Until Saturday, the Red Sox hadn't allowed more than two homers in a game all season.
That changed in a big way, however, as the Toronto Blue Jays cracked five homers -- including three in one inning -- and smoked the Red Sox, 7-2.
Nick Pivetta allowed four of the five homers -- three of them to sons of former major leaguers - and suffered through his worst start of the season, tagged for six runs in five innings.
The Sox mustered just five hits against five Toronto pitchers and were held down by starter Steven Matz, who yielded one run over 5.2 innings.
WHO: Red Sox (39-25) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (31-30)
WHEN: 4:10 p.m.
WHERE: Fenway Park
SERIES TO DATE: BOS 1-0
SEASON SERIES TO DATE: BOS 4-2
STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Nick Pivetta (6-1, 3.78) vs. LHP Steven Matz (6-3, 4.50)
TV/RADIO: NESN; WEEI-FM 93.7
LINEUPS
BLUE JAYS
Semien 2B
Bichette SS
Guerrero 1B
Hernandez LF
Grichuk CF
Tellez DH
Panik 3B
Biggio RF
McGuire C
RED SOX
Hernandez CF
Verdugo LF
Martinez DH
Devers 3B
Renfroe RF
Vazquez C
Arroyo 2B
Dalbec 1B
Gonzalez SS
IN-GAME OBSERVATIONS:
B8: Red Sox starting to stir against Rafael Dolis. Walk to Martinez, wild pitch and a triple by Devers makes it 6-2.
B7: Scary moment as Anthony Castro grazes the helmet of Kike Hernandez with a 96 mph fastball. Helmet comes spinning off, but absorbed much of the blow. Hernandez stays in the game and trots to first. Castro lifted for Tim Mayza.
B6: Red Sox finally break through and get on the board. Run-scoring single by Christian Vazquez (five hits in last three games) singles to left, scoring Rafael Devers and sending Hunter Renfroe to second while chasing Matz. Anthony Castro on for Toronto.
T5: It's gotten ugly in a hurry here in the fifth for Pivetta. In the span of 13 pitches, he's been taken deep three times this inning. First, Biggio, then after a walk to No. 9 hitter Reese McGuire, back-to-back bombs to Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette. The one by Bichette was positively cranked, clearing everything in left-center, measured at 468 feet. Before today, the Sox hadn't allowed three homers in a game all season. And now, Pivetta has done so in the same inning. Coupled with one he surrendered in the first, that's four homers this afternoon.
T5: Pivetta got ahead with a first-pitch curveball against Cavan Biggio, but when he doubled up, he hung the next one and Biggio flicked a fly ball to left that reached the first row of the Monster Seats.
B4: Red Sox did some damage against Matz last month in Dunedin last month (five runs on 10 hits) but aren't being nearly as successful today. They've managed just one hit through four innings - a line drive to left by Rafael Devers to lead off the second -- and have put little pressure on him through four innings.
B2: Christian Vazquez hits a soft comebacker to the mound in what looked to be a tailor-made double play. Instead, Matz throws way wide, Hunter Renfroe advances to second on the throwing error and Vazquez is safe at first on a fielder's choice.
B2: Rafael Devers leads off the second with a single, but is promptly picked off first base by Steven Matz.
T2: Nick Pivetta and the Red Sox escape a jam in the second -- second-and-third, one out -- as Kike Hernandez snags a line drive off the bat of Reese McGuire, then fires a one-hop strike to the plate, which cuts down Joe Panik at the plate and ends the inning.
T1: It didn't take long for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to leave his mark on this one. Guerrero belted the first pitch he saw - a fastball -- well over everything to left-center for a two-run homer, his 20th of the season.
WHAT's UP: The Red Sox have two in a row, seven of nine and 14-7 in the last 21....The Sox are at 14 games over .500, tying their season high.....The Sox are also 16-3 in their last 19 games against A.L. East teams after dropping the first three games of the season to the Orioles....They have a winning record all four East teams and a 5-0-1 in their last six series against teams in their division...The Sox lead the majors with 23 comeback wins...Red Sox starters have thrown fewer than five innings in three of the last five games...Before that, the Sox had a stretch of 38 games in which their starters went five or more innings 35 times...The Red Sox are 17-5 when their starter goes six or more innings...Boston starters have not allowed more than a single homer in 46 straight games....That's the longest stretch for the franchise since 1980 when they had a run of 58 games...Through 64 games, the Red Sox have yet to allow more than two homers in a game and are the only team in MLB to not allow as many as three homers in a single game....In the bullpen, Josh Taylor has made 17 straight appearances without allowing a run, while Adam Ottavino has given up just one run in his last 13 games and Darwinzon Hernandez has allowed a single run over his last 10 outings....The Sox lead the majors in doubles (142) and extra-base hits (225).....They've scored 10 or more runs eight times, a total topped only by Cincinnati (nine times)...The Sox are 35-3 when they score four ore runs, 303- when they scored five or more and 25-1 when they score six or more and 18-0 when scoring seven or more....Nick Pivetta leads all Sox starters in ERA(3.78), opponents batting average (.221), opponent OPS (.685), and strikeouts-per-nine innings (10.35).....The Sox are 10-2 in his 12 starts this season.....Bo Bichette is 2-for-3 in his career against Pivetta as is Vladimir Guerrero Jr...Kike Hernandez is 5-for-18 with a homer against Steven Matz in his career.....Christian Vazquez is 4-for-5 with two homers in his career against Steven Matz while Christian Vazquez is 4-for-5 with two homers.
NOTES:
* Xander Bogaerts remained out of the lineup for the second straight day, hampered by a sore knee, the result of a collision with Houston's Alex Bregman the other night. Alex Cora said the Sox could give Bogaerts the weekend off if necessary. "We'll see where he's at tomorrow,'' said Cora. "I'm not in a rush with him because of how important he is. The hope is for him to play (Sunday). I saw him and he's feeling better. We know more later on today.''
* The Sox have leaned heavily on their relievers of late as the starters have struggled to go deep in ballgames. In three of the previous five games, the Sox didn't get a full five innings from their starter. "We just have to grind,'' said Cora. "It would be good for Nick to go out there today and go seven and we score a lot of runs and we don't have to use our high-leverage guys. But, at the same time, if we're tired or we're up and we need to use them and try to win the ballgame. We're just going through a rough patch here.''
* Tanner Houck (flexor muscle) had an up-and-down session in Worcester earlier this week. Next up is facing hitters, and then, a return to games. Meanwhile Connor Seabold (elbow inflammation) is on a throwing program at extended spring training and is "progressing,'' according to Cora.