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Blue Jays-Red Sox Preview

May 21, 2009 - 6:06 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Toronto (27-15) at Boston (23-16), 7:10 p.m. EDT

The Boston Red Sox will try to accomplish something no previous opponent of the Toronto Blue Jays has been able to do this season.

On Thursday night, the Red Sox look to become the first team to sweep a series from the AL East-leading Blue Jays in the finale of a three-game set at Fenway Park.

A night after holding on for a 2-1 victory, Boston (24-16) hit five homers Wednesday in an 8-3 win to move within 1 1/2 games of the surprising Blue Jays.

While Toronto (27-16) will lose a series for just the third time, it's yet to drop three straight games in 2009.

Toronto is 4-4 against opponents from the competitive East, but three of those wins came versus last-place Baltimore. The Blue Jays have lost four of five against the Yankees and Red Sox.

"They've obviously played well," Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay told the team's official Web site. "I don't think we're really worried about first place. I don't think anyone is going home that much more satisfied because it's a first-place team."

Toronto has lost three in a row and nine of its last 12 against the Red Sox, including four straight in Boston.

"They've got a good ballclub there," manager Cito Gaston told the Blue Jays' official Web site of the Red Sox. "They get everybody healthy, that's a good club. They're a club that you've got to beat."

On Wednesday, David Ortiz went deep for the first time in 150 at-bats dating to last season as Boston won for the third time in four games.

"I feel like I just got that big old monkey off my back and (in) this game, sometimes that's all it takes to have a good at-bat, get a good hit and everything will start clicking," said Ortiz, who also doubled but is still batting only .210 with 17 RBIs in 36 games.

Jason Varitek went deep twice, Mike Lowell hit his seventh and Bay added his team-high 12th homer.

Kevin Youkilis had three hits in his first game since going on the disabled list with a strained left side muscle suffered May 4. The 2008 All-Star first baseman is batting .404 (38 for 94) in 26 games this season.

After roughing up 22-year-old Brett Cecil, Boston faces another of Toronto's talented rookie pitchers in this contest.

Robert Ray (1-1, 3.60 ERA) makes his fourth career start after allowing an unearned run and three hits in eight innings of a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday for his first major league victory.

Like Cecil, the 25-year-old right-hander has stepped in nicely to help a Blue Jays' starting rotation that was hit hard by injuries early in the season.

"I knew I was probably going to get one or two, maybe three (starts)," Ray said. "Obviously, the object coming up here was to give them a chance to win."

Boston's Jon Lester (2-4, 6.51) looks to avoid a third straight loss after giving up five runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 5-4 loss at Seattle on Friday. He's allowed 13 runs in 10 innings over his last two outings.

"I bust my rear to go out every five days and perform, and I'm not performing right now," said the left-hander, who is 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA in five starts against Toronto.