and Manny Delcarmen (forearm) were placed on the 15-day disabled list July 2.
• Second baseman Dustin Pedroia was placed on the 15-day disabled list July 1 with a fracture in his left foot. He suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off his foot the day before. He will not put any weight on the foot for another week or two before being re-examined.
• Catcher Victor Martinez was put on the DL on June 28 with a minimally displaced fracture on the tip of his left thumb, suffered after taking two foul balls off the thumb during a game in San Francisco. Martinez may not be ready to return after the All-Star break.
• Outfielder Jeremy Hermida is close to beginning a rehab stint as he works his way back from five broken ribs suffered in a collision with third baseman Adrian Beltre.
• Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury joined the team Friday in Toronto and will be evaluated by club medical officials before returning with the team to Boston and then continuing his rehab from a broken rib with the club's Gulf Coast League affiliate.
• Mike Lowell was eligible to return from the DL on Friday but was not with the team. There is no set date for him come back from a sore hip.
• Infielder Jed Lowrie has begun a rehab stint with the Lowell Spinners. It was about four months ago when Lowrie came down with mononucleosis.
• Righty Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.

Blue Jays

• Right-hander Shaun Marcum is on the DL with right elbow soreness. He hopes to return after the All-Star break.
• Outfielder Travis Snider hopes to return from a sprained right wrist after the All-Star break.
• Right-hander Dustin McGowan will miss the rest of the season and possibly all of 2011 following right shoulder surgery.

OUTLOOK

The Sox were 8-11 the first time they visited Toronto this year and three days later they walked out with a .500 record. They carried a four-game skid into this trip and have already managed to make that a distant memory.

Now, facing a reeling Blue Jays squad that has lost 10 of its last 13, Boston has a good chance to secure a series win heading into the All-Star break.