Sale continues stellar season
Red Sox starter a dominant force in Canada Day win over struggling Blue Jays
The clock may not be ticking on the Toronto Blue Jays quite as fast as a Chris Sale fastball, but it is ticking just the same.
After the four hours and 44 minutes it took to be gutted by the Boston Red Sox the previous night, the Jays were no match for one of the better pitchers in the game Saturday at Rogers Centre.
The Red Sox left-hander, owned Toronto hitters, striking out 11 as his Cy Young-calibre season continued with a 7-1 win.
How dominant was Sale? He struck out everyone in the Jays’ starting lineup, save for catcher Russell Martin.
How potentially dire is the Jays’ situation? The loss dipped their record to 1-4 on what was viewed as a crucial homestand against AL East foes, and the team’s overall mark to 37-43, the first time they have been six games below .500 since May 23.
“Obviously, the clock is ticking on the season but we feel like the men in here have the ability to make a run,” Jays utility infielder Darwin Barney said. “There’s a lot of parity right now, especially in the East, and a lot of the teams are going to beat up on each other a little bit.
“The way we look at it, put a good stretch together and anything can happen.”
The Jays have been believing that for a while, of course. No such run came in June and the Jays now have a week that starts with a third game against the Red Sox, three in the Bronx against the Yankees, then back home for three more against the formidable Houston Astros.
The way things have been going for the Blue Jays at the plate, putting together a lengthy win streak seems wishful thinking. They’re now 2-6 in their past eight games at home, including Saturday’s affair in which the festive mood of the Canada Day crowd of 46,672 fizzled in a hurry.
The Red Sox scored two runs in the first, added two more in the second and, with Sale dealing the way he was, any hope of a comeback was slim.
“He’s one of the best in baseball,” Jays manager John Gibbons said of Sale. “He has been the last few years.
“He attacks. He’s very aggressive. You give him a lead like he had today and guys like that don’t cough it up.”
While the Jays continue to look for a way to snap out of their current form following an 11-15 June, the Red Sox are heading up. They’re now 25-15 since May 21 and sit atop the AL East. With the Jays now 8 games behind the BoSox, it might not be long before chasing a wildcard spot is their most viable option.
Perhaps, as Barney pointed out, a run is just around the corner. A year ago, the Jays followed Canada Day with a seven-game winning streak and wins in 16 of their next 24.
“There’s a lot of optimism,” Barney said. “Guys still believe in the club and who we have here. Nobody’s thinking that things aren’t going to work out for us.”
CANADA DAY SALE
The Canada Day Sale was no bargain for the Jays as Sale showed the brilliance that was expected to make Boston the team to beat when he was acquired last winter.
His 11 strikeouts on Saturday marked the fifth time he hit that mark this season and came as he threw a season-high 116 pitches.
As the Jays are finding out, Sale’s ability to mix up speed in his pitches is confounding. In his two starts against Toronto this season, Sale has truck out 24 batters.
You can be sure few Blue Jays hitters would be surprised if Sale is named the American League starter for next week’s All-Star Game in Florida
“It’s not fun when he can add and subtract to all of his pitches,” Barney said of Sale, who improved his record to 11-3 with the latest win. “He definitely likes to attack hitters. He just keeps you off balance.”
SOX SOARING
Don’t look now, but the Red Sox are showing the form that made them the majority pre-season choice to win the AL East.
The win on Saturday moved them to 11 games above .500 for the first time this season and they’ve won four of their past five games.
The Red Sox reached the halfway point of their season Sunday and with a 46-35 record, are on pace for 92 wins.
“We’ve had a rocky road and we’re in first place,” said Sale, whose Red Sox, like the Blue Jays, had struggles earlier in the season.
“It’s going to be fun when we get going. We’ve battled through some things but when we start putting it together, it’s going to be a scary club.”