The visiting team won. This time, for the Red Sox, that was a good thing.
Playing the role of visitors in their home ballpark, the Red Sox snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Tzu-Wei Lin doubled home the first run, Michael Chavis singled home the second and a third run scored on a throwing error.
Chris Mazza gave the Sox four strong innings, allowing one run. Matt Barnes earned the save.
GAME 2
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
9:40 Interesting decision by Ron Roenicke here to go with Robinson Leyer with the team leading by two in the sixth.
9:14 Chris Mazza lifted after four innings, but he performed well, allowing a run on just three hits.
9:11 Sox get a gift run when Toronto catcher Reese McGuire tries to throw down to second to catch Rafael Devers off the bag, only to have his throw sail wildly into center field, enabling Munoz to score and two other baserunners to move up.
8:52 Well, it wouldn't be a series between the Red Sox and Blue Jays without a homer from Tellez. And there it is, leading off the fourth. Mazza was trying to go in hard on Tellez' hands, but left it over the outside portion of the strike zone and Tellez swatted it to the first row of the Monster Seats.
8:41 Jonathan Arauz, who hasn't played a lot of shortstop for the Red Sox, fields a rocket of a ball that exploded at his feet and fed Chavis to start an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Impressive showing by Arauz.
8:30 Michael Chavis has hit the ball hard all day. He had a double off The Wall in right-center and a run-scoring single in the opener, and just drove a line drive to center, delivering Rafael Devers from second.
8:24 Nice diving stop by Rowdy Tellez results in a forceout at second of Yairo Munoz. If Tellez isn't beating the Sox with his bat, he's doing it with his glove.
8:15 Chris Mazza, who retired the first five hitters he faced, gets out of a first-and-second, two-out jam by retiring Travis Shaw on a flyout to left.
7:56 Tzu-Wei Lin smoked a ball to the triangle, which hops into the bullpen for a ground-rule double, scoring Christian Vazquez. That's probably the hardest-hit ball for Lin this season.
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Verdugo DH
Munoz RF
Devers 3B
Vazquez C
Chavis 2B
Bradley CF
Dalbec 1B
Lin LF
Arauz SS
BLUE JAYS
Biggio 2B
Grichuk CF
Telez 1B
Hernandez DH
Villar SS
Gurriel LF
Fisher RF
Shaw 3B
McGuire C
GAME 1
The Red Sox and Blue Jays squeezed all the offense they could into just seven innings, with the Blue Jays emerging with an 8-7 victory in a game that saw 22 hits combined for the two teams.
The Sox fought back gamely from deficits of 3-0 and 8-4, but couldn't overtaking Toronto, losing their fifth straight game.
Zack Godley was cuffed around for four runs in three innings, including two homers in the second and took the loss.
Yairo Munoz had three hits for the Red Sox -- including his first homer with the team -- and knocked in three runs. The Red Sox had two runners in scoring position in the sixth, but couldn't get the tying run.
WHO: Red Sox (12-26) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (20-16)
WHEN: 4:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: TOR 1-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: 3-3
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Zack Godley (0-3, 7.71) vs RHP Tanner Roark (2-1 5.33)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI 93.7 FM
LINEUPS
RED SOX
Verdugo RF
Devers 3B
Bogaerts SS
Martinez DH
Plawecki C
Bradley CF
Munoz LF
Chavis 1B
Peraza 2B
BLUE JAYS
Biggio 2B
Grichuk CF
Tellez 1B
Hernandez RF
Guerrero DH
Gurriel Jr. LF
Shaw 3B
Panik SS
Jansen C
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
6:19 After the Jays pull away with three in the top of the sixth, Red Sox counter-punching here in the bottom of the inning. Run-scoring double from Munoz and RBI-single from Chavis has them within two, with two on and no out.
5:48 Tanner Roark coming unglued here in the fifth, with a wild pitch to score one run (Peraza) and send another baserunner (Verdugo) into scoring position. He's lifted for Julian Merryweather, who was tough on the Sox in a start in Buffalo last week.
5:42 Not a great baserunning read by Peraza, who holds up between second and third as a blooper from Verdugo drops in at RF, and Peraza has to hold at third.
5:40 Booming double off the CF wall for Jose Peraza, scoring Munoz from first as Sox close to within two.
5:28 Jays manufacture a run with some help from the Red Sox -- leadoff single by Cavan Biggio, wild pitch, chopper to right side, and a sac fly to LF.
5:11 Travis Shaw misses a second homer by literally an inch or two -- ball strikes the top of the fence in right, just beyond the foul pole, and pops back into the playing field for a double.
5:08 That's it for Godley, who goes three innings and allows four runs on five hits (two homers). His ERA is (gulp) is now 8.16. Jeffrey Springs.
4:48 Yairo Munoz connects on a four-seamer at the top of the zone and crushes it to left. First homer with the Red Sox, first in the American League.
4:42 Kevin Plawecki has been one of the rare bright spots for the Red Sox this season. Consistently good at-bats. Doubles high off The Wall with one out in the second.
4:36 Danny Jansen to the Monster Seats with Joe Panik (walk) aboard. Like the first one this inning, Godley was ahead in the count. He was 0-and-1 to Shaw and 0-and-2 with Jansen. That's inexcusable.
4:33 Former Sox infielder Travis Shaw takes Zack Godley out to the deepest part of the ballpark -- the triangle -- for a solo homer, just over the Red Sox bullpen. 1-0 TOR.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
- The Red Sox added LHP Matt Hall to their roster as their extra (29th) man for today's doubleheader. Hall had appeared in two games with the Red Sox earlier this year, including a spot as an opener against the New York Mets. He threw a total of 4.2 innings in two games before he was optioned back to the alternate training site in Pawtucket.
- Ron Roenicke said OF Andrew Benintendi (rib strain) progressed to running on a treadmill, but still experiences soreness when he tried to rotate his torso. With just over three weeks remaining in the season and Benintendi unable to yet swing a bat, it's becoming increasingly doubtful that he'll appear in a game again this year.