Red Sox - 100 200 000 000 - 3 6 1 Blue Jays - 110 000 100 001 - 5 8 2Chris Sale (9-6-3-0-15, 116) tied a career-high with 15 strikeouts, fanning six in a row in the third and fourth innings (all swinging). From the second to the ninth, Sale retired 19 of 20 batters. The lone blemish was Luke Maile, who hit his first home run of the season and tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Facing another lefty, Brian Johnson, in the bottom of the twelfth, Maile (3-for-4, 4 RBI) hit another dong, to deep right-center, giving the Blue Jays a 5-3 win.
After Boston reclaimed its lead in the fourth inning, their bats went AWOL. They managed only one hit over the final eight innings. At one point, the Red Sox sent 28 consecutive batters to the plate without getting a hit.
There was a flurry of activity in the early innings. Mookie Betts walked against Aaron Sanchez (5-5-3-3-4, 96) to start the game and scored on J.D. Martinez's groundout. It took Toronto only four pitches to tie the game against Sale. Teoscar Hernandez hit a first-pitch double and scored on Josh Donaldson's single.
The Blue Jays took the lead in the second. Kendrys Morales hit a ground-rule double into the right-field corner. he went to third on a fly to right and scored on Maile's infield hit, a roller near the first base line. Sale fielded it and threw wildly to first for an error.
Xander Bogaerts tied the game at 2-2 with a homer leading off the fourth. After Mitch Moreland singled, two fielder's choice left Boston with Brock Holt on first and two outs. Sandy Leon struck out, but the ball eluded Maile. When he finally found it, he threw it well over the first baseman's head. Holt scored on the error.
After Sale committed his throwing error, it seemed as though he said to himself "Enough is enough" and pushed his game into Pedro-mode. He retired the side in the third on three grounders and only seven pitches. He struck out seven of the next eight batters. After Maile's homer in the seventh, Sale fanned four of the next five Jays. (Sale has 27 strikeouts in his last two starts, his highest two-game total with the Red Sox.)
Sale was at 104 pitches after eight innings, but he came out for the bottom of the ninth. With one down, Kevin Pillar hit a rope to the wall in right-center. Andrew Benintendi fired the ball to Brock Holt, who threw to third as Pillar tried for a triple. Holt's throw was offline, to the plate side of the bag, but Eduardo Nunez grabbed the ball and whipped his glove across his body and tagged out Pillar. Toronto asked for a review and the call was upheld.
It looked as though the Blue Jays would win the game in the tenth. Sale had faced 33 batters and walked no one. Matt Barnes began the tenth and walked the first two batters. (Actually, he struck out the second batter (Maile! (that guy was fucking everywhere tonight), but home plate umpire Ed Hickox blew the call.)
Dalton Pompey pinch-hit and tried to bunt. He fouled his first attempt, swung and missed at a high fastball, and then bunted foul again for a strikeout. Hernandez fell behind 1-2 and Barnes threw two balls before Hernandez flied to right. Barnes's first pitch to Donaldson was right down the heart of the plate - and he fouled it off. Two balls and a check swing brought the count to 2-2. Barnes again threw a pitch close to the middle of the plate and Donaldson again fouled it off. Barnes's next pitch was in the exact same spot, at 98, and Donaldson swung and missed.
Pillar singled with two outs in the eleventh against Carson Smith. He then stole second, but Morales fanned to end the inning.
Johnson walked Curtis Granderson on four pitches to begin the twelfth. Maile stepped in. Johnson's first pitch to the Toronto catcher was air-mailed over the wall.
The Blue Jays bullpen: 7 shutout innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts.
The Yankees lost to Oakland 10-5, so the Red Sox also missed a chance to take sole possession of first place.
Betts, RFYankees vs. Red Sox: Whose Core Is Better?
Benintendi, CF
Ramirez, DH
Martinez, LF
Bogaerts, SS
Moreland, 1B
Nunez, 3B
Holt, 2B
Leon, C
Jim Duquette, MLB.com:
With the Red Sox having started this season 17-2, and the Yankees in the midst of their own impressive stretch − winning 17 of 19 − both American League East rivals are undoubtedly among the top teams in the Majors. ...I am not clear on why Duquette offered these specific comparisons. Why not Bradley vs Andujar or Betts vs. Severino?
[W]hich club has the better core group of players? ... For this exercise, I will compare each team's top five "homegrown" players − defined as those who made their Major League debut with their current organization. ...
Betts vs. Judge ... Winner: Betts
Bogaerts vs. Sanchez ... Winner: Sanchez
Bradley vs. Severino ... Winner: Severino
Benintendi vs. Torres ... Winner: Benintendi
Devers vs. Andujar ... Winner: Devers ...
Boston's current group is more established at the Major League level, so I give them the nod for the next one to two years.
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