G147: Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 1

Blue Jays - 100 133 000 - 8 13  1
Red Sox   - 000 000 100 - 1  5  0

Byrd's mid-innings implosion turned this one ugly in a hurry.

Travis Snider -- the youngest player in the AL -- drove in five of the Jays' six runs in the fifth and sixth innings, with a three-run dong to right and a two-run rope to right-center that was a ground rule double.

Devern Hansack pitched three perfect innings (on only 27 pitches) to close it out.

George Kottaras made his major league debut when he went behind the plate in the top of the seventh. The Ontario-born catcher reached on a K-WP in his first at-bat and came around to score Boston's only run (FC-E4, FC4-6, Pedroia sac fly to right). He flew to right in the ninth.

By the ninth inning, the lineup card looked like what you might see in a spring training game:

Carter, LF
Cash, 3B
Bailey, DH
Cora, 2B
Casey, 1B
Van Every, RF
Lowrie, SS
Kottaras, C
Crisp, CF

Three Sox played more than one position: Lowrie started the game at SS, went to 3B in the 7th, then back to SS in the 8th. Cora took over at SS in the 7th and moved to 2B in the 8th. Van Every, after pinch-running, was in LF for the 7th, then in RF for the 8th and 9th.

***

A.J. Burnett (4.31, 99 ERA+) / Paul Byrd (4.39, 101 ERA+)

In his five starts for the Red Sox, Byrd is 3.82, 118 ERA+.

MLB:

Burnett will be pitching on short rest ... He was dominant Tuesday against the White Sox in Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader, allowing just one hit and one unearned run over seven innings. He struck out seven ... In two starts against Boston this season Burnett is 1-0 with a 3.07 ERA. He walked eight batters in those two starts combined, a total that will likely have to come down this time around. ...

[Byrd is] a perfect 6-0 in his past six road starts going back to July 21. Since that July 21 start, Byrd is 8-1 with a 2.61 ERA. His last time out, in unforgiving Rangers Ballpark, Byrd mixed his pitches well and kept them down in the zone to shut out the Rangers over 6.2 innings.

J.D. Drew will not play in the Toronto series. He received another injection to relax his lower back and his grandmother passed away. The Red Sox called up Jonathan Van Every for the busy weekend.

***

Lots of baseball today, including 12 American League games!

Rays/Yankees at 1
Rays/Yankees at 7
Twins/Orioles at 5
Twins/Orioles at ?
Tigers/White Sox at 3:45
Tigers/White Sox at ?

East
Rays       87  57   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    86  60   2.0     16
Blue Jays  79  68   9.5      8
Yankees    77  69  11.0      7
Orioles    65  80  22.5      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    86  60   ---   Magic #
Twins      80  66   6.0     11
Blue Jays  79  68   7.5      9
Yankees    77  69   9.0      8

If the Red Sox and Yankees both sweep their doubleheaders, Boston and Tampa Bay will be tied for first place -- actually, the Rays (87-59, .59589) would be still slightly ahead of the Red Sox (88-60, .59459).