Breaks go Jays’ way in rout of Boston
Goins and Pillar key in 13-5 win as Red Sox unravel
BOSTON — Dustin Pedroia lost two pop-ups in the sun, setting up six Blue Jays runs. Toronto’s three primary power hitters didn’t hit a single homer, but Ryan Goins, who hardly ever goes deep, whacked a three-run shot. Kevin Pillar made another of his eye-popping catches and continued his hot hitting. Marco Estrada gave up five runs and was rewarded with a W behind his name.
There you have the essence of the latest victory in the Blue Jays 11-game streak. They got the breaks, and offensive contributions from the lesser lights, and solid defence, and pitching that was good enough, which isn’t so hard when your offence scores 13 runs.
The Jays pummelled the Red Sox 13-5 to complete the weekend sweep at Fenway Park. Their streak matches a franchise record, set three times before. During those 11 games, Toronto has outscored its opponents 90-40 and hit .473 with runners in scoring position.
Of course it’s not sustainable. The Jays may have their hands full in New York against the Mets on Monday and Tuesday. But plenty of folks also thought Eduardo Rodriguez, the rookie Red Sox fireballer, might end the streak on Sunday. They scored nine runs off him in 4 2/3 innings.
The Jays claim they are focusing on the old “win-today” bromide rather than the length of the streak. Unlike the dog days of April and May, suddenly they are believing instead of hoping. Goins took that a step higher. “I think everybody’s coming here every day knowing we’re going to win,” he said.
Throughout the weekend series, the big boys could be found at the bottom of the order. Pillar and Goins, who bat eighth and ninth, had two hits in each game. On Sunday, Goins drove in a career-high five runs with a homer and a triple. He and Pillar were in the middle of rallies in all three games. The No. 7 hitter, Danny Valencia, hit a tworun homer on Sunday.
Over three games, the Jays outscored the Red Sox 31-19 without a homer from Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista or Edwin Encarnacion. But those three delivered 10 hits, all singles, and let the rest of the lineup do the heavier lifting.
At long last, and for the time being, the Blue Jays are winning as a collective. For Jays fans, that’s the most encouraging part of it all.