The Boston Red Sox entered September with a glimmer of hope. But as the nights grow longer, the sun too sets on this Sox season earlier than many were ready for.
Heading to Toronto looking to bounce back from a three-game losing streak against a team it is 20 games ahead of in the standings, Boston could not muster enough offense, falling 4-3 to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Tuesday night. The Blue Jays had lost each of their previous seven games.
Three Toronto home runs, two off of starter Nathan Eovaldi, proved to be the difference as the Sox could not close the one-run gap in the closing innings, despite putting the tying run in scoring position in the ninth.
The Red Sox fell to 76-69 after the loss while the Blue Jays now are 56-89.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Uneventful.
For a one-run game, there wasn’t an awful lot of excitement.
ON THE BUMP
— Eovaldi continued to build up his workload since he rejoined the rotation last month, but was rather inefficient.
The righty only worked into the fifth after extending to 93 pitches. He finished after 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Eovaldi allowed solo home runs to Cavan Biggio in the third and Reese McGuire in the fourth which gave Toronto a 2-1 lead.
After walking Biggio to start the fifth, Eovaldi came back to strikeout Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to end his outing.
— Josh Taylor entered to face lefty Rowdy Tellez, who drilled a two-run shot off the southpaw (Biggio’s run was charged to Eovaldi) to make it 4-3 Jays.
— Brian Johnson took over in the sixth and recorded just one out, allowing a walk and a single.
— Ryan Braiser walked one, but was able to strand runners he inherited and leave the bases loaded with a strikeout and a groundout.
— Andrew Cashner worked around a walk and a hit to throw a scoreless seventh inning.
— Matt Barnes worked a spotless eighth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Mookie Betts got things going awfully quick, homering on the first pitch of the night.
— Boston’s bats were held quiet until the fifth, when Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez hit back-to-back doubles to make it 2-2.
Two batters later Andrew Benintendi put Boston back in front with a loop RBI knock to make it 3-2.
— The Red Sox put the tying run on second after a Brock Holt pinch-hit single and a Gorkys Hernandez stolen base with one out, but could not tie things up.
— Devers was the only Red Sox hitter with multiple hits, going 2-for-4. Boston finished with eight hits.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Rowdy Tellez … Red Sox killer.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox continue their three-game set against the Jays on Wednesday. First pitch from Rogers Centre is slated for 7:07 p.m. ET.
