The Red Sox winning streak slammed to an abrupt halt Monday night, as the Red Sox lost for the first time in more than a week, 6-4, to the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Jays jumped on starter Drew Pomeranz with five runs in the first two innings. It was the shortest outing of the season for Pomeranz, who was lifted after facing just one batter in the third, having allowed four extra-base hits.
The Sox pulled within a run late on a pinch-hit homer by Andrew Benintendi in the eighth. But that was negated in the top of the ninth when Ryan Goins homered just past the foul pole in right to re-establish the visitor’s two-run cushion.
After Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Sox used a single by Xander Bogaerts, a double by Eduardo Nunez and two infield groundouts to take a 2-1 lead.
That didn’t last long as the Jays sent eight men to the plate in the top of the second, scoring four times.
The Sox got a run back in the fifth when Bogaerts walked, took third on a single by pinch-hitter Sam Travis and a bloop single to right by Mookie Betts.
GAME NO.: 156
WHO: Red Sox (91-64) vs Toronto Blue Jays (73-78)
WHEN: 7:10
WHERE: Fenway Park
RADIO: WEEI (93.7 FM)
TV: NESN
PITCHERS: LHP Drew Pomeranz (16-5, 3.15) vs. LHP Brett Anderson (1-2, 6.17)
BOX SCORE: MLB Gameday
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
- It was a rough outing for Drew Pomeranz -- five runs on seven hits in two-plus innings, his shortest outing of the season by far. Worse, his velocity is down more from a standard 92 mph on his four-seam fastball to 90 mph. The dip in velocity first popped up last week in Baltimore toward the end of his start, but Pomeranz insisted that was by design, that was he intentionally easing up late in the game. That made some sense then, but from the very beginning tonight, a similar drop-off is somewhat alarming. Pomeranz is at 167.2 innings for the year, which is just shy of his career high of 170.2 innings a year ago. Only eight times in his 31 starts has Pomeranz pitched past the sixth, but he does tend to run up high pitch counts while he's in games.
- More trouble for Eduardo Nunez. He returned to the lineup after missing the last 13 games with a sprained knee ligament. Serving as the DH, he doubled to right in the first, but ran pretty gingerly into second. Then, in his second at-bat, he fouled the ball off his right leg -- it was hard to know whether it was the knee area or lower -- and crumpled in pain. He stayed in the game, finished his at-bat by lining out hard to third base, then limped down the stairs with the trainer to head to the clubhouse.
- It's been a pretty remarkable season for rookie Austin Maddox, who retired five hitters in relief of Pomeranz before issuing a two-out walk and being lifted. Maddox has now made a dozen appearances in the big leagues -- spread out over three different stints -- and he's yet to allow a run. I think he's a lock for the post-season roster.
