Red Sox Wrap: Pitching Struggles, Bats Quiet In 13-1 Loss Vs. Blue Jays

The Red Sox left all the bad juju behind before heading into a crucial American League East series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

At least, that’s the optimistic way of looking at what went down Thursday as Boston fell 12-0 to the the Toronto Blue Jays. Amid a one of the worst outings of the season from starter Eduardo Rodriguez, the Red Sox were locked out offensively, logging just six hits and failing to score a run until the seventh inning.

With the loss, the Red Sox dropped to 64-40 and have just a 1 1/2-game lead over the second-place Rays heading into a three-game series. The Blue Jays are 51-48, chasing the New York Yankees for third place.

Here’s how it all went down at Fenway Park:

GAME IN A WORD
Beatdown.

The Blue Jays scored 13 runs on 16 hits. Need we say more?

ON THE BUMP
— Rodriguez didn’t have the best start in his first game back since a scary departure due to a migraine. In the first inning, he allowed four hits — including two doubles — and walked one as the Blue Jays took a three-run lead.

— It didn’t get much better, as Toronto increased its advantage to 4-0 on a RBI single from George Springer that scored Reese McGuire, who had reached on a double.

— Rodriguez’s situation worsened for the final time in the fourth, when he walked in a run to move Toronto’s lead to 5-0. He was replaced by Phillips Valdez at that point, but not before he was credited with another run. Overall, he ended the night with six earned runs on six hits and four walks with eight strikeouts.

— A three-run blast from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ruined Valdez’s scoreless night and put the Blue Jays up 9-0 in the fifth. He finished out the inning and ended the night with the home run and a pair of walks in his 1 2/3 innings.

— Brandon Workman got the ball for the sixth inning, but he couldn’t stop the bleeding. He allowed a lead-off double to Bo Bichette, who came around to score after two more singles. Workman gave up three runs in that inning and stayed in for seventh, when he allowed a run on a RBI single to Hernandez.

He finished with four earned runs on seven hits with one strikeout.

— Darwinzon Hernandez was good for one inning of scoreless ball — something no pitcher before him had accomplished. He did give up one hit.

— Kevin Plawecki (nope, not a typo) handled the ninth, and he was the best pitcher of the night statistically, with defense behind him to retire the side.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— It looked like Boston would immediately put pressure on Toronto’s lead in the first inning, with a lead-off single from Kiké Hernández and another hard-hit ball from Jarren Duran, though the latter was overturned on a Toronto challenge. J.D. Martinez reached on an error, but was called out at second on a ground ball from Hunter Renfroe to end the inning.

— Alex Verdugo singled to lead off the second inning, but there was nothing else going for the Red Sox, though Bobby Dalbec grabbed a bag when he was hit by a pitch.

— The Red Sox went down in order for the third, fourth and fifth innings. Connor Wong reached base thanks to a fielding error in the sixth, but he was left stranded.

— Finally, Dalbec, who (in an indication of how the night was going) moved over to play shortstop, doubled in the seventh to bring home Christian Vázquez, who had doubled in the previous at-bat. Shutout no longer.

— Vázquez was the highlight of the Red Sox lineup, going 2-for-4.

TWEET OF THE GAME
Between the New York Yankees’ flurry of activity in the trade market and this game, it’s been a day.

UP NEXT
The Red Sox head to St. Petersburg for a crucial American League East series against the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET on NESN.