Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 6
BOSTON, MA — The offense came as advertised early for the Boston Red Sox in their first exhibition of the remastered 2020 schedule; however their bullpen did as well. Boston previewed their offensive potential while the Toronto Blue Jays capitalized on the mistakes of the Red Sox bullpen to escape the first of two exhibitions with a win.
Boston Rattles Pearson Early
Toronto’s top-ranked prospect Nate Pearson got tagged early by the Red Sox. After striking out left fielder Andrew Benintendi in the leadoff spot, J.D. Martinez followed up with a walk. Third baseman Rafael Devers moved up the runner with a single to right field before shortstop Xander Bogaerts‘ line drive scored Martinez from second to get on the board first. Just one pitch later Mitch Moreland took Pearson deep into the Red Sox bullpen to extend the first inning lead to 4-0.
Weber Steady, Jays Chip Away at Sox Lead
Ryan Weber was the first Boston pitcher to toe the rubber since the last game they played on March 11. Weber’s fastball tops out around 88 MPH and relies on location and finesse to get batters out. The right hander showed promise as he spotted the corners well throughout six innings of work. He struck out six, walked one and let up four earned runs.
Weber’s toughest innings came in the third and the sixth where he gave up two in each. The first two Blue Jays batters got aboard in the third before second baseman Cavan Biggio scored catcher Danny Jansen on a sac fly to right field. Newly acquire outfielder Alex Verdugo flashed his arm talent as he nearly cut down Jansen at the plate. First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. cut the deficit in half on a ground ball to third base which scored shortstop Bo Bichette.
The Boston starter skated through the next two innings retiring six of the next seven batters faced. With one on and two out in the top of the sixth, designated hitter Rowdy Tellez made himself feel at home in Fenway Park as he deposited Weber’s 0-2 slider onto the Green Monster. Tellez hit 21 home runs in 2019, seven of which came against the Red Sox.
Boston Offense Stalls Late
The Red Sox were able to extend their lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning before Tellez went yard an inning later. Martinez punched the first pitch over the right field fence following a Benintendi double. This would be the final inning with most of the Boston starters, however. Infielder Jose Peraza and Martinez were the only two to play all nine innings — and it showed.
Following the Martinez home run, Boston wouldn’t record another hit until the ninth when Peraza reached on a liner to left field.
Blue Jays Rally Against Sox Bullpen
Matt Barnes replaced Weber to start the seventh inning of play. Left fielder Derek Fisher welcomed Barnes to the ballgame by taking his 1-1 breaking ball and turning it around into the Boston bullpen. That home run brought Toronto to within one run.
Brandon Workman made it out of the eighth inning untouched, holding the 6-5 lead for 2018 standout Ryan Brasier. Tellez continued to cause problems as he led off the inning with a double, followed by a single from right fielder Teoscar Hernandez. Tzu-Wei Lin wasn’t ready for the Brasier pickoff attempt and the errant throw allowed Tellez to score and tie the ballgame at six. Following the defensive lapse, Fisher went yard for the second time of the night. Brasier consistently failed to locate his pitches late in the ninth inning. This opened up the score giving the Jays a late 8-6 lead. This score would prove to be the final at Fenway.
Final Exhibition Wednesday, July 22
The Red Sox will finish up this exhibition series on Wednesday, July 22. Newly acquired Zack Godley will face off against right hander Trent Thornton for a 7:30 first pitch before Boston opens up against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
