Final, Blue Jays 7-3: The Red Sox made some noise in the ninth inning, but they dug themselves too deep a hole.
Shane Victorino collected his third hit before Stephen Drew jacked a two-run homer to cut into the Blue Jays’ lead.
David Ross singled, and Brock Holt walked to continue building a threat, but Dustin Pedroia flied out, and David Ortiz bounced to third base.
Boston’s winning streak is snapped at five games. The Red Sox fall to 8-2 over their last 10 contests.
Jake Peavy pitched well early, but the Blue Jays struck for three runs in the sixth inning. Jose Reyes and Dioner Navarro went deep. Peavy now has allowed an American League-high 20 home runs this season.
The Red Sox, who scored 14 runs on 18 hits in Monday’s win, squandered several opportunities Tuesday. The Red Sox went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.
End 8th, Blue Jays 7-1: The Blue Jays tacked on two more runs against Felix Doubront in the eighth inning.
Doubront issued a leadoff walk — a big no-no, of course — to Colby Rasmus. Rasmus swiped second base uncontested with one out, taking advantage of Doubront’s slow delivery to the plate.
Steve Tolleson, pinch-hitting for Munenori Kawasaki, threatened to knock in Rasmus with a hot shot up the middle. Stephen Drew made an excellent diving stop to retire Tolleson and prevent Rasmus from scoring.
Drew’s play only delayed the inevitable, though. Ryan Goins singled into right field to make it 6-1. The ball exploded on Dustin Pedroia.
Anthony Gose singled to push Goins into scoring position. Jose Reyes made it 7-1 with an RBI double.
Mid 8th, Blue Jays 5-1: David Ortiz crushed his third home run in two games in the eighth inning.
Ortiz is making good on his promise to get “hotter than Jamaica in the middle of August.” Big Papi, who also doubled earlier in the game, smoked his 23rd home run to center field.
Ortiz’s blast was Boston’s only offense of the eighth. The Blue Jays are three defensive outs away from snapping the Red Sox’s five-game winning streak.
Felix Doubront will pitch for the second straight day in the bottom of the eighth inning.
End 7th, Blue Jays 5-0: The Blue Jays extended their lead in what was a sloppy seventh inning for the Red Sox.
Anthony Gose fouled off one bunt attempt but pushed the next one toward second base. It was well-placed, as Dustin Pedroia had no chance to make a play.
Jose Reyes reached on an infield single. The Red Sox nearly caught Gose rounding second base, but Pedroia appeared to miss his swipe tag.
John Farrell turned to his bullpen and called upon Burke Badenhop. Reyes and Gose promptly stole second base and third base, respectively.
Melky Cabrera hit a ground ball with the infield pulled in. Xander Bogaerts made the play but was very indecisive with the baseball. He looked to third and looked to second before tossing to first. His throw was in the dirt and Cabrera reached safely to load the bases.
Jose Bautista made it 5-0 with a single into left field.
Mid 7th, Blue Jays 4-0: The Blue Jays turned to their bullpen in the seventh inning.
Dustin McGowan kept the Red Sox’s offense at bay in the seventh. He struck out Xander Bogaerts and David Ross — both swinging — before retiring Brock Holt on a ground ball to second base.
McGowan took over after six shutout innings from starter J.A. Happ. Happ allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out four while throwing 103 pitches (68 strikes).
The Red Sox are 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and have left seven men on base. Credit Happ for bending but not breaking.
End 6th, Blue Jays 4-0: The Blue Jays beat up on Jake Peavy in the sixth inning. The right-hander had been solid through the first five innings.
Jose Reyes and Dioner Navarro homered in the sixth as Toronto scored three runs to take a 4-0 lead. Both blasts were the result of mislocated pitches by Peavy.
Reyes’ home run — his eighth of the season — led off the inning. Melky Cabrera then doubled into the right field corner before Navarro’s one-out homer — his seventh of the year — further extended the Jays’ lead.
Peavy issued a walk in the inning before finally squirming away. Amazingly, the Red Sox didn’t have any action up in the bullpen despite the Blue Jays clearly having Peavy up against the ropes.
Mid 6th, Blue Jays 1-0: It’s been a frustrating night offensively for the Red Sox. Boston has seven hits after producing two more in the sixth inning yet has nothing to show for it.
Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes led off the sixth with back-to-back singles into center field. That prompted a mound visit that certainly worked in J.A. Happ’s favor.
Shane Victorino bounced into a 6-4-3 double play that changed the complexion of the inning.
Napoli took third on the double play but didn’t score. Stephen Drew, who left the bases loaded in the fourth inning, struck out to end the threat.
End 5th, Blue Jays 1-0: Jake Peavy overcame a one-out walk to complete a scoreless fifth inning. The right-hander continues to pitch well despite the lack of run support.
Munenori Kawasaki walked after Juan Francisco popped out to catcher David Ross in foul territory to begin the inning.
Kawasaki took second base on an eventful ground ball that ultimately resulted in Mike Napoli flipping to Peavy for the out.
Anthony Gose couldn’t take advantage of the runner in scoring position. He flied out to left field.
Mid 5th, Blue Jays 1-0: The Red Sox stranded two more in the fifth inning. They’ve left six men on base overall.
David Ross hit a line drive into the right field corner with one out. The ball kicked up over the wall for a ground-rule double. It was a favorable bounce for Boston, as Ross isn’t running too well right now.
Ross took third base on Brock Holt’s groundout. Dustin Pedroia worked a walk to set up runners at the corners.
David Ortiz ended the inning with a high fly ball to left field.
End 4th, Blue Jays 1-0: Few players in baseball are slower than Dioner Navarro.
Jose Bautista ripped a leadoff single into left field.
Navarro hit a chopper to first base. Mike Napoli immediately fired to second base to get the lead runner. Because Navarro is a snail, the Red Sox were able to turn it into a double play.
Jake Peavy struck out Colby Rasmus to end the inning, giving him six strikeouts through four innings.
Mid 4th, Blue Jays 1-0: The Red Sox left the bases loaded.
Dustin Pedroia grounded out to begin the fourth inning. Pedroia is hitless in his last 15 at-bats.
David Ortiz followed with a double that started a good scoring opportunity for the Red Sox.
Jonny Gomes got plunked by an 0-2 pitch and Shane Victorino singled into right field. Third base coach Brian Butterfield wisely held Ortiz at third base on Victorino’s single, as Jose Bautista has a cannon.
Stephen Drew couldn’t cash in, though. Drew hit a blooper into left-center field that Melky Cabrera caught on the run.
End 3rd, Blue Jays 1-0: You have to feel for Jake Peavy.
Peavy hasn’t been able to get any run support this season. In the third inning, the Blue Jays grabbed the lead on a ball that struck the pitcher.
Peavy nearly fielded the comebacker, but it kicked off him and rolled into foul territory. Peavy raced off the mound and ended up making an ill-advised throw while trying to retire Melky Cabrera at first base.
Peavy’s throw got past Mike Napoli, which enabled Anthony Gose, who walked and stole second base, to score the game’s first run.
Mid 3rd, 0-0: David Ross singled with one out in the third inning.
John Farrell and the club’s trainer checked on Ross after his line drive into center field. It appeared the catcher might have tweaked his hamstring, but he remained in the game.
Ross wasn’t on the bases for long, as Brock Holt grounded into an inning-ending double play.
End 2nd, 0-0: Jake Peavy responded in a big way after surrendering a leadoff double.
Dioner Navarro started the bottom of the second inning with a bang, planting a ball off the wall in center field. It looked like it had a chance to leave the yard, but Navarro had no such luck.
Peavy answered by striking out the next three hitters, Colby Rasmus, Juan Francisco and Munenori Kawasaki.
All three second-inning strikeouts for Peavy were swinging. One came on a curveball, and the other two came on fastballs.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: Munenori Kawasaki capped J.A. Happ’s scoreless second inning with a tremendous sliding catch down the left field line.
Mike Napoli flied to Jose Bautista in right field, and Jonny Gomes struck out. Happ has three strikeouts in the early going.
Shane Victorino singled into right-center field with two outs. It traveled just beyond the reach of second baseman Ryan Goins.
Stephen Drew, who has swung the bat much better recently, lifted a popup down the left field line. Kawasaki and left fielder Melky Cabrera gave chase, but it was Kawasaki who ultimately made an over-the-shoulder sliding grab in foul territory.
End 1st, 0-0: Jake Peavy countered J.A. Happ’s quick first inning with some good mound work of his own.
Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista went down in order. Peavy struck out Cabrera with a curveball that dropped out of the zone.
Peavy now heads back to the dugout to cross his fingers in the hopes that the offense finally will have his back.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Dustin Pedroia took extra batting practice before Tuesday’s game, as he was the only Red Sox player in Monday’s starting lineup to go hitless in Boston’s 14-1 win.
Pedroia struck out looking in his first at-bat of this game. J.A. Happ froze him with a fastball on the outside corner.
Happ also struck out David Ortiz in a 1-2-3 first inning. Brock Holt led off the game with a chopper up the middle handled by Jose Reyes.
7:07 p.m.: J.A. Happ misses with his first pitch. The Sox and Jays are underway at Rogers Centre.
6:55 p.m.: Tuesday’s game marks the Red Sox’s 100th contest of the 2014 season. Their record stands at 47-52.
That means Boston is guaranteed to finish its first 100 games with fewer than 49 wins for just the seventh time in the last 48 years.
The good news, however, is that the Red Sox posted a winning record over their final 62 games in five of the previous six instances.
5 p.m. ET: Shane Victorino will return to the Red Sox’s starting lineup Tuesday.
Victorino, who was activated from the disabled list before Saturday’s game, sat out Monday’s series opener in Toronto as the Red Sox ease The Flyin’ Hawaiian back into big league action. Manager John Farrell said over the weekend the plan is for Victorino to play four of five games in the early stages of his return.
Victorino will play right field and bat sixth. Jonny Gomes will play left field and bat fifth with a left-hander on the mound in J.A. Happ. Daniel Nava will sit out despite continuing his hot streak Monday with three hits.
David Ross will be behind the dish.
Tuesday’s complete lineups are below.
Boston Red Sox (47-52)
Brock Holt, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Shane Victorino, RF
Stephen Drew, SS
Xander Bogaerts, 3B
David Ross, C
Jake Peavy, RHP (1-8, 4.59 ERA)
Toronto Blue Jays (51-49)
Jose Reyes, SS
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Bautista, RF
Dioner Navarro, C
Colby Rasmus, DH
Juan Francisco, 1B
Munenori Kawasaki, 3B
Ryan Goins, 2B
Anthony Gose, CF
J.A. Happ, LHP (7-5, 4.91 ERA)
4:45 p.m. ET: Imagine what Jake Peavy must have been thinking Monday as the Boston Red Sox slapped 14 runs on the scoreboard in their series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox have scored 14 runs total in Peavy’s last seven starts combined.
Peavy has received two runs of support or less in each of his last seven outings. The right-hander has averaged just 2.91 runs of support this season, which is the lowest mark among qualifying American League pitchers. As a result, Peavy still is searching for his second win.
Peavy is in a good position to potentially land win No. 2 on Tuesday, though, as the Red Sox enter their clash with the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre having won eight of their last nine games, including five straight. Peavy’s lone win actually came against Toronto back on April 25.
The Red Sox’s offense has been rolling lately, but heating up for Peavy could be the ultimate test given the way this season has gone. Tuesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. Tune in on NESN and keep it right here with NESN.com’s live blog.
