The Blue Jays kept the Red Sox at arm’s length again on Tuesday, winning 6-4 for their third straight victory in the series and their ninth in the last 13 games.
The game’s turning point came in a wild eighth inning that had just about everything: a disputed infield fly, a dropped ball, an intentional walk to Andrés Giménez, an RBI walk by Ernie Clements, a sacrifice fly from George Springer, and a two-run double from Myles Straw. By the end of it, Toronto had turned a close game into a 6-1 lead.
It started with Vlad reaching on a ground ball single up the middle, followed by a single from Alejandro Kirk. Then Kazuma Okamoto lifted a popup down the first-base line, and the umpires called infield fly for an out.
But Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras dropped the catch, and because the ball landed on the foul side of the line, the infield fly was wiped away. Given another chance, Okamoto lined a single to left to bring Vlad home in a play that was close at the plate.
Boston then intentionally walked Andrés Giménez, his career tenth intentional walk and second with the Jays, and Clements worked a walk to force in another run. Springer followed with a sac fly, Straw added a double that drove in two more, and Chuck McAdoo singled to put runners on the corners. John then asked Brett Bateman to bunt with runners on the corners, and he popped it up for an easy out.
The Jays’ offense finished with 12 hits, with McAdoo, Vlad, Okamoto and Straw collecting two apiece.
José Soriano delivered the kind of start that gave Toronto a chance to control the game. He went six innings and allowed one earned run, a Contreras home run, on four hits and two walks while striking out four. He threw 90 pitches, and the author would have let him go back out for the seventh, but John and Pete are closer to the players than he is.
Mason Fluharty worked a quick seventh, and Tyler Rogers handled a quick eighth.
Toronto went to Matt Waldron to open the ninth with the game comfortably in hand, but that move didn’t last long. Waldron recorded just one out while allowing three hits and a walk, bringing the tying run to the plate.
Louis Varland then came in and finished the job, getting a fly out and a ground out to lock down save No. 26.
Jays of the Day went to Okamoto (0.24 WPA), Soriano (0.21), Rogers (0.11), Varland (0.11), Fluharty (0.09) and Clements (0.08) for the big walk. Waldron (-0.10) took Other Award honors.
The series continues Wednesday with a 3:00 Eastern day game. Payton Tolle (7-6, 3.20) is set to face Max Scherzer (1-4, 7.25).
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Sewalds season has been rough, and the Blue Jays are clearly banking more on depth than on immediate stability as they sort out the roster. To make room, Toronto will likely have to bump another reliever off the active mix, which turns a simple waiver claim into a larger bullpen decision with someone else now sitting on the bubble. [Read more 🡒]