Toronto win streak halted at four
Jays strand 11 baserunners in extra-inning loss
T ORON T O• They had their chances, but the Blue Jays just couldn’t cash in the day David Price returned to the mound at the Rogers Centre.
The Jays left 11 runners on base, including two in the eighth inning, two in the ninth and one in the 10th, en route to a 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox, snapping a fourgame winning streak. The Red Sox also stranded 11 runners, but were able to push across two runs in the top of the 11th for the victory, avoiding a sweep against their AL East rivals.
The Jays dropped to 2626, though they did pick up the series win against Boston, their third straight series victory.
“It was a good series for us, we’re playing good baseball,” said Jays manager John Gibbons. “The guys are battling. It was one of those series, two good teams that went at it. It was a tight duel, not much action early, we took the lead, R. A. had the no-hitter going into the sixth inning ... good battles.”
The loss spoiled a great start ( at least early on) by Jays starter R.A. Dickey, who cruised through five innings of no-hit baseball before being taken out in the sixth after the Red Sox staged a rally. Dickey was handed a 2-0 lead in the fifth courtesy of a Jose Bautista home run, but he never seems to get the run support that his colleagues in the starting rotation often get.
Sunday’s starting pitching matchup featured Boston left- hander ( and former Jay) Price, the pitcher with the highest run support in the AL (8.52), against Dickey, who had the sixth- lowest (3.41) going into the game. In the end, neither got the decision. In terms of run support, it was business as usual for Dickey, who has received three runs of support or less in eight of his last nine starts. The knuckleballer was asked if he is feeling a bit snake- bit in terms of not getting much support.
“Not r eally,” he s aid. “I’ ve played long enough to understand that there’s a rhythm to these things. There’ll be a stretch where I get a bunch. It doesn’t happen until it happens, but at the same time I don’t look into it too much. I just think it’s just coincidence.
“I’ve gone up against Price, and ( Chris) Sale and ( Clay- ton) Kershaw, some really good pitchers. My job is to keep runs off the board so we have a chance to win. Today I pitched just well enough that we had a shot. I wouldn’t consider it a great outing but I wouldn’t consider it a bad outing either.”
The Sox won it in the 11th when Jays right- hander Gavin Floyd walked Boston outfielders Blake Swihart and Mookie Betts back- toback with one out, Swihart making it to third on a wild pitch. Floyd was pulled for Drew Storen, who gave up a ground- rule double to second baseman Dustin Pedroia to right- centre, scoring Swihart from third. With one out, shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit an infield grounder, which Darwin Barney bobbled, to score Betts. Barney got the out at first. Toronto centre-fielder Kevin Pillar made a nice sliding catch for the third out on a bloop by Travis Shaw.
The Red Sox are now 3020 after losing their first two at the Rogers Centre. Koji Uehara closed it out for Boston in the bottom of the 11th, picking up the save for Boston. Floyd was hit with the loss.
“I just think he was worn down,” said Gibbons of Floyd. “He’d been pitching a lot. He’s logged a lot of innings over his career, he’s had some arm issues, so we’re trying to be careful with him. I just think he’s a little bit out of gas right now.”
Betts broke up Dickey’s no- hit bid with one out in the sixth when he rapped a triple to the wall in right centre. The next batter, Pedroia, smacked a single to left to score Betts. Bogaerts kept the party going with a single through the hole at shortstop, extending his hit streak to 22 games.
Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth with a home run off reliever Heath Hembree into the second deck in left field.
Price went 6 1/ 3 innings, giving up five hits, including the home run by Bautista (his 11th of the season), and two runs, while walking a seasonhigh three and striking out three.
Toronto second baseman Devon Travis, who singled in the fourth, has hit in all five games since returning from the DL. Ezequiel Carrera recorded his sixth multi- hit game of the season, while Bautista’s homer extended his hitting streak to nine games.
IT WAS A GOOD SERIES FOR US, WE’RE PLAYING GOOD BASEBALL. THE GUYS ARE BATTLING.