Turn about is fair play: A week ago the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 14-1 and on Monday Toronto returned the favor with an ugly, 14-hit, 14-run drubbing at Fenway Park. It marked the 100th time Toronto has had 13+ hits in a game against the Red Sox.
While the Rays have gone 9-1 for their last 10, the Red Sox are 4-6 and trailing the Orioles 11 full games in the American League East. At 10-13 for the month with two games remaining, there’s no chance of Boston putting together their first winning month of the 2014 campaign.
The Blue Jays are a high-scoring powerhouse this season. Among AL East teams they’ve scored the most runs, the 3rd most in the American League overall (496). Their 14 runs last night came just four shy of the most scored in any MLB game in 2014 (18 by the Diamondbacks over the Dodgers on May 17).
By contrast, Boston has scored just 409 runs this season. Only the Astros (407) and Mariners (403) have scored fewer in the American League. For their last seven games the Red Sox are averaging just 2.1 runs per game after averaging 6.6 runs/game in the seven games before that.
But despite Toronto’s power, particularly this season, the Red Sox have traditionally done well against them. Boston’s 302 all-time wins over the Blue Jays is the most by any club except the Yankees (310). Monday’s game marked just the 7th time ever that Toronto has scored 14+ runs vs the Red Sox. Interestingly, all those games have taken place at Fenway.
Like the Red Sox season itself, Clay Buchholz has exhibited mediocrity mixed with some flashes of excellence in 2014. Last night’s performance, however, was just terrible. 5.0 short innings allowing 7 hits and 7 earned runs. He struck out 4 but also walked 4. His ERA ballooned from 5.50 to 5.87 in that one game.
Félix Doubront, notable in the news lately for proclaiming his readiness to be a full-time starter, made no case for himself in relief Monday. In the space of getting two outs he allowed 6 hits and 6 earned runs in what seemed to be an interminable 6th inning. The 9 Blue Jays runs scored were the most allowed in one inning by the Red Sox this season. After Doubront’s folly his ERA stands at 6.07.
The series continues Tuesday.