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BoSox eye series win in Patriots' Day finale with Jays

Apr 18, 2011 - 12:45 PM (Sports Network) - The Boston Red Sox target a series win today, as they play the finale of their four-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays in an early Patriots' Day start at Fenway Park.

Patriots' Day is a holiday in Massachusetts and Maine that celebrates the anniversary of Paul Revere's ride and the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. The day will also be marked by the 115th running of the Boston Marathon.

At 4-10 Boston owns the worst record in baseball, but it has taken two of three from the Blue Jays. Securing a series win today, though, may prove to be difficult, as the Red Sox will take on left-hander Ricky Romero, who has gotten off to a terrific start.

Romero was charged with the loss on Tuesday in Seattle, but pitched well, allowing three runs (two earned) and five hits in eight innings. He also fanned eight, but still fell to 1-1 on the year to go along with a 1.66 ERA.

Romero has faced the Red Sox nine times and is 2-4 against them with a 7.42 ERA.

Boston, meanwhile, will rely on inconsistent righty Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was atrocious his last time out. Matsuzaka lasted just two innings last Monday against Tampa Bay, which battered him for seven runs and eight hits. The loss dropped the Japanese hurler to 0-2 on the year, while ballooning his ERA to 12.86.

Matsuzaka, who hasn't won at Fenway since beating Cleveland last August 5, could get himself back on track today, though, as he is 6-1 lifetime against the Jays with a 3.80 ERA in 11 starts.

The Red Sox managed to string back-to-back wins together for the first time this season on Sunday, as Jacoby Ellsbury hit a three-run homer to cap a four- run second inning and Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked in three runs, helping Boston to an 8-1 win.

Jon Lester (1-1) worked six-plus innings to pick up the win, yielding six hits and one run while fanning five in the win.

"Once it all comes together (for us), it's scary. We proved that today," said Saltalamacchia. "But every single day we've got to go out there and do the same thing."

This is the first time since 1996 that Boston owns the worst record in the league at least 10 games into a season.

Jesse Litsch (1-1) was tagged in the loss for seven hits and six runs -- four earned -- over six full frames in the loss for Toronto, which has dropped six of eight. The Blue Jays also failed to homer for the third straight game and fell to 1-6 in games they don't leave the yard.

Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford continued to struggle on Sunday, as he went 0-for-4, dropping his average to .127.

Boston, which was 12-6 against the Blue Jays last season, has won six of its last seven Patriots' Day contests and eight of its last 10 dating back to 2001.