Game 103: Blue Jays at Red Sox lineups and notes
The Red Sox can claim their sixth straight series win on Saturday, having taken down the Blue Jays on Friday to get back to winning ways.
It’s a showdown between top arms at Fenway Park. Sonny Gray will have the ball for Boston, sporting a 12-1 record and a 2.48 ERA entering the weekend. The righthander, who picked up three wins during Boston’s 15-game win streak, is 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 16 career appearances against Toronto.
The Blue Jays will counter with righty Dylan Cease, who has also been one of the best pitchers in the American League this season. He’d logged back-to-back scoreless starts before allowing five runs (three earned) over six innings in a loss to the Rays on Monday. Cease started the All-Star Game for the AL last week.
First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. at Fenway and on NESN. Here’s a preview.
Lineups
BLUE JAYS (47-57): Lukes RF, Guerrero Jr. 1B, Okamoto 3B, Springer DH, Varsho CF, Clement 2B, Piñango LF, Gimenez SS, Valenzuela C
Pitching: RHP Dylan Cease (6-5, 2.67 ERA)
RED SOX (53-49): Seigler 2B, Rafaela CF, Abreu RF, Contreras 1B, Yoshida DH, Durbin 3B, Duran LF, Monasterio SS, Wong C
Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA)
Time: 4:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Blue Jays vs. Gray: Ernie Clement 0-3, Andrés Giménez 5-22, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1-8, Alejandro Kirk 0-0, Nathan Lukes 1-3, Kazuma Okamoto 1-3, Yohendrick Pinango 0-2, George Springer 6-24, Myles Straw 6-12, Luis Urías 4-11, Brandon Valenzuela 1-3, Daulton Varsho 0-2
Red Sox vs. Cease: Wilyer Abreu 2-5, Willson Contreras 4-17, Jarren Duran 1-8, Caleb Durbin 1-6, Romy González 1-2, Andruw Monasterio 1-5, Carlos Narváez 0-3, Ceddanne Rafaela 4-11, Connor Wong 1-3, Masataka Yoshida 3-8
Stat of the day: Gray has logged nine consecutive quality starts (at least six innings while allowing three earned runs or fewer) dating back to the end of May.
Notes: Gray has yet to be hit with a loss since April 14. He didn’t have his best stuff in a win over the Rays Sunday, throwing just 49 of his 91 pitches for strikes, but he found a way. “Just as a pro does, he got through the outing and gave us six great innings,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “So it was a gutsy outing.” … Anthony Seigler became the latest in a long line of heroes during Boston’s hot stretch, recording his first career four-hit game on Friday. He cranked a leadoff home run before adding two doubles and a single, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. “We are [enjoying the ride],” he said. “We’re obviously living in the moment, but now it’s onto the next. Turn the page quick and get ready for Saturday.” Ceddanne Rafaela also went deep, and Romy Gonzalez’s pinch-hit RBI double in the eighth inning was the difference as the Red Sox overcame losing a 4-0 lead. … The Blue Jays, reigning AL pennant winners, have lost five of their last six and are 10 games under .500. “Coming off the year we had, it makes everything that much louder this year. We’ve earned those expectations, and fans expect them to be met,” said manager John Schneider. “You learn to shrug off the noise. I know that people who are taking shots at me … can’t do what I do, and they can’t do what my players can do.”
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