Red Sox Notes: Doug Fister’s Future As Starter Uncertain After Loss To Jays

Doug Fister’s start Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays might have been his last of the season.

The right-hander’s performance in the Boston Red Sox’s 8-6 loss to the rival Blue Jays wasn’t good, but it’s not necessarily what will cost him his job. The Red Sox originally claimed Fister off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels on June 23 to make up for the loss of starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who was activated from the 10-day disabled list July 17.

It’s unclear if Fister would move to the bullpen or be optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, but manager John Farrell wasn’t committing to anything after Thursday’s game.

The Red Sox travel to the West Coast on Friday to take on the Angels in a three-game series with Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello starting. It seems the rotation would continue with Drew Pomeranz and Eduardo Rodriguez (or the other way around), but with the Red Sox in the middle of a stretch of 14 games in 13 days, Farrell looks to be playing it safe.

Here are some more notes from Thursday’s 8-6 loss to Toronto.

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— Dustin Pedroia continues to be one of the hottest hitters in baseball, launching a three-run homer to the top of the Green Monster in the seventh inning Thursday. The second baseman leads the majors with 27 RBIs and is second in hits with 34 in 21 games since June 26. Pedroia also is 12 for his last 19 (.632) with runners in scoring position and has a major league-best .442 average with runners in scoring position since Aug. 9, 2016.

— Right-handed reliever Kyle Martin made his major league debut in the seventh inning Thursday and kicked off his career by striking out left fielder Steve Pearce on three pitches. The 26-year-old walked shortstop Ryan Goins with two outs but turned in a scoreless inning nonetheless.

— Christian Vazquez made his second career appearance at third base in the top of the ninth inning with Brock Holt playing second and Pedroia set to come up in the bottom of the frame as the designated hitter. Nothing went Vazquez’s way, though, so we didn’t get to see if the catcher had any secret skills we don’t know about.

— Thursday’s loss was just the second time the Red Sox dropped a game this season while scoring six runs or more. The first time was on May 9 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images