Red Sox, John Lackey Look to Sweep Blue Jays in Afternoon Baseball at Rogers Centre
Following Wednesday's 10-1 rout of the Jays, the Sox are on the verge of their second sweep in the Rogers Centre this year. Boston is 7-1 in Toronto in 2010.
Although the Blue Jays have led all of baseball in home runs for months, it's been the Red Sox who have used the long ball in the series. Bill Hall had two of the club's four dingers Wednesday night. J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell both went deep in the series opener.
John Lackey, who has just one win in his last seven starts, will go for Boston. Brad Mills is on the mound for Toronto.
WHEN AND WHERE
Red Sox (66-49) at Blue Jays (59-54)
Thursday, August 12, 12:37 p.m.
Rogers Centre, Toronto
HEAD TO HEAD
The Sox lead the season series 9-2.
PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP John Lackey (10-7, 4.60 ERA) vs. LHP Brad Mills (1-0, 4.09 ERA)
Lackey seemingly had turned the corner with three straight great starts bridging the All-Star break. Since then, he has gone 0-2 with an 8.74 ERA.
Additionally, Lackey is just 3-4 on the road this season and 1-5 with a 6.86 ERA in day games this year. The 31-year-old right-hander has given up 13 runs in 10 2/3 innings against Toronto in 2010.
Mills will make his third start this season due to a shuffled rotation. Brandon Morrow, who threw 137 pitches in his one-hit shutout against Tampa Bay over the weekend, will be bumped to Aug. 17. Brett Cecil, originally scheduled to start Thursday, was pushed back to Saturday after cutting his right knee tripping on some stairs.
The 25-year-old Mills, who is expected to be sent back to the minors after the start, is 1-1 with an 8.20 ERA in four career starts. He has never faced Boston.
LINEUPS
| Red Sox | Blue Jays |
|---|---|
| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Jed Lowrie, SS Victor Martinez, 1B David Ortiz, DH Adrian Beltre, 3B J.D. Drew, RF Bill Hall, 2B Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C Darnell McDonald, LF |
Fred Lewis, DH Yunel Escobar, SS Jose Bautista, RF Vernon Wells, CF Adam Lind, 1B Aaron Hill, 2B Travis Snider, LF Edwin Encarnacion, 3B Jose Molina, C |
STAT SHEET
Red Sox
- Shortstop Marco Scutaro is hitless in his last 20 at-bats.
- J.D. Drew has homered in two straight games after going 14 games without a home run.
- The Boston bullpen has a 1.30 ERA over the last 12 games.
Blue Jays
- Designated hitter Adam Lind is 10-for-20 over his last five games.
- Since going 4-for-5 with two home runs in his major league debut on Saturday, catcher J.P. Arencibia is 0-for-7.
- Right-hander Shaun Marcum surrendered a career-high four home runs Wednesday night.
BLACK AND BLUE
Red Sox
- Second baseman Dustin Pedroia (broken left foot) is expected to being a rehab assignment Saturday in Pawtucket. He may be back in the lineup next Tuesday at home.
- First baseman Kevin Youkilis has successful surgery Friday to repair the torn right adductor muscle on his right hand. He will miss the remainder of the season.
- Center fielder Mike Cameron is on the DL with a lower abdominal strain. He’s taking precaution with his return and is trying to rest as much as possible.
- Catcher Jason Varitek (broken right foot) hit on the field for the first time Sunday. He remains at least a week behind Pedroia.
- Left-hander Hideki Okajima was placed on the DL on Friday with a right hamstring strain.
- Righty Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.
Blue Jays
- Catcher John Buck is on the DL with a lacerated right thumb.
- Right-hander Dustin McGowan has missed the entire season following shoulder surgery.
- Right-hander Jesse Litsch is on the DL with a hip injury.
OUTLOOK
Lackey's recent struggles and the Red Sox' daytime blues offer the Blue Jays a small dose of confidence. Aside from that, there is not much to suggest that Boston's dominance of Toronto will come to an end.
