the joy of sox: G74: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 1

June 26, 2012

G74: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 1

Blue Jays - 100 000 000 - 1  7  0
Red Sox   - 000 000 32x - 5  9  1

The Red Sox had to wait until Aaron Laffey (6-3-0-2-2, 82) and his sinker (10 ground ball outs) were out of the game to get their bats going. When they did, eight consecutive Sox reached base, and five scored.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered to left-center off Jason Frasor, tying the game at 1-1. Luis Perez relieved Frasor and surrendered a double to pinch-hitter Ryan Kalish. David Pauley was the next man out of the visitors' bullpen and he loaded the bases by hitting pinch-hitter Daniel Nava and walking Mike Aviles. Dustin Pedroia then grounded a single up the middle into center for two runs.

In the eighth, still facing Pauley, David Ortiz doubled and Cody Ross singled. Adrian Gonzalez doubled high off the Wall, scoring Ortiz. Will Middlebrooks added a sac fly off Scott Richmond, making the score 5-1.

Toronto took an early 1-0 lead when Brett Lawrie doubled to start the game and scored on Edward Encarnacion's single. Dice then settled down, and did not allow a Blue Jays runner past first base until there were two outs in the sixth.

Laffey allowed a single to Aviles to begin the bottom of the first, then retired the next 12 batters. Gonzalez doubled to start the fifth, but did not advance. With one out in the sixth, Pedroia walked and was thrown out at home trying to score on Ortiz's double. Papi took third on the throw, but Ross grounded out for the third out.

The Boston pen was stellar. Andrew Miller struck out Colby Rasmus to strand a man at third in the seventh. Vicente Padilla pitched a perfect eighth, striking out Jose Bautista and Encarnacion, and Alfredo Aceves retired the side in order in the ninth.

Although Boston stayed 6.5 GB New York, the Red Sox are now one game behind the third-place Rays.