David Ortiz crushed a three-run home run in the sixth off Joaquin Benoit to cancel out Edwin Encarnacion’s two home runs and give the Red Sox a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Ace Marco Estrada has been shelled over his most recent 28 1/3 innings pitched (six starts), allowing 22 runs and an ugly 39 hits and 10 walks.
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The Toronto Blue Jays need to turn things around quickly in their quest for a second straight American League East title, and to avoid missing the playoffs. He bounced a pitch off the left-field foul pole for his 13th home run of the season and cut Toronto’s lead to 3-1.
The Orioles begin a critical three-game series with the division-leading Red Sox on Monday. The Red Sox are two games ahead of Toronto.
Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations for the Red Sox, was running the Tigers then and admitted that he was thinking of that moment almost three years ago.
Another issue that the Blue Jays rarely try to address is their lack of speed.
Detroit fell two games behind the wild cards.
Jackie Bradley Jr.’s big game led the Red Sox past the Blue Jays. Buchholz struggled and wouldn’t make it to the 4th inning, but the real story was the Sox offense who just kept after it until it was sure a win was in their future.
In the bottom of the first, Buchholz also got two quick outs before Encarnacion unloaded his 38th homer of the year to tie it at 1-1.
Tulowitzki did his part on Sunday, going 3-for-4, including his third career grand slam in the third inning, which provided Toronto with a short-lived 6-4 advantage. Boston’s bullpen was the deciding factor in this game, as they only gave up two runs the rest of the game.
Xander Bogaerts tied it 6-6 for Boston with a single in the fourth, scoring Bradley and Dustin Pedroia.
Toronto stopped a four-game losing streak and avoided matching its longest skid this season. After his last three starts in which he’d pitched 19 innings while only giving up three runs, Buchholz had an early exit Sunday. Urena, 24, struck out four to improve to 4-6 on the season. Ortiz then smashed a two-run shot to deep right field to make it 10-8 in the sixth. Holt drew a walk with two down in the frame, then advanced to third on a wild pickoff attempt from Biagini.
Ortiz walked and scored on Mookie Betts’ double in the first. It’s the fourth time in Upton’s career that he’s had 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Michael Bourn and Jonathan Schoop hit home runs off Justin Verlander (14-8) as Baltimore moved into a tie with Toronto for second in the AL East and the top spot in the wild-card standings. Benoit fooled him with a first-pitch changeup but Ortiz powdered the next one into the seats for his 32nd of the season to re-establish a two-run Boston lead.
“He’s battling. I think what it is maybe, he’s missing his pitches he normally hits, which is usually what happens”. He looked up and, at first, he wanted to protest that the Blue Jays still had a chance to hit. Kluber may have helped himself get back on the AL Cy Young radar by allowing just one unearned run in seven innings. Noe Ramirez (0.1 innings), Robbie Ross Jr.
Jose Urena came within one out of a complete-game shutout before A.J. Ramos picked up his 34th save in Miami’s 3-0 decision over the Dodgers. Estrada’s earned-run average for 2016 as a whole stands at a very different 3.68. “Only advice I can give to the Blue Jays fans is keep on going; you guys are doing great”.
Boston now owns a two-game lead over the Blue Jays and Orioles in the AL East, so it looks like Ortiz will get at least one more series at Fenway after the regular season ends.
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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez (41) delivers a pitch during first inning American League baseball action against the Boston Red Sox in Toronto on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016.
