Following a 7-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Thursday, Boston found itself seven games behind first-place New York in the loss column with 40 games to play. Tampa Bay, the wild-card leader, was six games up in the loss column to start the night and playing on the West Coast.
The Sox hope to have Dustin Pedroia back in the lineup. He was a late scratch Thursday with soreness in his left foot. Pedroia will be examined Friday morning.
Jon Lester and Brett Cecil, a pair of lefties, meet in the series opener.
WHEN AND WHERE
Blue Jays (63-57) at Red Sox (69-53)
Friday, August 20, 7:10 p.m.
Fenway Park, Boston
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HEAD TO HEAD
The Red Sox are 9-3 vs. the Blue Jays this season.
PITCHING MATCHUP
LHP Brett Cecil (9-6, 3.96 ERA) vs. LHP Jon Lester (13-7, 2.80 ERA)
Lester takes a scoreless streak of 14 1/3 innings into the start. He got eight of those innings in a 3-1 win at Texas on Saturday, walking none for the second time this year. The lefty is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA against Toronto this year and 6-3 with a 2.74 ERA in his career vs. the Jays.
While Lester has loved the matchups between these two teams, Cecil has not. He is 0-3 with a 7.80 ERA in three starts against Boston, although he did duel with Lester at the Rogers Centre earlier in the year, falling 2-0.
LINEUPS
| Blue Jays | Red Sox |
|---|---|
| Fred Lewis, DH Yunel Escobar, SS Jose Bautista, RF Vernon Wells, CF John Buck, C Aaron Hill, 2B Lyle Overbay, 1B Edwin Encarnacion, 3B Travis Snider, LF |
Marco Scutaro, SS Jed Lowrie, 2B Victor Martinez, C David Ortiz, DH Adrian Beltre, 3B Mike Lowell, 1B J.D. Drew, RF Bill Hall, LF Darnell McDonald, CF |
STAT SHEET
Red Sox
- By striking out Angels catcher Jeff Mathis in the fifth inning Thursday, Josh Beckett moved into 10th place on the team's all-time strikeout list, passing Ray Culp.
- Designated hitter David Ortiz is batting .350 (14-for-40) with three homers and five RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak.
- Right-hander Manny Delcarmen on Thursday made his 287th relief appearances for the Red Sox, passing Dick Radatz and moving into fourth place in team history.
Blue Jays
- Closer Kevin Gregg has allowed one run on three hits in nine innings. He has six saves and a win in that span.
- Right fielder Jose Bautista leads the majors with 37 home runs.
- The Blue Jays are 26-19 against the American League East.
BLACK AND BLUE
Red Sox
- Second baseman Dustin Pedroia was scratched Thursday with soreness in the left foot he broke back in June. He is day-to-day.
- Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has another broken rib near where he was hurt earlier in the year, the result of a collision at first base Friday in Texas. He is out 4-6 weeks at minimum and will likely miss the remainder of the season.
- Center fielder Mike Cameron will have season-ending surgery to repair an abdominal tear.
- First baseman Kevin Youkilis had successful surgery to repair the torn right adductor muscle on his right hand. He will miss the remainder of the season.
- Catcher Jason Varitek (broken right foot) had another scan and an exam Tuesday. His foot still has not fully healed, although Varitek is just about running at full speed. The scan was sent to a foot specialist in North Carolina and the team will have a conference call Friday with doctors down there.
- Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is on the DL with an infection in his lower right leg.
- Catcher Kevin Cash is on the DL with a left hamstring strain.
- Left-hander Hideki Okajima is on the DL with a right hamstring strain. He threw a bullpen session with Varitek in Texas and threw again Tuesday.
- Right-hander Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.
Blue Jays
- Left-hander David Purcey was placed on the disabled list earlier this week with a sore right foot.
- Right-hander Jesse Litsch is likely out for the year with a labral tear in his right hip.
- Catcher John Buck may be activated from the DL on Friday. He has been out with a lacerated right thumb.
- Right-hander Dustin McGowan is out for the year following right shoulder surgery. He may miss all of 2011.
OUTLOOK
Winning two out of every three games on this homestand just might not be enough. The Red Sox, who have not won four games in a row in over two months, need to start stringing together some victories. In Lester, they have a great chance to begin a new streak.
