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Blue Jays-Red Sox Preview

Aug 29, 2009 - 5:46 AM By MATT BROWN STATS Editor

Toronto (58-67) at Boston (73-54), 7:10 p.m. EDT

After slumping through a significant portion of August, the Boston Red Sox's bats have the team rolling again.

Those bats got well against Toronto Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero.

The Red Sox seek their fifth win in six games and try to hit Romero hard for the fourth consecutive time when they meet the Blue Jays on Saturday night at Fenway Park.

Boston (74-54) dropped nine of 13 from Aug. 4-16, getting shut out three times while batting .221 and averaging fewer than four runs per game. The Red Sox have since won eight of 11, led by a resurgent offense averaging 7.7 runs and batting .300 with 24 home runs.

J.D. Drew had two hits Friday, including an eighth-inning double that put David Ortiz in position to score the go-ahead run on Casey Kotchman's groundout, as the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 6-5 in the series opener and increased their AL wild-card lead to 2 1/2 games over Texas.

Boston's surge began Aug. 18 with a 10-9 win at Toronto in which Romero surrendered six runs and eight hits in 3 2-3 innings, though he did not get charged with the loss. The Red Sox went on to sweep that three-game series, scoring 24 runs in the process.

Romero (11-5, 3.91 ERA) bounced back in an 8-3 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday, allowing two runs over six innings while snapping a personal three-start winless streak and possibly rejuvenating his Rookie of the Year candidacy.

"If I win it, it's going to be an unbelievable accomplishment for me personally," Romero said. "I've just got to take it start by start."

Romero might be a shoo-in for AL Rookie of the Year were it not for the Red Sox. The 24-year-old left-hander is 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA in three starts against Boston. He's failed to make it out of the fifth inning three times in 21 starts - all versus the Red Sox.

Ortiz is 5 for 7 with a homer and three doubles off Romero, while Kevin Youkilis is 3 for 5 with two home runs, a double and three walks.

One of Romero's losses to Boston was 4-1 at home July 17. That game also marked the season debut for Clay Buchholz (2-3, 5.02), who gets the ball again for the Red Sox on Saturday.

While Romero's worst outings have come against Boston, Buchholz has earned both of his wins at Toronto's expense. The right-hander allowed one run in 5 2-3 innings to beat Romero and outpitched Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay on Aug. 19, giving up one run over six innings of a 6-1 victory.

Buchholz pitched poorly at home against the Chicago White Sox on Monday, surrendering seven runs and six hits - two homers - in 4 2-3 innings although the Red Sox eventually won 12-8. He is 0-3 with a 6.07 ERA in six starts at Fenway since July 11, 2008.

Toronto first baseman Lyle Overbay, who was 2 for 5 in the series opener, is 5 for 9 against Buchholz.

Friday's loss was the 11th in 15 games for the Blue Jays (58-68), who fell a season-worst 10 games below .500 and are 17-34 since June 27.

Red Sox center fielder and leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury went 2 for 3 on Friday, returning to the lineup one night after spraining his left ankle while sliding into home. It was the fourth multihit effort in five games for Ellsbury, who raised his average to .300.

"He has the ability to change the game in different ways because of his legs, defensively or hitting the ball out of the ballpark," manager Terry Francona told the Red Sox's official Web site. "That's why he's a good player."