Saturday wasn’t necessary a fair test for either, since both players were matched against a knuckleballer (R.A. Dickey), never an easy assignment, even for those playing on an everyday basis.
Advertisement
Rick Porcello was hoping to start the season off on a good note for the Red Sox this season.
“This is my fourth year with the team and it’s my first win in my opening start, so hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come”, the right-hander told the Blue Jays’ official website. The Red Sox were 4-1 in one-run games against the Blue Jays.
When the 81-year-old Mississauga, Ont. resident heard that a group of businessmen led by beer-industry executive Don McDougall were trying to move the San Francisco Giants to Toronto in the mid 1970s, he wrote a letter to him congratulating them on the effort to bring baseball north. “If you wallow in it, it doesn’t help anybody”, he said.
With runners at first and second in the fifth, Ramirez lined a ball that bounced over Bautista’s head in right and was scored a two-run triple.
“We really anticipate that’s going to be one of our strengths”, Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “It was tough to control that thing today”.
“When I was in high school, I always thought I was going to go to medical school and be a doctor one day and go that route”, he told MassLive.com during spring training. Dickey took the ball in the second game of the regular season at Tampa Bay and scattered three runs and six hits over five innings while picking up a win.Kelly finished his three-inning outing striking out four, walking three and allowing seven hits. Adam Eaton had three hits.Roberto Osuna, the fifth Blue Jays pitcher, worked a flawless ninth for his second save.
With a day game after a night affair, outfielder Michael Saunders, who is nursing a twitchy hamstring, sat out Saturday but, said Gibbons “he feels pretty good”. Ramirez was credited with a triple as Bogaerts and Pedroia score. But the veteran elected to see the glass half-full.
“When you’re in a situation where there’s not expectations, then you’re in the wrong place”, he said prior to the game. “Hopefully I can get on the field tomorrow”. “My command wasn’t anywhere near where I need it to be”. Catcher Josh Thole had a little difficulty tracking Dickey’s extra active knuckler and was charged with two passed balls while Dickey himself was on the hook for one wild pitch. Porcello and David Price have both gone six innings, while Clay Buchholz lasted four and Joe Kelly three, resulting in a lot of bullpen innings. Of his 101 pitches, only 60 were strikes. “Just overall my command was not there today”.
Porcello started off the game putting the Sox into a hole when he gave up a 2 run home run to Bautista. Donaldson concluded a seven-pitch at-bat with a single to right, Bautista hammered a slider into left field. Cleveland (2-1) won its first road game of the season after posting a winning record away from home in 2015.
“He did bend but he didn’t break”, Farrell said.
After two strong innings, Dickey struggled in a three-run, 32-pitch third.
It’s no secret that the rotation is the biggest question facing the Red Sox. Stroman loaded the bases by giving up a double to Xander Bogaerts and two walks.
Castillo had two hits (single, double), scored two runs and handled all his chances in the outfield.
There were more problems for Dickey in the fourth. Castillo doubled and Swihart hit a sacrifice fly to left.
Advertisement
Alex Rodriguez hit the 688th home run of his career in the New York Yankees’ 8-4 win over the Detroit Tigers.
