TORONTO – The Boston Red Sox kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a come-from-behind 6-5 victory in 10 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Red Sox reliever Chris Martin earned his third of the season. Blue Jays’ reliever Tommy Nance took the loss, dropping him to 0-3.
The Red Sox improved their record to 80-78, while the Blue Jays dropped to a season-high 12 games below .500 at 73-85.
Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis was his typically dominant self to start the sport, striking out the primary two batters he faced before retiring first baseman Triston Casas with a weak fly out.
The Blue Jays continued their offensive woes in the underside of the primary, nevertheless.
Shortstop Trevor Story began the sport’s offensive festivities with a double to guide off the second inning after which advanced to 3rd on a groundout by left fielder Masataka Yoshida. But Francis would work himself out of trouble soon after, eliciting soft fly-outs from second baseman Vaughn Grissom and right-fielder Wilyer Abreu to maintain the Red Sox off the scoresheet.
Third baseman Addison Barger earned the Blue Jays their first baserunner of the sport in the underside of the second, ripping a hard-hit single to left field after working a full count. The threat could be short-lived, nevertheless, as shortstop Ernie Clement would ground out to short on the following pitch to finish the inning.
Stepping to the plate as an opponent for the primary time at Rogers Centre, Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen grounded out to 3rd to start the third inning. Jarren Duran would reach base with a single shortly after, but Francis escaped once more by striking out third baseman Romy Gonzalez to retire the side.
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Centre-fielder Joey Loperfido walked to start the underside of the third after which stole second to present the Blue Jays their first runner in scoring position. Left fielder Nathan Lukes walked as well shortly after, giving method to star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who ripped a double off the centre field wall to attain each runners and provides the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.
Guerrero Jr. earned RBI No. 102 on the season, making him one among just 11 players in MLB with over 100 in 2024.
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Francis would start the fourth inning with a walk, just the third he had issued to that time in his past 4 games. Once more, the 28-year-old would work his way out of trouble, first sitting down Story on strikes before getting Yoshida to ground right into a double play to finish the inning.
Grissom doubled off the wall in left-centre to guide off the fifth, narrowly beating a powerful relay throw to slip secure into second. But Francis responded again, getting Abreu to foul out, Jansen to ground out to 3rd, after which Ceddanne Rafaela to fly out to the right-field wall to maintain his shutout bid alive.
Right-hander Lucas Sims got here out of the bullpen to alleviate Bello within the sixth, giving up a leadoff walk to second baseman Davis Schneider. The Blue Jays would add to their lead shortly after that as George Springer doubled off the wall in left-centre one batter later before Nathan Lukes would rating Schneider with a sacrifice fly, putting Toronto ahead 3-0.
Boston wouldn’t go away quietly, nevertheless, because the Red Sox began the sixth inning by loading the bases on right-handed reliever Ryan Burr, placing the leading run on the plate in Rafaela. Rafaela then singled through the gap at short to attain two runners and cut the Blue Jays’ lead to at least one. Burr would limit the damage on the following at-bat, though, striking out Duran swinging.
Right-hander Luis Garcia got here on in relief in the underside of the seventh inning and kept Boston’s comeback hopes alive. Garcia made quick work of the Blue Jays’ hitters, retiring Joey Loperfido, Springer and Lukes in only seven pitches.
Left-hander Genesis Cabrera would play set-up role for Toronto heading into the eighth inning and proceeded to present up back-to-back singles to place runners on first and third. Yoshida wasted little time tying the sport in the following at-bat, bringing Gonzalez home on a forceout. The run marked Cabrera’s third blown save of the season, with closer Chad Green entering the sport soon after and keeping the sport tied by getting pinch-hitter Nick Sogard to fly out to left field.
With their post-season fate hanging within the balance, the Red Sox sent out Chris Martin to pitch the ninth for the second consecutive night. After walking Addison Barger, Martin got Clement to ground out right into a double play and Schneider to strike out swinging to send the sport to an additional inning.
Right-hander Tommy Nance entered the sport for the Blue Jays within the tenth inning and immediately found himself in trouble, as Story doubled to bring home two runners and provides the Red Sox their first lead of the sport. Grissom would add an insurance run on a single to left field because the Red Sox held off a surge by the Blue Jays in the underside half of the tenth to secure the win.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
