Boston’s Betts burns Biagini
GREGORY STRONG
THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — Mookie Betts hit two homers and drove in eight runs as the Boston Red Sox crushed the Toronto Blue Jays 15-1 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Betts had four of Boston’s 21 hits — including a three-run shot in the fourth inning and a two-run blast in the sixth — and scored three times. He helped turn the game into a laugher with a two-run single in Boston’s eight-run seventh inning.
The American League Eastleading Red Sox (47-35) have won four in a row and six of their last seven games.
The last-place Blue Jays wrapped up their six-game homestand with a 1-5 mark. Toronto (37-44) has dropped four in a row and eight of 10 overall.
Toronto’s bats have gone silent of late and the timing is less than ideal.
The Blue Jays entered the homestand with optimism that they were close to being in the mix with the contenders in the East. Instead they will head to New York for a three-game series starting Monday in desperate need of victories.
July is make-or-break time for bubble teams and team brass may start shifting focus from the present to the future if the losing continues.
With the loss, Toronto fell 9 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the divisional race. Only Detroit, Chicago and Oakland were below the Blue Jays in the American League standings entering Sunday’s games.
A sellout crowd of 46,696 at Rogers Centre enjoyed bright sunshine at the start of the game. The roof closed in the third inning and Toronto’s window of opportunity in this one was soon sealed along with it.
Boston touched up starter Joe Biagini (2-8) for single runs in the first two innings and Tzu-Wei Lin and Deven Marrero reached on back-to-back bunts in the fourth. Betts followed by turning on a 2-0 pitch for his 14th homer of the season.
Betts ended Biagini’s afternoon in the sixth with a homer that just curled around the left-field foul screen. Biagini struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings and allowed 10 hits, seven earned runs and two walks.
Ramirez led off the seventh with a single and added a two-run shot — his 12th homer of the season — later in the inning as the Red Sox sent 12 batters to the plate.
Drew Pomeranz (8-4) gave up his lone run in the second inning when Justin Smoak scored on a sacrifice fly. The Boston starter worked six innings and allowed five hits and two walks while striking out three.
The game took three hours 34 minutes to play.
Before the game, the Blue Jays sent outfielder Lane Thomas to the St. Louis Cardinals for international amateur signing bonus space ... Right-hander Aaron Sanchez (finger) threw 95 pitches for triple-A Buffalo in what will likely be his final injury rehab start before returning to the Blue Jays. He threw 76 pitches over 4 1/3 innings ... Toronto signed international free agent shortstops Miguel Hiraldo and Leonardo Jimenez on Sunday.
The Toronto Blue Jays have traded right-handed pitcher Jason Grilli to the Texas Rangers for minor league outfielder Eduard Pinto and cash.
Grilli was 2-4 with a 7.97 ERA and one save in 26 games with Toronto this year before being designated for assignment. Grilli, 40, was an All-Star in 2013 when he had 33 saves for Pittsburgh. He also recorded 24 saves for Atlanta in 2015.
He was expected to join the Rangers on Monday when they return to Texas from Chicago, where they were facing the White Sox on Sunday.
The Rangers said they would make a corresponding move on Monday to clear room on the 25-man roster. The Rangers designated right-hander Preston Claiborne, who is on option at Triple-A Round Rock, to make room on the 40-man roster for Grilli.
Pinto is hitting .311 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 46 games for Class A Down East in the Blue Jays’ minor league system. The left-handed hitter is in his sixth professional season after being signed as a non-drafted free agent.