All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 1-0 win over the Jays, complete with BSJ insight and analysis:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Price continues to step up: With Chris Sale sidelined for all but seven innings since July 31, someone needed to pick up the slack in the Red Sox starting rotation. David Price to the rescue. Price tossed seven shutout innings Wednesday night and since the All-Star break -- which came just a couple of weeks before Sale was shut down for the first time with shoulder inflammation -- Price is now 5-0 with 1.56 ERA in a span of nine starts. "David's one of the best pitchers in the big leagues,'' said Alex Cora. "He's been working on a daily basis to be this guy. He's under control the whole time out there -- the inside part of the plate, the outside part of the plate. He's been amazing and he's been very important. You lose one of your horses and you need other guys to step up.'' Price retired the first 13 hitters he faced and allowed just three hits -- all singles -- without a walk over seven innings and allowed only one baserunner to reach second base. Price had a sense warming up prior to the game that he would have good stuff. "That's probably the best I've been other than that rainout game in Baltimore (in July),'' Price said. "Tonight was pretty good.'' Particularly effective for Price was his changeup, which he threw to start hitters off, and, when necessary, when behind in the count.
Wright gets his chance in a high-leverage spot: Leading 1-0 in the top of the eighth and with Price at 92 pitches, Cora had a decision to make: he went with Steven Wright. Wright created some uncomfortable moments when he yielded a leadoff double to Rowdy Tellez and a four-pitch walk to Danny Jansen, giving the Jays two on and no outs. But just as quickly as he seemed to lose the feel for his knuckler, he regained it. "It was a little bit tough at first,'' allowed Wright, "but I was able to get the ball down. That's all I try to do, is throw strikes. I knew that my knuckleball was a little erratic at first, but I just knew that I had to bear down and get a ground ball.'' In the dugout, meanwhile, Cora was trying to remain calm. "He lost it for a little bit,'' acknowledged Cora. "That's the thing -- I'm going to have to be a little bit (patient), look away and know he's going to find it.''
Offense had to claw: The Red Sox had only four hits all night - three singles and a double. Through the first seven innings, they only had multiple baserunners once --but made their chance count. In the fifth, Mitch Moreland walked, got erased on a force play as Rafael Devers reached. Devers went to third on a hit-and-run from Brock Holt, and after Holt swiped second, Toronto starter Aaron Sanchez unleashed a wild pitch then enabled Devers to trot home from third and Holt to move to third. That was all the Sox got -- that inning and or any other. But thanks to the pitching of Price, Wright and closer Craig Kimbrel, it was all they needed. It all led to the Red Sox' third 1-0 victory of the season.
TURNING POINT
The Red Sox had just broken a scoreless tie with a run in the bottom of the fifth when, in the top of the next inning, Toronto outfielder Jonathan Davis singled to right with one out. One out later, with Devon Travis at the plate, Sandy Leon was charged with a passed ball, allowing Davis to go to second, where he represented the tying run in scoring position. But Price got Travis on a flyout to center, providing the shutdown inning the Sox needed and preserving the 1-0 lead.
TWO UP
Craig Kimbrel: The closer issued a two-out walk but otherwise shut down the Blue Jays for his 39th save of the year and career save No. 330, tying him for 14th all-time.
Brock Holt: No pinch-hit homer tonight, but he did nicely execute a hit-and-run in the fifth that helped set up the only run of the game.
ONE DOWN
Andrew Benintendi: A rare hitless night for the outfielder; during his four at-bats, he stranded three baserunners.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We're focused on today. Today is over, so we want to get to 101.''
— David Price on reaching 100 wins.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- The Red Sox reached the 100-win plateau for the first time since 1946 and just the fourth time in franchise history.
- Cora became the first manager to direct his team to a 100-win season in his first year with the club since Felipe Alou in 2003 and the first to do as a rookie manager since Dusty Baker in 1993.
- The Sox are 54 games over .500 for the first time this season.
- Boston is 12-2 in its last 14 games against Toronto and since the start of the 2017 season, 27-10.
- The shutout was the 14th of the season for the season.
- David Price extended his home winning streak to eight straight decisions.