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Red Sox-Blue Jays Preview

May 30, 2009 - 10:58 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Boston (28-21) at Toronto (28-23), 1:07 p.m. EDT

The Boston Red Sox sent the Toronto Blue Jays into a tailspin when Toronto opened a nine-game road trip at Fenway Park earlier this month.

Two games into their latest series with the Red Sox, the Blue Jays are looking like they may return the favor.

Toronto has won six in a row at Rogers Centre, and Sunday afternoon will try to begin its nine-game homestand with a three-game sweep of Boston.

The Blue Jays (29-23) were among baseball's most pleasant surprises six weeks into the season, posting a 27-14 record through May 18 that put them atop the AL East. Toronto, though, was outscored 15-5 in a three-game sweep at Fenway from May 19-21, and six more losses followed before it headed back across the Canadian border.

So far, the Blue Jays have turned the tables on Boston (28-22) at home. After winning Friday's series opener 6-3, Toronto posted a 5-3 victory Saturday as Alex Rios went 4 for 4 with a pair of RBIs.

"We haven't lost our confidence," said Rios, who's hitting .327 at home compared with .233 on the road. "We've been working hard and we're going to keep working hard. We're going to get out of this and we're going to start winning and everything will be good."

The Blue Jays will hope for better results against Jon Lester (3-5, 6.07 ERA) than they had May 21 in Boston. The left-hander Lester limited Toronto to one run and eight hits over 6 1-3 innings in a 5-1 Red Sox win.

Lester was 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA at Rogers Centre last season.

Following his successful outing against the Blue Jays, Lester reverted back to the struggles that have plagued him for much of the season Tuesday at Minnesota. He allowed five runs - all in the fifth inning - in a 5-2 loss, with a Justin Morneau three-run homer the big blow.

"He looks like he has a chance to get out of it, and then one pitch and all of a sudden there is a crooked number on the board," manager Terry Francona told the Red Sox's official Web site. "I know he is frustrated."

Lester has allowed at least four runs in an inning five times in 2009, but Francona remains confident.

"I feel like he is so much closer to being real good and dominant than he is to the five-run inning," Francona said.

Boston has lost four of five and six of nine, and hasn't scored more than three runs in any of those defeats. The Red Sox are 21-3 when they score five runs or more, and 7-19 when they tally four or fewer.

Designated hitter David Ortiz is 0 for 8 in the series and 2 for 19 since being dropped to sixth in the lineup.

Ortiz and the Red Sox will get their first look at Toronto rookie Ricky Romero (2-1, 3.08), who looks to bounce back from the worst start of his brief career.

Romero was 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three starts before going on the disabled list with a strained oblique. When he returned Tuesday at Baltimore, the left-hander gave up five runs and 11 hits - including three homers - over 5 1-3 innings of a 7-2 loss.

"He made a couple of mistakes," manager Cito Gaston told the Jays' official Web site. "He kept us close enough for awhile. ... I thought he pitched a lot better than the box score showed."