Boston essentially gave the Jays two runs and stranded 10. A night filled with missed opportunities and some boneheaded plays.
We will head down for reaction. Back in a bit.
Mid 9th, Blue Jays 4-3: It'll be Marco Scutaro, Ryan Kalish and Victor Martinez against Toronto closer Kevin Gregg.
Scutaro is 5-for-10 off Gregg. Martinez is 0-for-7. Kalish has never faced him.
End 8th, Blue Jays 4-3: Jarrod Saltalamacchia looks at strike three for the final out of the eighth and falls to 3-for-19 (.158) in his limited time with the Red Sox, who have now left nine runners on base.
9:58 p.m.: The Red Sox have a runner on first with one out in the eighth. Shawn Camp is the new Toronto pitcher. He will face Daniel Nava, who is hitting for Bill Hall.
Mid 8th, Blue Jays 4-3: With a clean eighth Hideki Okajima runs his scorless streak to 7 1/3 innings since coming off the disabled list at the end of August.
End 7th, Blue Jays 4-3: David Purcey blows a 95 mph fastball by David Ortiz on a 3-2 pitch and a crowd that was beginning to come to life takes a seat.
Hideki Okajima is taking over for Josh Beckett.
9:40 p.m.: With runners on first and second, two outs and David Ortiz on his way to the plate, Blue Jays manager David Purcey is coming on to pitch.
Ortiz is 1-for-5 with a double and a walk in his career against Purcey.
Mid 7th, Blue Jays 4-3: Blue Jays third baseman Jose Bautista is 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk, but he just forgot how many outs there were. At least that's what seemed to happen when he took off from first with one out on a fly down the line in right.
J.D. Drew had no problem tracking it down and even less of a problem doubling up Bautista — he was on third base.
For all the stuff that went on, including10 hits for Toronto, Josh Beckett only allowed three earned runs in seven innings.
Jason Frasor has taken over for Ricky Romero.
End 6th, Blue Jays 4-3: Some shoddy play by the Red Sox helped the Blue Jays score two runs in the top of the sixth. Some shoddy play by the Blue Jays gives the Sox two runs right back.
Following a double by Adrian Beltre and a walk to David Ortiz with one out, Ricky Romero uncorked a wild pitch that moved both runners up. That made Jed Lowrie's grounder to third good enough for a run.
J.D. Drew followed with a bouncer to second. John McDonald, shaded right due to the defensive shift, had to scramble to make a backhanded stop and then threw the ball away, allowing Ortiz to come home from third.
Mid 6th, Blue Jays 4-1: Things get a bit ugly in the sixth. An Adrian Beltre throwing error allows one run to come in and then a lack of brain power, hustle or care on the part of the Red Sox leads to another.
With a runner on second, no outs and one run already in, Jays catcher Jose Molina drops down a sacrifice bunt. Jarrod Saltalamacchia fielded it up the line with Josh Beckett looming over him and Adrian Beltre stationed at third, where the runner was coming.
Salty goes to first, the only play he had, but nobody covered home and the runner, John McDonald, never stopped. He rounded third while the Sox stood around and watched. It should've been Beckett's responsibility and I'm sure we will hear an explanation later.
End 5th, Blue Jays 2-1: I just went to get a glass of water and the Red Sox decided to make three outs. Wish I could give you a good description. Just know that Ricky Romero needed only eight pitches to get through the frame.
Mid 5th, Blue Jays 2-1: The Yankees and Rays are both winning. If all three of these scores hold Tampa Bay's magic number to clinch the wild card would drop to just eight. Could be over by the middle of the upcoming week.
Josh Beckett survives a leadoff single in the fifth with help of a 6-4-3 double play.
End 4th, Blue Jays 2-1: Ricky Romero has not allowed a hit since Jed Lowrie singled early in the second-inning rally. Josh Beckett is currently glaring into the Red Sox dugout as nobody came out to warm him up to start the fourth.
Mid 4th, Blue Jays 2-1: The Blue Jays took the lead but could've had much more if not for some pretty good defense by the Red Sox.
With the bases loaded, one out and one run already in, Fred Lewis chopped one to Victor Martinez at first. Martinez had to navigate the legs of a runner to find the ball and immediately came up throwing home to get a force.
Adrian Beltre followed with a bare-handed play to nip Yunel Escobar at first for the final out. Earlier in the inning, on an infield single that gave the Jays their run, Beltre had rolled up on his left wrist diving for a ball. The trainer and Terry Francona came out but Beltre pressed on.
Rich Hill was up and warming for Boston. Not the best of outings for Josh Beckett.
End 3rd, 1-1: Pretty big sports week in the New York area. The Pats invade the Jets on Sunday, and the Rays invade the Yankees for four straight starting Monday.
Then, of course, we have Boston and New York going at it in Yankee Stadium next weekend. I wonder how much pizazz that series will have, however.
Mid 3rd, 1-1: A pair of long flies result in outs and an appearance by Jose Bautista somehow doesn't result in a home run. He grounds to third, part of a 1-2-3 inning for Josh Beckett.
The Yankees are winning. The Rays are in a scoreless tie. Just thought you might want to know.
End 2nd, 1-1: Bill Hall was the first Red Sox player in the cage during an early round of batting practice Saturday afternoon. He certainly needs it. Boston was able to pick up a run in the second on a David Ortiz RBI single but it left the bases loaded, in part due to a strikeout by Hall, who is hitless in his last 18 at-bats.
Hall came to the plate with one out and runners on the corners. After he whiffed Jarrod Saltalamacchia drew a walk to load the bases. Marco Scutaro then struck out as well.
Ricky Romero needed 28 pitches to get through the inning.
Mid 2nd, Blue Jays 1-0: Josh Beckett's last win against Toronto was Sept. 4, 2007. He has faced the Jays five times since, none of which have resulted in a quality start.
He gets through the second with few issues, although there is a very scary moment when a woman near the Red Sox dugout is hit with a Fred Lewis foul ball. You could hear the impact up here in the press box.
Thankfully she seems OK.
End 1st, Blue Jays 1-0: Darnell McDonald reaches on an error but is quickly erased when Victor Martinez grounds into an inning-ending double play.
Another note on that Bautista homer. It gives Toronto the longest streak of games (19) with at least one home run in the majors this season.
Mid 1st, Blue Jays 1-0: Strikeouts have come at a pretty good pace lately for Josh Beckett (34 in 32 innings over previous five starts). He fans the first two he faces. Home runs have come in droves all season for Jose Bautista. He follows up Beckett's two K's with his 49th homer, a shot to left that opens the scoring.
Beckett then walked a man and gave up a single to Lyle Overbay. Let's hope this is not the start of another horrid outing against the Blue Jays.
Bautista has eight homers vs. Boston, more than any other team this year.
6:43 p.m.: Terry Francona has had to come to the defense of John Lackey a handful of times this year. An off year for Lackey has begged for a handful of questions.
Is the adjustment to the A.L. East that hard? Is there something that has made him more hittable? Why are his walk totals up? Does Lackey's year remind you of Josh Beckett's first season in Boston?
All of these questions have been posed to the skipper. His tune has rarely changed. He says he loves having Lackey around, admires his ability to compete and calls him a stand-up guy.
But numbers are numbers and Francona admitted it is hard to say what has caused some ineffective nights, such as the one Lackey had Friday, giving up seven runs in 4 1/3 innings in a must-win affair.
"Runs still count and the scoreboard, whatever the final outcome is, that is what it is," Francona said
The division is a pretty packed one this year, with the fourth-place Jays leading the world in homers. That may have something to do with it, Francona said.
"It's different. You have the Yankees, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore. It's no day at the beach," he said.
"It hasn't gone perfect but there's a lot of good things there. I don't know that every guy is gonna have a career year every year."
Lackey is 2-6 with a 5.49 ERA in his last nine starts. He makes a lot of money, which will keep him a target during such stretches. If some of the same numbers pop up early in 2011, Francona will have to come to his defense again. That's just the way it goes in this town.
5:56 p.m.: Josh Beckett's struggles against Toronto have been well-documented. Here is the lineup he will face in his latest attempt to tame the Jays:
Fred Lewis, LF
Yunel Escobar, SS
Jose Bautista, 3B
Vernon Wells, CF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Adam Lind, DH
John McDonald, 2B
Jose Molina, C
Travis Snider, RF
They are a collective .319 (38-for-119) against Beckett. Vernon Wells is 12-for-35 (.343) with five homers and Adam Lind is 6-for-13 (.462) with a dinger.
5:02 p.m.: The Red Sox are winding down their batting practice right now and we have a few minor notes to pass on.
J.D. Drew was available Friday night but Terry Francona chose to keep him on the bench one more night. He takes a .444 (8-for-18) average against Ricky Romero into this one.
Felix Doubront will be looked at again Monday but it looks more and more like his season is done.
"Logic says he's not going to pitch again," Francona said.
Doubront has been out all month with a clavicle/pectoral issue. Francona said the examinations are less about getting him back on the mound in 2011 than they are getting him going into the offseason in good shape.
"He needs to have a good winter program," Francona said.
The decision on what to do next year with Doubront, who was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year on Saturday, remains up in the air. Francona said he has seen enough to know that Doubront can be successful as a starter or a reliever.
Some of that will depend on how the front office puts together the bullpen this offseason.
Dustin Richardson was given the opportunity to fill Doubront's absence for the remainder of 2010 as a lefty who can get both sides out, but he has struggled a bit. Fellow lefty reliever Rich Hill has stepped in with one scoreless inning in his two appearances and may factor in the future plans as a lefty specialist.
Hill has held left-handers to a .217 average in his major league career, his off-speed stuff buckling a few knees along the way.
"There's a lot to like there…If you're a left-handed hitter that doesn't look too easy," Francona said of Hill.
Finally, Francona was asked about Joe Torre, who announced he will step down as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers after the season. Francona said he sent Torre a note (after hearing the news from Don Zimmer) and told him he hopes he is doing it on his own terms.
We should have more on Francona's take on Torre in a bit.
3:10 p.m.: J.D. Drew is back in the lineup after four days off. He has feasted on Ricky Romero in the past so this is a good time for him to return.
Here is the starting nine for the boys from Boston:
Marco Scutaro, 2B
Darnell McDonald, CF
Victor Martinez, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jed Lowrie, SS
J.D. Drew, RF
Bill Hall, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
3:02 p.m.:
Greetings from Fenway Park, where the Red Sox are out for early batting practice. I think Jason Varitek just hit a bird with a foul ball. Lineups are being posted as we speak. Back with those in a moment.
8 a.m.: The Red Sox returned home from a successful road trip with visions of playing meaningful baseball in the coming weeks. That goal took a big hit with an 11-9 loss Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Boston enters Saturday's meeting with Toronto seven games behind the wild card-leading Tampa Bay Rays in the loss column with only 15 games remaining in the regular season.
The quest to stay remotely alive falls on the shoulders of Josh Beckett, who has been lit up by the Jays in his career. Ricky Romero goes for Toronto.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
