The Red Sox called on Jake Diekman to put away the Blue Jays on Tuesday, but the veteran left-hander couldn't get the job done.
Diekman, who entered the ninth inning with a comfortable three-run lead, allowed back-to-back doubles to kick off his outing. After striking out a pair to put Boston within one out of a win, Diekman surrendered a game-tying, two-run home run to George Springer and promptly was pulled by interim manager Will Venable.
Toronto went on to win the game in the 10th inning. While Matt Barnes ultimately was saddled with the loss, it was Diekman who likely was feeling the worst among the Red Sox relief pitchers. Following the Blue Jays' 6-5 win at Rogers Centre, the 35-year-old southpaw addressed his worst performance with Boston to date.
"That's the frustrating part," Diekman told reporters, per MLB.com. "Nick (Pivetta) pitched great, everyone (else) pitched great, the hitters scored when they had to, and I should be able to hold a three-run lead. It sucks right now, but tomorrow we've got to come out and play again."
The Red Sox, who now sit at 7-11 on the season, have lost four consecutive games entering Wednesday night's matchup with the Blue Jays. Losing streaks are tough any way you slice it, but they're particularly troublesome when all of the defeats are against divisional opponents.
Boston is hoping Game 3 of its four-game set against Toronto will turn the tides. NESN will provide complete coverage of the contest beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
