The Toronto Blue Jays executed. James Paxton did not.
Jarren Duran executed. Unfortunately, Paxton and the rest of the Red Sox did not along with their scorching hot outfielder, one who's giving shades of a prime Jacoby Ellsbury over the last few weeks.
It was as simple as that in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Jays at Fenway, the first game of a critical three-game series and 10-game homestand. The Sox entered the series with a 7-0 record against Toronto this season, at the time sitting just 2.0 games behind their divisional foe for the final Wild Card spot.
But the hope, at least on Friday, was gone almost as quickly as the game started.
Whit Merrifield took Paxton deep with a no-doubt shot over the Green Monster on the first pitch of the game, a 93-miles-per-hour fastball over the heart of the plate.
Three pitches later, after a loud flyout from George Springer on an up-and-in fastball on the game's second pitch, it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hitting a tank over the Monster on the fourth pitch Paxton threw in total. Guerrero had the pleasure of taking an 86 mph cutter right in the so-called Happy Zone for a ride.
In his first MLB at-bat, Davis Schneider confirmed what most in the stands had feared to be the worst, that Friday night had devolved into a home run derby at Fenway, regardless of when the last one was officially held in Boston (1999, for the record).
Like Guerrero, Schneider benefitted from an 83 mph cutter almost as down the middle as it gets, launching it over the Monster. The 24-year-old might never get a better pitch to hit in the Big Leagues for the rest of his career. He added another hit for good measure later in the evening. Surely, every game couldn't be like batting practice. Could they?
Nevertheless, whether it was an aggressive approach for Toronto, Paxton perhaps tipping his pitches, or possibly both, it was not Big Maple's night. He trudged through five innings, allowing nine hits (a season-high), four runs (earned), three homers and two walks with just four strikeouts.
Not good enough.
"We knew they were going to be aggressive," Paxton said. "They went after the fastball like they thought they would. ... They're a talented lineup. If you leave the ball over the middle of the plate, they're going to do damage, and that's what they did tonight.
The concerning part is the Red Sox's pitching woes apparently found a way home to Fenway from the West Coast, particularly Seattle.
Paxton especially hasn't been himself in his last it's the second straight game the Southpaw has struggled. He grinded through five innings in a 3-2 loss at San Francisco last Saturday, allowing eight hits, one run and two walks with five Ks.
The 34-year-old's velocity was down on Friday against Toronto, and he couldn't hit his spots. When he missed, he missed over the middle, allowing the Jays to tee it high and let it fly all over the park.
"I think location-wise, he was off," Alex Cora told reporters of Paxton. "You have a secondary pitch, but the breaking ball was off today, so he got to be creative and try to give us as much as possible, which he did. It was a 4-2 game when he came out, so tip your hat to him. Without his best stuff, he was able to kind of give us a chance to win the game."
It was quickly apparent how ineffective his cutter was, and the changeup wasn't a viable backup plan. It could be a classic case of burning the tape and move on, or "flushing it" as Duran would say.
"My rhythm felt fine, but the ball just wasn't jumping out of my hand very well tonight," Paxton said. "Really had to work hard in those last two innings to keep it close. Ball just wasn't coming out good tonight."
Paxton pitched on six days' rest against the Jays. He's beginning to re-enter the normal five-day rest regimen, something he hasn't experienced in the Majors in over two years, but Cora isn't worried.
"They like their routine. I don't think [rest] has to do with it. We'll find ways to protect them when everybody comes back," Cora said when asked if less rest disrupted Paxton. "We're not worried about that. We think it's just one of those nights. The leadoff guy, he jumped on him, and after that, we didn't make some pitches. They did a good job, and they're a good offense."
Paxton said of his rest, "My body's all great. Just for some reason, [the ball] it wasn't jumping out tonight. I don't think that has anything to do with it. Let's get back to work this week and get ready for the next one."
Regardless, the Red Sox could quickly find themselves up against it with a pitching staff staring down 10 straight days of games before their one remaining off-day in the month of August. After that, Boston will kick off a 10-day, 10-game road swing to start a run of 16 straight to close out the month.
Paxton, who's been the Sox' best on the balance of the season, will be tasked with greater a heavier burden every five days in the heat of a Wild Card chase.
We'll find out whether or not he can handle it.