G100: Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 3

Red Sox   - 000 000 012 - 3 11  0
Blue Jays - 001 003 12x - 7 13  0

Although the Red Sox had squandered some scoring chances, leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and stranding two more in the fifth, they still trailed by only one run in the middle of the sixth. But then Peavy (6.1-8-5-3-7, 105) - and the game - fell apart.

Jose Reyes (3-for-5) lined Peavy's 2-2 pitch to right for a home run. Melky Cabrera (3-for-5) hit a ground-rule double to right and after Jose Bautista flied out, Dioner Navarro (2-for-4) homered to right-center. Toronto led 4-0; from there, both teams traded runs until the end.

Once again, the Red Sox did not score while Peavy was in the game. He began the night with the lowest run support among all American League pitchers (2.91).

David Ortiz homered to center in the eighth. And after Shane Victorino opened the ninth with a single, Stephen Drew donged to right. Down by four, Boston tried to fashion a rally. David Ross grounded a one-out single to center (Jackie Bradley pinch-ran) and Brock Holt walked. But Dustin Pedroia flied to right and Ortiz forced Bradley at third.

Both Ross and Victorino went 3-for-4. Ortiz homered and doubled.

Jake Peavy / A.J. Happ

Holt, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Victorino, RF
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Ross, C

The Continuing Legend of David Ortiz:

Sunday night: "I'm about to get hotter than Jamaica in the middle of August."

Monday: Slams 2 home runs, drives in four.

Monday night: "I'm on my way to Jamaica."

Jonny Gomes:

That's why they play one hundred and sixty-two. ... Not 16 games, not 40 - you go for six months and you go like this [a rollercoaster]. It takes 162 to figure this damn thing out.

Have the Red Sox finally figured this damn thing out? They have won eight of their last nine games, setting season-highs in runs (14) and hits (18) last night in Toronto. The pitching staff, which has been a strength all season, has allowed only five runs over the last six games. With 62 games left on the schedule, they are 7.5 games out of first place.

Optimism > Drudgery. It's time to get on the bus.