G138: Blue Jays 10, Red Sox 4

Blue Jays - 301 003 003 - 10 14  1
Red Sox   - 020 001 100 -  4  9  0

There is not much to say about this game, which was dispiriting, desultory, and disconcerting. Kendrys Morales's three-run homer off Rick Porcello (5.1-10-7-1-3, 100) in the first inning took the Red Sox out of the game. They closed the gap to 3-2, but Toronto pulled away after that.

The Blue Jays, dead last in the American League (and 29th in MLB) with a .240 team batting average, banged out 14 hits (a total they have topped only two times this season).

Porcello gave up three long balls, bringing his total for the season to 35, the most by a Red Sox pitcher since Josh Beckett allowed 36 in 2006. The team allowed four homers for the second straight game, something that has happened only 11 times in the last 100 years of Red Sox history. (All 11 instances have come since 1980.)

The Red Sox began this game knowing that the Yankees had beaten the Orioles 7-4 this afternoon. Their lead in the AL East is down to 2.5 games.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the second on Sam Travis's double (which was botched by Jose Bautista in right field (if a fly ball is not hit directly at him, it's trouble)), a walk by Chris Young, and a throwing error by Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ (5.2-6-3-3-3, 105) on Christian Vazquez's comebacker. Deven Marrero grounded out to the catcher; he hit the ball about two feet and Raffy Lopez grabbed it and stepped on the plate to force Travis. But Eduardo Nunez's came through with a two-run single to right.

Bautista atoned somewhat in the third when he homered to dead center, upping Toronto's lead to 4-2.  (He had been 5-for-53 (.094) against the Red Sox this year up to that point.) Porcello gave up a single, double, and home run to the bottom three hitters in the lineup (Lopez went deep) and with the score 7-2, he was pulled.

Nunez drove in a run in the sixth and Mitch Moreland's fielder's choice brought in another run in the seventh, cutting the deficit to three runs. But Boston could get no closer. Matt Barnes - after striking out the first two batters in the ninth - was pounded for a home run, two doubles, and a single.

Some dates this season:

May 10      - 5.0 GB
June 20     - 0.5 GA
July 7      - 4.5 GA
July 28     - 0.5 GB
August 13   - 5.5 GA
August 27   - 2.5 GA
August 30   - 5.5 GA
September 4 - 2.5 GA

J.A. Happ / Rick Porcello

Nunez, 3B
Betts, RF
Benintendi, CF
Ramirez, DH
Travis, 1B
Bogaerts, SS
Young, LF
Vazquez, C
Marrero, 2B

The Red Sox begin a nine-game homestand tonight, which will include three games each against the Blue Jays, Rays, and Athletics.

It will be the longest homestand of the season, tied with two other nine-gamers (April 25-May 4 and July 28-August 6); both of those homestands were scheduled to be 10 games, but there was a rainout during each one.

Gregor Chisholm (MLB.com) reports that it is possible that Carson Smith "will be activated prior to this series opener". ... I'm not even sure Carson Smith exists at this point.

During the Red Sox-Yankees series, Rafael Devers met the guy whose selfie-video of his real-time reaction to Devers's ninth-inning home run off Aroldis Chapman on August 13 was an online hit.

MFY Watch: The Yankees (3.5 GB) play at Baltimore this afternoon.