Red Sox roll with Sale and steals
Brett Anderson couldn’t have asked for much more in his Blue Jays debut on Tuesday night, but a solid effort by the lefty wasn’t enough to beat one of the best southpaws in the game.
Anderson, released by the Chicago Cubs this month with an 8.18 ERA before signing a minor-league deal with Toronto, allowed a lone run on six hits over 52⁄ innings at the Rog
3 ers Centre. On another day, against another pitcher, it might have been enough.
In the end, though, the Blue Jays dropped a 3-0 decision to Chris Sale and the Red Sox and a third straight series. Sale — who left after sevenplus shutout innings with 11 strikeouts — became the first pitcher ever to hold Toronto scoreless over three starts in a single season. He boasts an 0.96 ERA at the Rogers Centre.
“Obviously, going against one of the top two or three pitchers in the game, runs and hits are going to be at a premium,” Anderson said. “Just try to go out there in the top half and throw up a zero and give us a chance to win. For the most part, I did that.”
The 29-year-old Anderson is the latest in a long line of spot starters for the Jays and the 14th to start this year, a club record. He scattered three hits through the first two innings before rolling until the sixth, when the Sox broke a scoreless tie.
Former Jay Rajai Davis got that rally started with a single to left field, before stealing second base — the first of five stolen bases on the night by the Red Sox. Eduardo Nunez cashed in Davis with a double to right that Jose Bautista couldn’t get to.
Anderson’s night ended after an infield single by Andrew Benintendi. The Jays should have been out of the inning when Nunuz was caught in a rundown between third and home while Benintendi stole second, but catcher Miguel Montero threw wildly past third baseman Josh Donaldson and Nunez made it back safely.
In Sale’s previous starts against the Blue Jays this year, both in Toronto, he allowed just eight hits and two walks while striking out 24. By fanning Kevin Pillar in the second inning on Tuesday night, Sale reached 1,500 for his career in1,290 innings — the faster ever to reach that milestone in the majors.
Dominic Leone came on in relief of Anderson and served up a solo homer to Hanley Ramirez in the seventh inning. The Red Sox rounded out the scoring against Ryan Tepera in the eighth with two singles, a walk and three steals.
Sale left after back-to-back singles by Kendrys Morales and Pillar in the eighth. Ryan Goins then singled off reliever Addison Reed to load the bases, but the Jays failed to capitalize.
“We had that one shot in the eighth inning,” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “That was really our only shot.”
Gibbons was impressed with Anderson’s work.
“He basically matched (Sale) until he ran out of his pitches there at the end,” said Gibbons. “Really, it was a great night for him. Opened up a lot of eyes.”