The same Red Sox offense that produced nine runs Tuesday night was nowhere to be found on Wednesday night. The Sox managed just three hits all night and was thumped by the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-1.
Rowdy Tellez, certified Red Sox killer, hit two homers and knocked in four runs while Vladimir Guerrero had a bases-clearing triple.
The only Red Sox run of the night came in the fourth when Mitch Moreland hit an opposite-field solo homer.
WHO: Red Sox (10-10) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (14-14)
WHEN: 6:37 p.m.
WHERE: Sahlen Field, Buffalo
SERIES TO DATE: Red Sox 1-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: Red Sox 3-1
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Colten Brewer (0-1, 3.50) vs. RHP Julian Merryweather (MLB debut)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
Verdugo LF
Devers 3B
Martinez DH
Bogaerts SS
Moreland 1B
Vazquez C
Pillar RF
Bradley LF
Chavis 2B
BLUE JAYS
Biggio 2B
Grichuk CF
Shaw 3B
Hernandez RF
Guerrero DH
Tellez 1B
Gurriel LF
McGuire C
Espinal SS
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
9:25 Santiago Epinal, who was the prospect sent to the Blue Jays two years ago in exchange for Steve Pearce, has had a nice series with three hits in the opener and two more in this one.
9:14 Very ugly inning for the Red Sox, who allow five more runs as the Jays pull completely away. Three-run double from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a run-scoring single from Tellez.
9:02 Three straight hits off Weber in the bottom of the seventh, producing a run. Weber had given the Sox 2.1 innings of scoreless relief until this jam.
8:50 In sharp contrast to Tuesday night, the Red Sox can't get anything going tonight with their bats. Three hits through seven innings -- and none since Moreland's homer in the fourth inning.
8:11 An indication of how muddy it is at Sahlen Field that Jackie Bradley Jr.'s back foot slipped as he tried to get out of the box and run out a grounder. Wonder how long they keep playing with conditions like this.
8:02 For the 17th time in 31 games, the Red Sox do not get at least four innings out of their starting pitcher. Ryan Weber takes over fromafter 3.2 innings.
7:50 Rowdy Tellez, Part II. Tellez obliterates a hanging curveball out to right. Two homers tonight, and nine in 20 games in his career vs. Boston.
7:43 Mitch Moreland uses an inside-out swing to swat a fly ball over the fence in left field. Moreland has eight homers this season, almost a quarter of the team's output.
7:21 The Red Sox can't be unhappy that rookie Julian Merryweather is out of the game. Making his debut, Merryweather recorded three strikeouts in two innings and regularly hit 98 mph. Only the double by Christian Vazquez was hard hit.
7:10 We've entered the Rowdy Tellez portion of the program. Tellez hammers a high fastball from Brewer and hits it a mile. It wouldn't be a Blue Jays-Red Sox series without at least one tape-measure blast by Tellez.
6:48 Colten Brewer couldn't have centered that cutter any better for Randal Grichuk, who drives it out to left.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- The Red Sox made a number of roster moves Wednesday, outrighting LHP Stephen Gonsalves to the alternate training site and releasing RHP R.J. Alvarez. The club also outrighted RHP Mike Shawaryn and removed him from the club player pool.
- RHP Nathan Eovaldi played catch and is scheduled to throw a bullpen Thursday. If he comes through that OK, he'll make his rescheduled start Thursday.
- Ron Roenicke said the team will make a roster move to activate RHP Chris Mazza after Wednesday's game. Mazza is being recalled from the alternative player site to make a spot start Thursday.
- Roenicke said the Sox haven't made a determination as to whether LHP Kyle Hart will make his next start. Hart has made three starts and has a 13.00 ERA. "We haven't talked about it,'' said Roenicke. "We're still a little up in the air with what's going to happen in the next five days with starters,. We haven't decided yet on everything we're doing.''
- With Andrew Benintendi sidelined with a rib injury, the Red Sox outfield has been pretty set, with few exceptions. Most days, the Sox have the same trio -- Alex Verdugo playing left, Jackie Bradley Jr. in center and Kevin Pillar in RF -- in the same spot, which has been helpful for Pillar. "I think it's been big help.'' said Pillar. "I think you can see it in my confidence out there, going back on balls, coming in on balls, throwing runners out. I've definitely grown a lot as a right fielder since the beginning of summer camp, belong able to get some consistent play out in right field. I still do enjoy the time that I do get in center field. I relish the opportunity to go out there and still prove that I can play center fielder on a high level. But I think it's kind of just shown my growth as an outfielder, my versatility, that I can play all three outfield positions at a high level. It's something I didn't I necessarily foresee myself needing to go out there and prove as recently as last year, but this is kind of where I'm at in my career and I'm embracing the opportunity to showcase my defensive ability at all three positions. But it's definitely nice getting some consistency at one spot and getting really comfortable out there. I'm starting to get those same kind of instinctual movements and anticipation of where the ball's going to go that I had so many years playing in center field.''