BOSTON — The Red Sox are limping their way toward Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline.
The Red Sox suffered their eighth loss in nine games Wednesday as the Toronto Blue Jays exited Fenway Park with a 6-1 win and a three-game sweep. Perhaps Boston can start trending in the right direction after Thursday’s deadline.
It’s been a rough stretch for the Red Sox. Let’s go over Wednesday’s notes, for Pete’s sake.
— The Red Sox traded Felix Doubront to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later.
— Jon Lester hasn’t been traded yet. He spent the entire nine innings with the Red Sox.
Fans at Fenway even began chanting, “Jo-nny Le-ster! Jo-nny Le-ster!” in the later innings. Red Sox manager John Farrell said after the game the team heard the chants on the bench.
— Brandon Workman struggled in place of Lester, who was scratched from his scheduled start because of the uncertainty he faces amid intensifying trade rumors.
Workman allowed five runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks over five innings. He struck out two and threw 99 pitches (57 strikes). The right-hander struggled with his command throughout his outing, and some sloppy defense compounded the issues.
Workman threw 36 pitches in the first inning as the Blue Jays scored two runs. He walked the first two batters of the game.
Toronto struck for three unearned runs in the fifth inning. Workman committed a throwing error. Xander Bogaerts also had a miscue.
Workman has lost each of his last four major league starts.
— Christian Vazquez knocked in Boston’s lone run in the fifth inning. His ground-rule double plated Bogaerts, who also doubled in the frame.
Bogaerts, Stephen Drew and Dustin Pedroia each had two hits.
— Bogaerts is starting to swing the bat much better of late.
The 21-year-old has a five-game hit streak, during which he’s hitting .368 (7-for-19). Bogaerts is batting .313 (15-for-48) over his last 13 games with two homers, three doubles, five RBIs and nine runs scored.
— Drew has reached base in 14 of his last 15 games with a plate appearance. He owns a .377 on-base percentage in that span.
— Shane Victorino left the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Farrell described the move as “totally precautionary.”
“After his final at-bat, when he went out and played the next inning in right field, I could tell that there was a little bit of change in his gait,” Farrell said. “He wanted to continue on, but given what he’s come through, I took it out of his hands just to be extra cautious.”
Victorino, of course, has been banged up all season.
— Andrew Miller struck out the side in the seventh inning. It’s possible the appearance could have been his last in a Red Sox uniform, as he’s been the subject of trade rumors in recent days.
It actually was somewhat surprising that Miller pitched Wednesday. You’d think if the Red Sox were considering trading him, they would have held him out of the game to prevent an injury or any other fluky occurrence.
— The Red Sox went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They left eight men on base. (Shocking, I know.)
— The Red Sox have been swept at Fenway Park five times this season. They’ve been swept seven times overall.
