Final, Blue Jays 14-1: One week after the Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 14-1, Toronto returned the favor.
The Blue Jays pounded 14 hits en route to a 14-1 win at Fenway Park. Toronto scored nine runs in the sixth inning to seize control.
Clay Buchholz had a very shaky start. He was charged with seven earned runs on seven hits and four walks over five-plus innings.
Felix Doubront was awful in relief. The left-hander surrendered six earned runs — plus allowed two inherited runners to score — on six hits and two walks in two thirds of an inning.
R.A. Dickey tossed seven solid frames for the Jays. He struck out 10 while allowing just one run on three hits.
Melky Cabrera crushed two home runs and drove in five. Ryan Goins collected four hits and four RBIs.
Mid 9th, Blue Jays 14-1: Edward Mujica worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Mujica handled Steve Tolleson, Dan Johnson and Jose Bautista.
The Red Sox will come up in the bottom of the ninth inning facing a 13-run deficit. No biggie.
Perhaps more disappointing, however, is that we haven’t gotten to see Brock Holt pitch or catch. Or Mike Carp float some knucklers. You’d think with the score being 14-1, we’d see something fluky, right?
End 8th, Blue Jays 14-1: The Red Sox couldn’t produce any runs in the eighth inning despite putting two runners on base.
Xander Bogaerts singled and Brock Holt walked.
Jackie Bradley Jr. and Jonny Gomes, who pinch-hit for David Ortiz, both struck out swinging to end the threat.
Mid 8th, Blue Jays 14-1: Craig Breslow tossed a scoreless eighth inning.
Breslow surrendered a one-out single to Ryan Goins, who has four hits and four RBIs. Anthony Gose grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Rob Rasmussen will take over in the bottom of the eighth after seven solid innings from Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey.
End 7th, Blue Jays 14-1: R.A. Dickey is through seven frames.
Dickey retired Daniel Nava, Shane Victorino and Stephen Drew in order in the seventh.
It’s all over but the shoutin’ at Fenway Park.
Mid 7th, Blue Jays 14-1: The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 14-1 last Monday. Toronto now is returning the favor.
The Blue Jays added another run in the seventh inning. The score? You guessed it.
Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista led off the seventh inning with back-to-back walks. Both advanced a station when Colby Rasmus grounded out for the second out of the inning.
Cabrera scored when Burke Badenhop uncorked a wild pitch.
End 6th, Blue Jays 13-1: The comeback is on!
Not really. But the Red Sox did score their first run in the sixth inning.
David Ross walked and took second base when Dustin Pedroia grounded out. He scored on a single from David Ortiz.
Ross’ plantar fasciitis continues to plague the catcher, evidenced by his limp — for lack of a better word — around the bases.
Mike Carp, who asked the Red Sox to trade him, did nothing to boost his value in the sixth. Carp, pinch-hitting for Mike Napoli, struck out on three pitches.
Mid 6th, Blue Jays 13-0: Burke Badenhop entered and stopped the bleeding. It was far, far too late.
The Blue Jays scored nine runs on eight hits and three walks in the sixth inning. The trio of Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront and Badenhop threw 53 pitches in a frame that lasted 32 minutes.
Buchholz was charged with seven earned runs on seven hits over five-plus innings. He struck out four, walked four and threw 100 pitches (56 strikes).
Doubront surrendered six earned runs — plus allowed two inherited runners to score — on six hits and two walks in two thirds of an inning.
9:15 p.m., Blue Jays 13-0: The Blue Jays are running away with this one.
Toronto continued its assault on Clay Buchholz in the sixth inning before beating up relentlessly on Felix Doubront. The Blue Jays have posted nine runs, and the inning isn’t over.
The first three hitters of the sixth inning reached against Buchholz. Munenori Kawasaki walked and Josh Thole followed with a wall-ball single to put runners at the corners. Ryan Goins, who already had two RBIs, knocked in Kawaski with a double into the gap.
That spelled the end of Buchholz’s night, though Doubront hardly provided any relief. In fact, things only got worse.
Anthony Gose walked and Jose Reyes plated Thole with a sacrifice fly. Melky Cabrera then absolutely crushed his second home run of the game — a three-run shot — over everything in left field. Cabrera’s blast left the yard in a hurry.
Jose Bautista singled and Juan Francisco walked. The ninth batter of the inning, Colby Rasmus, extended the lead with a double off the base of the wall in right-center field.
Kawasaki, who was the inning’s first batter, added a two-run double. Toronto’s 13th run scored when Ryan Goins beat out a potential double play at first base.
Gose singled into left field with two outs. The Red Sox now will turn to their third pitcher of the inning, Burke Badenhop.
See, told you the Jays were running away with this one.
End 5th, Blue Jays 4-0: The Red Sox left another runner in scoring position in the fifth inning.
Shane Victorino hit a ground ball into the hole with one out after Daniel Nava struck out swinging. Shortstop Jose Reyes made the play, but his throw sailed way wide of first base. The errant toss enabled Victorino to scamper into scoring position.
Victorino was awarded a single. Reyes was charged with a throwing error that allowed Victorino to take second base.
Neither Stephen Drew nor Xander Bogaerts could cash in. Drew hit a rocket to first base snagged by Juan Francisco and Bogaerts grounded to third base.
Mid 5th, Blue Jays 4-0: Clay Buchholz bounced back for a scoreless fifth inning.
Juan Francisco was the only Blue Jays hitter to reach against Buchholz in the fourth. He worked a two-out walk.
Buchholz struck out Jose Bautista in the inning. Colby Rasmus lined to short for the frame’s final out.
End 4th, Blue Jays 4-0: R.A. Dickey has been on.
Dickey struck out two more in a scoreless fourth inning. David Ortiz was victimized for the second time, and Mike Napoli also went down.
Ortiz received all offspeed stuff en route to his second strikeout. Dickey featured a heavy dose of knuckleballs while also slipping in an eephus.
Napoli saw all knuckleballs. He struck out swinging.
Mid 4th, Blue Jays 4-0: The Blue Jays opened up a four-run lead in the fourth inning.
Colby Rasmus and Munenori Kawasaki reached to begin the inning. Rasmus walked and Kawasaki singled into left field.
Josh Thole moved both runners into scoring position with a successful sacrifice bunt. Ryan Goins knocked them both in with a two-run single into right field.
The Jays have been in complete control of this one thus far.
End 3rd, Blue Jays 2-0: The Red Sox spoiled a leadoff double.
Stephen Drew yanked a 3-1 fastball from R.A. Dickey into the right field corner. He then advanced to third base on Xander Bogaerts’ groundout.
The Red Sox couldn’t push across Drew, though. David Ross struck out swinging and Brock Holt flied out to right fielder Anthony Gose.
Holt is starting to struggle a bit offensively after an incredible stretch.
Mid 3rd, Blue Jays 2-0: Clay Buchholz avoided some shattered lumber and induced a double play. Not bad.
Jose Bautista singled into the hole with one out in the third inning. Shortstop Stephen Drew made a nice sliding bid but couldn’t corral it. He probably had no chance of throwing out Bautista even if he made the play, as he was required to range out onto the outfield grass.
Juan Francisco then broke his bat on a ground ball to second base. Buchholz was forced to hit the deck to avoid the shattered bat.
Dustin Pedroia fielded the ball while Bautista maneuvered around the end of the broken bat between first and second base. Drew capped the double play with a quick turn.
End 2nd, Blue Jays 2-0: R.A. Dickey has retired the first six batters he has faced.
Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava and Shane Victorino went down in order.
Napoli flied to center, Nava grounded to second and Victorino struck out.
Victorino went down hacking at a 2-2 knuckleball.
Mid 2nd, Blue Jays 2-0: Clay Buchholz slithered out of some trouble in the second inning.
Buchholz started the inning on a positive note, retiring Munenori Kawasaki and Josh Thole. Kawasaki hit a comebacker that Buchholz impressively snagged out of thin air before flipping to first base.
Ryan Goins singled into center field with two outs. Buchholz then plunked the No. 9 hitter, Anthony Gose.
The top of the Blue Jays’ order couldn’t do anything, though. Jose Reyes struck out swinging to end the threat.
End 1st, Blue Jays 2-0: R.A. Dickey started his night on the right foot.
Dickey worked a 1-2-3 first inning. He struck out Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz in the opening frame.
Ortiz took a huge cut at a 64 mph eephus. He swung right through it and stayed frozen in his follow-through for a couple of seconds, recognizing that Dickey got the best of him on that pitch.
Ortiz later struck out on a knuckleball in the dirt. Pedroia foul tipped a knuckleball into catcher Josh Thole’s mitt.
Mid 1st, Blue Jays 2-0: It didn’t take long for the Blue Jays to jump on Clay Buchholz and start pounding.
Buchholz issued a one-out, five-pitch walk to Jose Reyes. Melky Cabrera, perhaps anticipating a get-me-over offering, sized up Buchholz’s next pitch and sent it into the Red Sox’s bullpen for a two-run homer.
Buchholz rebounded to retire Jose Bautista (popout), Juan Francisco (groundout) and Colby Rasmus (strikeout). But the damage was inflicted.
7:11 p.m.: Clay Buchholz tosses a first-pitch strike. We have baseball.
6:50 p.m.: Mike Napoli and Xander Bogaerts will return to the Red Sox’s starting lineup Monday after sitting out Sunday’s series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Monday’s complete lineups are below.
Boston Red Sox (48-57)
Brock Holt, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Shane Victorino, RF
Stephen Drew, SS
Xander Bogaerts, 3B
David Ross, C
Clay Buchholz, RHP (5-6, 5.50 ERA)
Toronto Blue Jays (56-50)
Jose Reyes, SS
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Bautista, DH
Juan Francisco, 1B
Colby Rasmus, CF
Munenori Kawasaki, 3B
Josh Thole, C
Ryan Goins, 2B
Anthony Gose, RF
R.A. Dickey, RHP (8-10, 4.04 ERA)
6:30 p.m. ET: The Boston Red Sox return home Monday after a rough road trip.
The Red Sox went 2-5 on their key swing through Toronto and St. Petersburg. The Red Sox dropped three of four to the Blue Jays and then two of three to the Rays. Boston did end the trip with a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, though.
The Red Sox will play their next six games at the friendly confines of Fenway Park. The homestand begins Monday with a clash against the Jays. Clay Buchholz will go for Boston, while Toronto will counter with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
Much of the talk this week obviously centers on Thursday’s Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline and whether the Red Sox will make any deals. There certainly are plenty of rumors floating around, though Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Monday’s game that nothing is imminent.
Monday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Tune in on NESN and keep it right here with NESN.com’s live blog.
