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There would be no late-game drama or heroics on this night, a night that belonged to the visiting Red Sox.
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Boston needed to pull its socks up and indeed it did in taking the third game of a four-game set against the host Jays, who used the long ball in the most dramatic of fashions to fashion wins in the opening two games.
Wednesday night would see the Bosox jump out to a 1-0 lead in their first at-bats, ride some quality pitching to keep Toronto’s bats at bay and add on some much-needed insurance runs late in a well-deserved 7-1 win .
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The score flattered the home side; simply put, the Red Sox were the better team in every facet.
Boston can earn a split with the teams wrapping up their set Thursday afternoon.
The Jays have yet to lose a series this season and are at least assured of a split against their AL rivals entering the finale.
Ross Stripling started for the Jays and provided them with five innings of five-hit ball. He struck out seven and yielded one run.
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The Jays played well defensively behind Stripling, who overcome a base loaded situation.
After giving up a run in the first, Stripling pitched four scoreless innings before Trent Thornton was called upon to begin the sixth inning.
“He did a great job,” said manager Charlie Montoyo of Stripling, the team’s jack-of-all-trades pitcher. “He was throwing harder the more he pitched and that was good to see.”
Thornton promptly gave up a lead-off single followed by a second hit to put runners at the corner.
A third successive hit gave the Sox a 2-1 lead.
Boston scored its third run on a sac fly.
Starting pitcher Michael Wacha threw 78 pitches when he took to the mound to begin the home half of the sixth inning.
He would remove the side in order before calling it a night, which overall was a pretty solid evening for the righty as Wacha allowed four hits.
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Better overall pitching, better offense and it’s easy to see why Boston would emerge as the better team.
OUCH!
In Toronto’s bottom half of the third inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came to the plate and fouled a pitch off his leg that would leave him writhing in pain.
Montoyo left the dugout to check on Vlad Jr., who needed time to get himself settled.
Once he shook off the discomfort, Vlad Jr. beat out a grounder to produce an RBI, his first of the series, as Tyler Heineman scored.
It turned out to be the lone run Toronto would score.
It was Vlad Jr.’s 13th base knock of the season.
“I told him to let the pain go away,” said Montoyo of his conversation with Vlad Jr. “He hit it pretty hard, but he’s fine.”
Vlad Jr. ran hard up the first base line to beat out a double play.
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“I knew where it hit him,” Montoyo added. “That’s baseball where you have to run hard on a ground ball. He beat it out and got the RBI. He’s fine.”
MILESTONE MOMENT
Gosuke Katoh, who started at second after starting Tuesday’s game at first, got his first big-league hit on a double off Wacha in the fourth inning, the only extra base hit Wacha yielded or any Boston pitcher for that matter.
Katoh has bounced around baseball and began the season on the opening-day roster with the Jays only to be sent down to triple-A Buffalo.
Montoyo also took until he was in his late 20s to get his first hit, which he produced as a member of the Expos at Coors Field.
“I know exactly how he feels,” said Montoyo of the journeyman ball players must forge. “It’s awesome how he got it. It’s how I got mine. He’s 27 just like I was. Of course I’m hoping he gets more than the two hits I got.
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“Everybody was happy for him. We all know how tough it is to get to the big leagues and even to get a hit.”
BLISTER FELLS BORUCKI
Hard-luck southpaw Ryan Borucki is once again in the news following yet another injury-related setback.
When healthy, the lefty reliever has come to be a valuable option out of the pen.
The problem has been staying healthy.
On Wednesday, the Jays placed Borucki on the 10-day injured list because of a blister to his left middle finger.
In a corresponding move, the team recalled left-hander Andrew Vasquez from triple-A Buffalo.
According to Montoyo, Borucki’s blister issue surfaced last weekend when the Jays were in Houston.
“It’s been lingering a little bit,” said the skipper.
Rather than allow it to fester, Montoyo added the best course of action was to address it immediately and let it heal.
In his second appearance of the season, Borucki threw an inning of scoreless relief Tuesday. He pitched with tape on his finger from him.
“He was trying his best to pitch with the tape, but he didn’t feel right,” continued Montoyo.
The 6-foot-5 Vasquez entered Wednesday’s game to begin Boston’s top half of the ninth and faced leadoff hitter Trevor Story, who reached first when hit by a pitch.
Vasquez then gave up a hit to Alex Verdugo.
He would last one third of an inning as Boston scored twice.
