Final, Red Sox 3-1: The Blue Jays brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning before faltering.
Jared Goedert, fresh off two errors, singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth. He advanced to second base on a wild pitch, but Brayan Villarreal settled down to finally close the door.
Clay Buchholz was tremendous for four innings while earning a victory Friday. The right-hander allowed back-to-back hits to begin the game, and then settled down to retire the final 11 hitters he faced. Buchholz struck out three and didn’t walk anyone.
Corey Brown gave Boston its first run in the fifth inning with an RBI double. The Red Sox added two more in the eighth inning when Brandon Snyder delivered a sacrifice fly and Sean Coyle smacked an RBI double.
Mid 9th, Red Sox 3-1: The Red Sox couldn’t extend their lead in the ninth inning despite some shaky defense by the Blue Jays.
Peter Hissey reached to open the inning when first baseman Jared Goedert simply didn’t catch Jonathan Diaz’s toss across the diamond. Goedert then had another miscue moments later when he failed to handle Shannon Wilkerson’s bunt.
Kyle Drabek escaped the first-and-third jam, though. Dan Butler flied out to left field, and Matty Johnson bounced into a 4-6-3 double play.
End 8th, Red Sox 3-1: Toronto sliced into Boston’s lead in the eighth inning.
Jonathan Diaz, whose error in the top of the inning aided the Red Sox, reached with a one-out single into right field.
Diaz scored Toronto’s first run when Kevin Pillar doubled to the wall in center field.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-0: The Red Sox tripled their run total in the eighth inning.
Brock Holt led off with a ground ball to the left side that would have been an infield single. Jonathan Diaz, a former Red Sox farmhand, attempted to throw out Holt, though, and it resulted in a throwing error that made matters worse. Holt wound up on second base to begin the frame.
Mike McCoy grounded to third base for the first out, at which point Matty Johnson, who pinch ran for Holt, took third.
Johnson scored when Brandon Snyder flied out to right field. Anthony Gose had a chance to throw out Johnson, but he airmailed his throw to the backstop.
Deven Marrero then singled and scored on a Sean Coyle RBI double.
End 7th, Red Sox 1-0: Rubby De La Rosa escaped some two-out trouble in the seventh inning.
De La Rosa took care of Anthony Gose and Colby Rasmus to kick off the bottom of the seventh. But Erik Kratz reached on an infield single and Moises Sierra walked to make life difficult for the hard-throwing right-hander.
De La Rosa completed his successful tightrope walk by getting Ryan Goins to hit a lazy fly ball to right field.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 1-0: Corey Brown, whose RBI double still is the difference, worked a two-out walk in the seventh inning. That was the only hint of offense, as both clubs continue to pitch extremely well.
Mike Napoli grounded out to begin the seventh, and Jonny Gomes struck out swinging before Kyle Drabek walked Brown.
Dan Butler, who took over behind the plate for Ryan Lavarnway, struck out looking to end the inning.
End 6th, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox’s stretch of retiring 14 Blue Jays hitters in a row ended in the sixth inning. Toronto still couldn’t scratch across a run, though.
Chris Getz worked a leadoff walk against Tommy Layne. Layne rebounded to record three straight outs, making it 17 of 18 retired by Boston pitchers.
Getz, who represented the potential tying run, actually wound up 90 feet away from tying the game, as a sacrifice bunt and a groundout allowed him to advance to third base.
Melky Cabrera couldn’t drive in Getz. He grounded to third base to end the inning.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 1-0: Sergio Santos was very effective in the sixth inning.
Santos induced a couple of ground-ball outs and struck out Jonathan Herrera.
It’s certainly been a pitchers’ duel to this point in Dunedin.
End 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Rich Hill made his spring training debut in the fifth inning. The left-hander worked a scoreless frame.
Hill retired Dioner Navarro, Moises Sierra and Ryan Goins in the fifth inning. Navarro popped out, Sierra flied out and Going struck out looking.
Hill, who arrived to Red Sox camp late because of the tragic death of his infant son, had pitched in a minor league intrasquad game, but Friday marked his first Grapefruit League game action.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Corey Brown continued his good spring by drilling an RBI double in the fifth inning.
Jonny Gomes led off the fifth with a single into left field. Brown followed by labeling a ball to the wall in center field, allowing Gomes to chug all the way around from first base. A good throw might have had Gomes, but the relay toss was off the mark.
Drew Hutchison, who overall was very solid, exited the game after striking out Ryan Lavarnway and Brock Holt. Hutchison struck out six in his 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball.
Tony Davis replaced Hutchison and retired former Blue Jay Mike McCoy to end the inning.
End 4th, 0-0: Clay Buchholz kept rolling in the fourth.
Buchholz, who gave up back-to-back singles to begin the game, has retired 11 straight, including all three hitters he faced in the fourth inning.
Melky Cabrera, Jose Bautista and Colby Rasmus went down without a fight in the fourth. Bautista and Rasmus struck out against the Boston right-hander.
Bautista went down looking at a curveball and wasn’t too thrilled with the call. He had a few choice words for the home plate umpire.
Mid 4th, 0-0: Neither offense has been able to get anything going against the opposing starter.
Jonathan Herrera singled to lead off the fourth inning, but Drew Hutchison quickly erased any threat by inducing a perfect double-play ball. Shortstop Ryan Goins gobbled it up, stepped on second base and fired to first base to complete the twin killing.
Mike Napoli struck out looking for the third out. Napoli has struck out twice in this game.
End 3rd, 0-0: Clay Buchholz easily sailed through the third inning.
Chris Getz led off with a fly ball to left fielder Jonny Gomes. Munenori Kawasaki and Jose Reyes both grounded to first baseman Mike Napoli.
Buchholz is facing a Blue Jays lineup that includes six projected starters, and he’s pitching really well. That’s encouraging for the Red Sox.
Mid 3rd, 0-0: Mike McCoy shot one back through the box with two outs to give the Red Sox their first hit of the afternoon. Drew Hutchison settled right back in, though.
Hutchison struck out Ryan Lavarnway swinging and retired Brock Holt on a ground ball to shortstop before McCoy’s two-out single.
Hutchison avoided any damage by fanning Jackie Bradley Jr.
End 2nd, 0-0: The second inning was much cleaner for Clay Buchholz, who surrendered two hits in the first inning.
Dioner Navarro and Ryan Goins grounded out in the second. Navarro grounded to shortstop Brock Holt, and Goins chopped down to Mike Napoli at first base.
Buchholz struck out Dan Johnson looking for the second out of the second inning.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: Drew Hutchison has retired all six hitters he has faced to this point.
Mike Napoli struck out to begin the inning. He went down on three pitches.
Jonny Gomes then grounded to short, and Corey Brown popped out to third base.
End 1st, 0-0: Clay Buchholz yielded a couple of hits in the first inning. Neither proved troublesome.
Jose Reyes led off with a line drive into right field. Corey Brown, who has had a solid spring for Boston, dived in an attempt to make the catch, but the ball landed beyond his reach. Fortunately for the Red Sox, Reyes got a little too aggressive on the base paths, and Brown nailed him at second base.
Melky Cabrera also singled into right field, but Buchholz retired Jose Bautista and Colby Rasmus to end the inning.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Drew Hutchison made quick work of the Red Sox in the first inning.
Jackie Bradley Jr., Jonathan Herrera and Mike Carp went down in order against the Toronto right-hander.
Bradley flied out, Herrera grounded out and Carp struck out.
1:10 p.m.: The action is underway in Dunedin.
12:50 p.m.: Here are a couple of pregame notes before things get underway.
-David Ross, as expected, will play in a minor league game this afternoon.
-Shane Victorino, who also was scheduled to play in a minor league game, will no longer do so. It’s not due to any physical issues, though. Victorino participated in batting practice at JetBlue Park, and is scheduled to play in Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Click here for more Red Sox notes >>
10:30 a.m.: The Red Sox’s lineup will feature a few regulars. Several other starters remained back in Fort Myers, though, where they’ll participate in workouts at JetBlue Park.
Friday’s lineups are below.
Boston Red Sox
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Jonathan Herrera, 3B
Mike Carp, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Corey Brown, RF
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Brock Holt, SS
Mike McCoy, 2B
Clay Buchholz, RHP
Toronto Blue Jays
Jose Reyes, DH
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Bautista, RF
Colby Rasmus, CF
Dioner Navarro, C
Dan Johnson, 1B
Ryan Goins, SS
Chris Getz, 2B
Munenori Kawasaki, 3B
Drew Hutchison, RHP
10:15 a.m. ET: Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell will face a pro-Toronto Blue Jays crowd for the first time Friday, as the Sox are traveling to Dunedin, Fla., for a spring training matchup with the Jays.
Farrell, of course, managed the Blue Jays in 2011 and 2012 before joining the Red Sox prior to the 2013 season. Jays fans seemingly hold a lot of animosity toward their former skipper, evidenced by the reception Farrell received north of the border last season.
Thursday’s atmosphere certainly won’t be as hostile, but the contest will mark a tune-up for two division foes who are scheduled to meet 19 times again this season. Clay Buchholz will toe the rubber for Boston.
Friday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 1:05 p.m. Be sure to stick around with NESN.com throughout the day for updates.
