Rubby De La Rosa has been a very solid pitcher this season — at Fenway Park.
In four starts on his home mound, the Boston Red Sox right-hander boasts a 3-0 record, 1.38 ERA and .180 batting average against. His stats away from Fenway, however, are a much different story.
De La Rosa entered Thursday with a 4.42 ERA in road starts, and the Toronto Blue Jays continued that trend, roughing him up for seven runs (six earned) on nine hits en route to an 8-0 win at Rogers Centre.
Red Sox manager John Farrell attempted to explain his starter’s Jekyll-and-Hyde ways when speaking with reporters after the loss.
“There’s a stark contrast,” Farrell said. “Clearly, he feels comfortable on the mound at Fenway and is able to channel the emotion and adrenaline inside Fenway Park. But yet, in what looks to be a long career ahead of him, we’ve got to do something to even out the splits as they stand.”
Other notes from Thursday’s game:
— Brock Holt started at second base after enjoying a day off and made Red Sox history in the process, becoming the first player to start games at every position other than pitcher and catcher in a single season. Just two ground balls came his way, though, and he struggled with the bat against Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman, striking out three times in a game for the first time since May 30.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. had a ball bounce off his glove during the second inning, resulting in a triple for Jays first baseman Juan Francisco. From then on, however, Bradley was his normal, defensively stellar self. He made a nice running grab to rob Steve Tolleson in the seventh and doubled up Jose Reyes at first after tracking down a Melky Cabrera fly ball in the fourth.
Bradley now is tied with Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes for first in the American League with 12 outfield assists, and his seven outfield assists lead all major leaguers by a wide margin (no other player has more than three, according to Red Sox PR).
— Francisco was the star on an offensive-filled afternoon for the Blue Jays. He went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored while falling a double short of the cycle, and his first-inning three-bagger caught the eye of his Toronto teammates.
“He’s impressive,” Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins told NESN’s Gary Striewski after the game. “He has super pop. If we can get him hot again, it would be unbelievable.”
— Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew went hitless in the ballgame but did work an eighth-inning walk off Blue Jays reliever Todd Redmond to extend his on-base streak to 10 games.
— David Ortiz left the game in the ninth inning after tweaking his back on a check-swing. His status is considered day to day as of Thursday afternoon, according to Farrell.
Photo via USA Today Sports Images
