Game 71: Blue Jays at Red Sox lineups and notes

After dropping Tuesday night’s opener, 6-1, the Red Sox will look to bounce back when they resume their series with the Blue Jays Wednesday night.

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The Sox went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners against Toronto starter Dylan Cease and four relievers.

“It’s tough,” said interim manager Chad Tracy. “We took four or five walks. Obviously drove the pitch count up and gave ourselves chances. I think we had a runner in scoring position or multiple in each of the five innings (Cease) pitched. We were one big hit away.”

The Sox have now lost six of their last eight to fall 14½ games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East.

Boston will turn to Jake Bennett, making just his fourth start, to turn it around. He allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings his last time out, a 7-5 loss at Tampa Bay on June 10.

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The Blue Jays will counter with Max Scherzer in his second start since being activated from the injured list.

Here is a preview.

BLUE JAYS (35-38): TBA

Pitching: RHP Max Scherzer (1-4, 10.23 ERA)

RED SOX (29-41): TBA

Pitching: LHP Jake Bennett (1-2, 5.28 ERA)

Time: 6:45 p.m.

TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7

Blue Jays vs. Bennett: Has not faced any Toronto batters

Red Sox vs. Scherzer: Wilyer Abreu 1-2, Willson Contreras 2-12, Jarren Duran 1-6, Caleb Durbin 0-2, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 4-10, Andruw Monasterio 1-4, Carlos Narváez 0-2, Ceddanne Rafaela 2-3, Masataka Yoshida 4-6

Stat of the day: The Red Sox are on a pace to lose 95 games for the first time since they finished 62-100 in 1965.

Notes: Jarren Duran has hit 11 of his 12 home runs against righthanders, and has 11 home runs, 26 RBI and a .781 OPS in his last 39 games. … Ceddanne Rafaela is slashing .309/.352/.515/.867 in his last 42 games. … The Blue Jays are 26-19 when hitting at least one home run, and 9-19 when going homerless. … Scherzer, 41, is making his eighth start at Fenway, and his first since 2023. He is 5-7 with a 5.77 ERA in 14 career appearances (all starts) against the Sox. … George Springer belted his 300th home run in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s game. He is the fifth player to debut in 2014 or later to reach the mark, joining Aaron Judge, Matt Olson, Kyle Schwarber, and Eugenio Suárez.

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