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Recap: Jays squeeze out 3-2 win

And just like that, all the momentum the Sox should have had after Lester's outing has been squelched.

Buchholz wasn't great today, but he was certainly good enough.  8 IP 6 hits 3 BB 4 K's Prior to this season, you'd take that outing every time out from Clay.  This season, it's a little rough.  Regardless, the Sox were facing Mark Buehrle (he of the 7+ ERA), and the awful Jays defense, and should have been able to tag him for a handful of runs.  That didn't happen.

The Sox didn't get on the board until the 8th, already down 2 at that point.  Ellsbury tripled, bringing home David Ross (who was walked by Buehrle before he was pulled).  Ellsbury came home thanks to yet another Blue Jays error.  Tied game. 

Enter Tazawa.  First batter he faced was Adam Lind, who homered to center.  That was the winning run.  Middlebrooks doubled to lead off the bottom of the 9th, but (stop me if you've heard this before) Boston batters couldn't drive him home.  Ballgame.

Ortiz got a hit, so that's a plus.  But the bottom of the lineup didn't fare so well.  The 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th batters (Napoli, Gomes, Drew, Ross) all went hitless with Middlebrooks' 2 doubles sandwiched between them.  Nava came in as a pinch hitter for Ross in the 9th, but didn't have any luck, popping up. 

I feel like I've written the same thing 4 times in a row, but the Sox inablity to bring runners home is a real problem.   If they can fix that, the sky is the limit.  But fix it they must.

BOX SCORE | Photo: AP /Michael Dwyer

Recap: Sox win weird one in Toronto, 3-1

Baseball can be a weird game, and tonight's 3-1 Red Sox win over the Blue Jays was just that. Don't let the low score fool you: The teams combined for 15 walks, added to a combined 13 hits made for a lot of stranded runners. And some pretty bad baseball to watch.

The Sox offense was pedestrian beyond their proficiency for taking pitches. Jonny Gomes was the lone Boston player to have two hits, and while three players doubled, there weren't the home run pyrotechnics we've gotten accustomed to at the Rogers Centre.

Ryan Dempster got the win, spreading four hits and three walks across six innings, yielding just one run. He only struck out four, but he got the job done. The Sox bullpen -- while not perfect -- held the fort to secure the win. David Ross was busy behind the plate, getting hit with balls, once appearing to strain his elbow trying to hold onto a pitch that was way outside, and having to block or retrieve wild pitches from Dempster and a couple of relievers (notably Andrew Miller). In addition to his defensive prowess, Ross walked three times. Good player.

Two big storylines emerged during the game. The first was the growing accusations of Red Sox pitching using some sort of foreign substance. It began earlier today with Blue Jays analyst Dirk Hayhurst noticing a sheen (that he suggested could be Crisco) on Clay Buchholz's left arm, and continued with Jack Morris, also a Toronto commentator, saying the same. Tonight rumors persisted on Twitter that during this game Morris was making the same accusations of Junichi Tazawa on the Blue Jays' broadcast.

Naturally, NESN didn't say anything about that (although Remy was pretty outraged about the Buchholz situation). As an amateur, I thought nothing looked off. The arms of Blue Jays reliever Esmil Rogers looked just as shiny to me, as one example. Also, as the Buchholz rumors developed throughout the day, wouldn't you have to assume you'll be under a microscope today? I have trouble believing Tazawa was up to anything. We'll see.

One thing I'm fairly confident of: Toronto is emerging as this year's enemy for the Sox. We always have the Yankees rivalry, of course, but every year there seems to be one other team that just gets under Boston's skin. I don't know if it's the Farrell stuff, or just the timing of playing them a lot early while they're struggling, but it seems like we've had a lot of drama (and a lot of whining from Toronto). I wouldn't be shocked to see some sort of brawl later in the season if we find accusations build into anything else.

The other big storyline: Joel Hanrahan came on to get the save in a two-run game in the 9th. And it's not that Andrew Bailey has been overused either. All broadcasters appeared confused and as I write this, Tom Caron and Eck don't have answers. I'd imagine we'll have some idea after Farrell's postgame, and maybe some of the beat guys will find out more over night. I was relatively terrified at first, but since it worked out -- Hanrahan gave up a single, but then retired the rest of the Blue Jays hitters -- I'm happy that Farrell took the risk. We need to build up his confidence, and throwing him against a struggling Toronto club was a good way to do that.

Box score

Recap: Lester struggles in 9-7 loss to Toronto

The Sox' early season success has been a result of -- more than anything -- starting pitching.

Yes, the bullpen is better. The chemistry is great. David Ortiz is hitting like Barry Bonds. And as far as management goes, John Farrell is a slightly better tactician and motivator than Bobby Valentine. Did I say slightly? I meant, the gulf is immeasurable.

But the starting pitching has been excellent. They had that early-season quality start streak, for one thing, but the biggest standout has been the dominance of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. Tonight marks the first hiccup in an otherwise stellar season for either of the top two starters, as Lester gave up five earned runs in six innings. The underlying numbers weren't quite as bad -- he allowed six hits and walked two against five strikeouts -- but the mistakes were poorly timed, especially and inside fastball that Edwin Encarnacion hit to Greenland.

Should we be concerned about Lester? Probably not. As I said, most of the issue was timing -- while he wasn't sharp by any means, he still managed six innings and wasn't a total disaster. This wasn't Alfredo Aceves. Some scribes were fretting about his ERA jumping by a run, but let's be real, Lester's ERA is going to be in the 3s. Anything less is just sample size playing tricks on us. Don't sound the alarm just yet.

The Blue Jays won 9-7, but it shouldn't have even been that close. In the 7th, Toronto brought in some defensive replacements to put the game away. With Ellsbury on 1st and one out, Daniel Nava hit what should have been a picture-perfect double play, but shortstop Munenori Kawasaki threw it wide of second base, and Maicer Izturis didn't exactly put up a great effort to stop it. The ball sailed into right field and Ellsbury took 3rd. The Sox had a window open with the heart of the order and delivered. Pedroia walked, and Papi connected for a monster three-run double, complete with him flexing the guns while looking into the dugout, shades of the old double-point to Pedro and Manny.

And while that was quite fun, the Sox couldn't hold it together. Junichi Tazawa surrendered a two-run homer to Encarnacion -- also crushed to deep-center, although not as highlight-worthy as his first bomb. Joel Hanrahan came on for the bottom of the 8th and gave up a run of his own following two hard-hit singles. His last out was a loud fly ball to center field. Suffice it to say, it's good that Andrew Bailey remains closer.

Some assorted negative points: Will Middlebrooks continues to look completely lost at the plate. His OBP now hovers in the .220 mark, which even Carl Crawford managed to achieve. He went 0-for-4 in the 8 hole, striking out twice. Not to be outdone, Mike Napoli struck out four times. Ouch. And Jarrod Saltalamacchia deserves a few grumblings for his defensive work: With the bases loaded he threw a pick-off attempt to 1st that Mike Napoli was not expecting. The ball flew into right field and two Jays scored.

Let's end on a positive note: A tip of the cap to Farrell, who made a difficult substitution choice that paid off big time. Mike Carp had homered early in the game, but with a lefty on the mound in the 6th Farrell elected to pinch-hit Jonny Gomes in his place. Just as I was thinking to myself "John, you're overthinking things here with this whole platoon situation," Gomes deposited the ball over the fence and I was made to look foolish.

Box score

How we see it goin' down: Sox - Jays series

First Pitch: Tuesday 7:07, Wednesday 7:07, Thursday 7:07

Arms: Tuesday: Jon Lester, LHP (4-0, 2.27 ERA)  vs. Brandon Morrow, RHP (0-2, 5.27 ERA)

Wednesday: Clay Buchholz, RHP (5-0, 1.19 ERA) vs. Mark Buehrle, LHP (1-1, 6.35 ERA)  

Thursday: Ryan Dempster, RHP (1-2, 3.30 ERA) vs. Josh Johnson, RHP (0-1, 6.86 ERA)

                                  Yard: Rogers Centre   Watch it: NESN   Hear it:  WEEI

The Matchup

Record: 18-7 (1st AL East)	Record: 9-17 (Last AL East)
On road: 7-2	At home: 5-8
Streak: W5	Streak: L4
Leaders at the plate	Leaders at the plate
Average: Ortiz (.516)	Average: Davis (.267)
Homers: Middlebrooks (6)	Homers: Arencibia (8)
RBI: Napoli (27)	RBI: Encarnacion (16)
Leaders on the mound	Leaders on the mound
Wins: Buchholz (5)	Wins: Dickey/Happ (2)
ERA: Buchholz (1.19) | Wilson (0.00)	ERA: Happ (3.86) | Janssen (1.13)
K's: Dempster (43)	K's: Dickey (28)

Last time

The Sox took games 1 and 3 of the second series of this season. Game 2 consisted of the John Lackey arm injury, which led to a Sox shutout loss. The Sox rebounded nicely in game 3 with the huge 13-0 pounding of the Blue Jays to close out the first meeting of the season between our Canadian rival.

This time

Laser Show: David Ortiz

David Ortiz has some great career numbers in Toronto. Outside of Fenway, the Rogers Centre has seen the most David Ortiz homers of any opponent (30). Big Papi has also driven in 82 runs and hit 28 double in Toronto, more than any other park other than Fenway and the Metrodome. It is safe to say that Ortiz likes to play in Toronto, and when you throw in his performance to start his season, it is looking like Ortiz will continue his tear.

Pitch Around: J.P. Arencibia

Mediocre average with great power. Arencibia swings at a lot and, in turn, strikes out a lot. J.P. has struck out 37 times this season, good for 3rd in the majors. As long as Sox' pitching can stay ahead in the count, they will have no problem containing Arencibia.

Don't Fall Behind: No One

I would normally say Mark Buehrle, but he sucks along with the rest of the staff this season. The Sox have lucked out for the second straight series, getting sub-par opponent pitching. The Sox have a huge advantage on the mound and should have little issues at the plate.

How we see it goin' down

I doubt the Sox will have any issues with the Jays in the series. Game 2 will be overshadowed by game 1 of the Bruins -  Maple Leafs series, and that will likely be the best pitching matchup. The Red Sox will come out of this series with another sweep and set a new team record for wins in April with a win tonight. This should be a fun series for Red Sox fans.

Recap: Sox roll over for Jays

Disclosure: I didn't get to watch this afternoon's game.  I was taking in Opening Day at Frontier Field.  That's why this recap is so late, and un-insightful.  Apologies.

Final score: 5-0 (and it doesn't seem like it was even that close).

Scrolling through today's box score reveals one of two things:  Either Happ, Delebar, Loup, and Santos (the pitchers for the Jays) and an unstoppable force as they blanked Boston, or the Sox batters just didn't show up today.  Whatever the reason, Boston managed just two hits and three walks over nine innings.  Ellsbury and Pedroia got the hits, if it matters.

The good news is that Lackey's stats make it seem as if he was pretty productive on the mound.  He only pitched 4 1/3, but surrendered just 2 runs, 5 hits and struck out 8 Jays.  That's a fantastic first step for the new Lackey era.  The bad news is that he got pulled early after injuring his right arm.  It appears to be a biceps injury, not elbow, but I think it's a little too early to give a sigh of relief.  Stay tuned on that.

Aceves relieved Lackey, gave up 3 runs and struck out 5 batters of his own.  Not that it matters since the Sox batters had no interest in winning this one. 

BOX SCORE

Recap: Farrell, Sox take Game 1

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

The Red Sox beat Toronto 6-4 -- blah blah blah -- we'll get to that in a moment.  The big story here is that everybody's favorite Jose Iglesias got hit with a Josh Johnson fastball in the arm and had to leave the game.  The good news is that he stayed in the game for a spell after getting pegged (and made one of those soon-to-be-patented spectacular plays at short).  It's officially a "right arm contusion" and it's unknown whether he's going to miss any games because of it.

In Iglesias' place, Pedro Ciriaco came in and did Pedro Ciraco things.  He went 2-4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base.  He's now batting .500 on the year, which is just a tick below Iglesias' .583.  Sample size be-damned, I can't believe I get to write that Jose is batting almost .600!  Dreams really do come true.

Some non-Iglesias stuff happened too, I guess.  Most notably, Mike Napoli hit his first home run with the squad (2-run blast in the 5th) and later drove in Gomes for the go-ahead run on a groundout in the 8th.  Middlebrooks also hit his first home run in the 9th.  Pedroia and Victorino were the other Sox to get multiple hits.  And the obligatory JBJ update: 1-4 with a walk and credited with a stolen base.

On the mound, Doubront held his own against the re-tooled Blue Jays lineup.  He gave up 9 hits over 5, but struck out 6.  3 of the Jays runs were his.  Uehara needed 9 pitches to get through an inning of work, with 2 strike outs *yawn*.  Tazawa gave up a home run to Reyes (who had a hell of a night) to tie the game.  He was credited with a blown save, but also got the 'W'.  Bailey and Hanrahan shut tag-teamed it from there.

Another solid win for Boston.  It's still early, but there's a lot to like about this Sox squad.

BOX SCORE

Your Morning Dump... Where Sanchez signs & Toronto is in on Dickey

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

According to an industry source, while the Red Sox had some interest in right-hander Anibal Sanchez as one of the top free agent starters on the market, the team decided early in the offseason that it would not pursue him if his asking price was for five or more years. The team believed that the 28-year-old likely would receive an offer of five (or perhaps even six) years, making the decision to target a shorter-term deal with right-hander Ryan Dempster relatively straightforward.

Sanchez agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal to return to the Tigers on Friday, staying with the club that traded for him prior to the 2012 trade deadline.

WEEI - Sox didn't want Sanchez at five years

I understand that Sanchez was solid for Detroit after they acquired him last season, and he was downright dominating in the post-season.  But I'm happy Boston drew a line in the sand with him.  It may end up being a solid contract, but I don't want any part of $16 million over 5 years for his services. 

At some point before I die, I vow to stop being surprised at baseball's free agent contract signings, but today isn't that day.  We scoffed a few weeks back when word leaked that Sanchez wanted $90+ million over six years.  We didn't think anyone would pony up that much for his services.  We were right, but Detroit came pretty close. 

As I said, it may work out for them.  But I'm just glad that salary isn't on Boston's books.

The Mets and Blue Jays are close to agreeing on a trade that would include Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey, according to major league sources in a FoxSports.com report by Jon Paul Morosi.

The names of Jays players headed to the Mets have not been finalized, but Morosi reports Toronto outfielder Anthony Gose is likely to be included, as well as one of the Jays’ catchers, J.P. Arencibia or Travis d’Arnaud. Gose, who batted .223 with with 1 home run and 11 RBI in 166 at-bats and 56 games for the Jays in 2012, has been projected to split time with Rajai Davis in left field or start the 2013 season at Triple-A Buffalo.

SI.com - Mets, Jays reportedly close to trade involving R.A. Dickey

Hey, Toronto!  You guys want to knock it off up there? Buehrle and Johnson weren't enough to add to your rotation?  You need Dickey now, too?

It doesn't look like the Blue Jays are giving up much of anything in exchange for Dickey.  A minor league platoon outfielder and a mediocre catcher?  We've got loads of both of those.  Boston couldn't throw out a more intriguing offer?

I'm not the world's biggest Dickey fan, and frankly, I don't know that I'd be comfortable giving him that large extension he's after.  I've seen what a knuckleballer looks like as his career winds down.  His pitches look an awful lot like this.  And I'm the guy that wants an influx of youth on this squad, and Dickey is certainly the opposite of young.

But to take a flyer on a guy that probably has at least 3 solid years left in the tank, and give up virtually nothing for it?  I'd rather see the Sox roll the dice on that move than throw tens of millions of dollars at a Ryan Dempster.

Plus, I really hate the team Toronto is building and the ease in which they're doing it.  It's getting scary.

Rest of the links:

Herald - Durability key for Dempster| Yanks hit with $18.9M luxury tax | Kevin Youkilis: 'I never thought I'd be on the other side' | Globe -New Yankee Kevin Youkilis not concerned about fan reaction in Boston | WEEI -Sox went under luxury tax threshold in '12 | What are they doing? Explaining Red Sox' offseason moves | CSNNE - Red Sox announce minor league coaching staffs | McAdam: Sanchez impacted Sox' approach

Your Morning Dump...where the Sox were in on the Marlins firesale

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

The Sox, according to the source, were working on bringing All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes and righthander Josh Johnson, a player the team has long coveted, to Boston. It’s not known what the Sox were offering, but it certainly involved some of their top prospects.

So the Marlins and Jays put together a blockbuster deal that for the moment shocks the AL East. According to multiple reports, the Jays will land Reyes, Johnson, lefthander Mark Buehrle, utilityman Emilio Bonifacio, and catcher John Buck for shortstop Yunel Escobar, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, outfielder Jason Marisnick, catcher Jeff Mathis, righthander Henderson Alvarez, lefthander Justin Nicolino, and righthander Anthony DeSclafani.

This move separates the Jays from the Red Sox. And the Yankees and Orioles also must be wondering what hit them.

Globe | Red Sox fall behind early in offseason

I find this report both interesting and a little maddening.

Interesting because it kind of smells of "Hey fanbase, don't worry, we're being active too!" 

Maddening because it would not represent the kind of move the Red Sox should be interested in. I advocated for trying to acquire Josh Johnson in my offseason plan post, because he seems like the kind of high-upside pitcher the Sox need. 

But to have to give up "some of their top prospects" and take on nine figures in contracts...that's just not worth it. Reyes is a speed guy heading into his age 30 season (and if you want to be slanderous, he's from the Dominican Republic, so that age may not be accurate). There's a very good chance he's already had his best season (2011, when he won the batting title in his walk year with the Mets). He doesn't get on base at an exceptional clip, and that average will come down over the years thanks to a slowed batting eye and fewer infield hits. Plus, he's owed $100 million over the next five years in his backloaded deal. And all this is without considering Jose Iglesias or Xander Bogaerts, one of whom should be the future Sox shortstop.

It's not that Reyes is a bad player, he's just not a good value, and he wouldn't push us to World Series contender level.

Does he do that for Toronto? Probably not. But there's one major difference between Boston and Toronto: Boston can land free agents if it wants. Toronto, historically, struggles to sign players in free agent deals. It's not that the Blue Jays don't have money -- they've given out big deals to Carlos Delgado, Jose Bautista, and Vernon Wells in the past. The best they've done on the free agent market have been AJ Burnett and BJ Ryan, both of whom were overpaid and acknowledged as such at the time. 

This trade represents Toronto's best attempt to acquire a couple of top-level players, even if one of them (Reyes) may not be top-level for long. They're paying a hefty premium, and they've gotten better in the short term. But it wasn't the right move for the Sox, so don't waste your time being jealous. The right thing for the Sox to do is to be patient, stick with their plan (which Cherington is promising to do), and try to get as much out of their farm system as they can while supplementing with free agency.

Now let's just hope Larry Lucchino doesn't barge into Cherington's office and demand Josh Hamilton.

Globe | Jays make the road tougher for Cherington, Sox | Herald | Sox smart to avoid Johnson-Reyes megadeal | ESPNBoston | Source: No offers yet for Hunter | Kalish hopes Sox look within

The Blue Jays just got a whole lot better

 

Thanks to the Marlins failed one year experiment, the Toronto Blue Jays are about to become a force to be reckoned with.

Fox Sports has the info:

The Blue Jays are set to acquire starters Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, shortstop Jose Reyes, infielder/outfielder Emilio Bonifacio and catcher John Buck from the Marlins, sources told FOXSports.com.

The Marlins will receive a package that includes shortstops Yunel Escobar and Adeiny Hechavarria, major-league starter Henderson Alvarez, minor-league starter Justin Nicolino and center fielder Jacob Marisnick.

A catcher also will go to Miami in the trade — J.P. Arencibia, Jeff Mathis or Bobby Wilson.

In one fell swoop the Marlins are back in rebuilding mode and the Blue Jays have a legitimate shot at taking the AL East. 

Now isn't the time for Boston to make a panic move, but the Sox certainly have to take notice.  The competition in the East just got a whole lot more competition-y-er.

Jays trade Aviles to Indians

Just when Mike Aviles was getting comfortable in Toronto, they shipped him out of town. Yup, two weeks after the Jays received Aviles in exchange for compensation for John Farrell, he was traded to the wonderful city of Cleveland.

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports that the Blue Jays have shipped Aviles and utility man Yan Gomes to the Indians in exchange for right-hander Esmil Rogers.

Aviles, who turns 32 next March, batted .250/.282/.381 with 13 home runs, 60 RBI and a .663 OPS in 136 games this season for the Red Sox. He earned $1.2 million in 2012 and is arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter. The Indians already have Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis as starters at shortstop and second base respectively, so Aviles could be in the mix at third base or as a backup infielder.

It seems Mike Aviles was just a pawn in Toronto's grand scheme to take over the AL East. Or, they just thought he has more trade value than what he is worth to the franchise, as they prep for another disappointing season. The latter makes more sense.

I don't know about Mike, but I would rather be in Toronto than Cleveland. Not only because of the strong possibility of becoming a back-up, more because the city just plain sucks. That brings us to another perfect segue to the hastily made Cleveland tourism video...