Final
Blue Jays-Red Sox Preview
Sep 9, 2015 - 4:40 AM The Toronto Blue Jays have gotten Drew Hutchison off the hook for a poor outing plenty of times this season, and that's especially been the case when he's faced the Boston Red Sox.The right-hander looks to take most of the pressure off his offense this time around as the first-place Blue Jays try to win two of three at Fenway Park on Wednesday night.
Hutchison (13-3, 5.07 ERA) has an 8.14 run-support average that is nearly a full run higher than any other pitcher in baseball. Toronto (79-59) has won five times when he's allowed at least six runs, and if his ERA doesn't drop much more before the season ends, Hutchison would become the first pitcher since James Shields in 2010 to win at least 13 games with an ERA above 5.00.
He had a 2.45 ERA while winning his previous four starts, though, before allowing six runs and nine hits - three homers - in five-plus innings of Friday's 10-2 loss to Baltimore. The two runs of support Hutchison received marked the fewest in nine starts since July 3 when he didn't get any for the only time in his 26 outings.
Toronto has won each Hutchison's three starts against Boston this season despite his 11.91 ERA. Mookie Betts and Pablo Sandoval each are 5 for 7 with a homer and two doubles off him in 2015, while David Ortiz (4 for 7) and Xander Bogaerts (3 of 6) also have had success in their matchups.
The Blue Jays didn't get much going until the 10th on Tuesday, when Josh Donaldson led off with a triple and Troy Tulowitzki drove in the go-ahead run in a four-run inning to give them a 5-1 win over the Red Sox (65-73).
Toronto, 29-8 since July 29, moved 1 1/2 games ahead of New York atop the AL East after the Yankees fell 2-1 to the Orioles.
''We tried to just navigate through their lineup the best that we could, give ourselves the best opportunity to get through that inning,'' Boston's interim manager Torey Lovullo said of the 10th. ''Obviously one of the best players in the American League comes up with a leadoff triple, you're just trying to preserve that run the best that you can.''
Boston had its four-game winning streak snapped despite Dustin Pedroia doubling in his first game since July 22 because of a hamstring injury. Betts is hitting .386 during a 14-game hitting streak after going 1 for 4.
The Red Sox now try to bounce back behind Joe Kelly (9-6, 4.84), who has won his last seven starts while posting a 2.72 ERA. He's allowed two or fewer runs in the past six after pitching six strong innings in Friday's 7-5 victory over Philadelphia.
''Something that I learned is that you can't just keep pounding fastballs, especially in this division with the hitters,'' Kelly said. ''Like I said, you've got to keep all the hitters off-speed throughout the entire game.''
The right-hander's three starts against the Blue Jays all came before he figured that out. Kelly went 0-1 with a 7.64 ERA in those outings while walking 12 in 17 2-3 innings.
Donaldson, hitting .421 with two homers, two triples and four doubles over his last 10, is 5 for 9 against Kelly this season.
- TORONTO: 4
BOSTON: 10
Final
Sep 9 10:44 PM - Colabello homered to left on a full count, Kawasaki scored, Hague scored.
Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 10 Top 8, 2 OutsSep 9 10:23 PM - Chris Colabello homers to deep left center field. Matt Hague scores. Munenori Kawasaki scores.
Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 10 Top 8, 2 OutsSep 9 10:23 PM - Betts grounded into fielder's choice, shortstop Tulowitzki to second baseman Goins, R.Castillo scored, Hanigan to third, Bradley Jr. out.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 10 Bot 5, 2 OutsSep 9 9:37 PM - Mookie Betts reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Jackie Bradley Jr. out at second. Ryan Hanigan to third. Rusney Castillo scores.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 10 Bot 5, 1 OutSep 9 9:37 PM - Ryan Hanigan doubles to deep center field. Rusney Castillo to third. Pablo Sandoval scores. Travis Shaw scores.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 9 Bot 5, 1 OutSep 9 9:29 PM - Hanigan doubled to left, T.Shaw scored, Sandoval scored, R.Castillo to third.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 9 Bot 5, 1 OutSep 9 9:29 PM - Pablo Sandoval singles to center field. Travis Shaw to second. David Ortiz to third. Xander Bogaerts scores.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 7 Bot 5, 0 OutsSep 9 9:26 PM - Sandoval singled to center, Bogaerts scored, Ortiz to third, T.Shaw to second.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 7 Bot 5, 0 OutsSep 9 9:26 PM - Mookie Betts doubles to deep center field. Ryan Hanigan scores.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 6 Bot 4, 2 OutsSep 9 8:56 PM - Ryan Hanigan doubles to right field. Rusney Castillo scores.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 5 Bot 4, 1 OutSep 9 8:48 PM - Edwin Encarnacion singles to deep left field. Jose Bautista to second. Ben Revere scores.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 4 Top 4, 1 OutSep 9 8:30 PM - Encarnacion singled to left, Revere scored, Bautista to second.
Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 4 Top 4, 1 OutSep 9 8:29 PM - Ortiz homered to center on a 2-0 count, Pedroia scored, Bogaerts scored.
Blue Jays 0, Red Sox 4 Bot 3, 2 OutsSep 9 8:15 PM - David Ortiz homers to deep center field. Xander Bogaerts scores. Dustin Pedroia scores.
Blue Jays 0, Red Sox 4 Bot 3, 2 OutsSep 9 8:15 PM - Ben Revere flies out to left field to Rusney Castillo.
Sep 9 7:13 PM - TORONTO: 0
BOSTON: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Sep 9 7:13 PM
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