Boston @ Toronto preview
Rogers Centre
Last Meeting ( Jul 9, 2010 ) Boston 14, Toronto 3
The Toronto Blue Jays have relied heavily on the long ball this season, with mixed results.
On Friday night, they found out what it's like to be on the wrong end of a home-run jamboree.
The Jays look to bounce back from an ugly loss as they host the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon in the continuation of a three-game series in Toronto. The Red Sox cruised to a 14-3 victory in the opener of the series, the final one they'll play before embarking on a three-day All-Star break.
As they have for most of the season, the Blue Jays sit atop the league's home-run list, having hit 132 round-trippers so far. The Red Sox are second with 116, including four hit in Friday's rout. Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre, Bill Hall and Mike Cameron all went deep in the first four innings as Boston built a 13-0 lead and breezed from there.
The offensive explosion was a welcome relief for the Red Sox, who had scored just 12 runs during a four-game losing skid they snapped Friday night.
The victory, Terry Francona's 900th as a major-league manager, also extended Boston's winning streak in Toronto to seven games. The Red Sox have won six of seven meetings with the Jays so far this season.
Looking to end Boston's dominance Saturday will be Toronto right-hander Brandon Morrow (5-6). The 25-year-old has had back-to-back shaky outings following the best five-game stretch of his career.
Morrow was rocked his last time out, tagged for five runs on nine hits over six innings against the New York Yankees. He walked one and struck out seven, earning a no-decision in a game the Yankees went on to win 7-6. Morrow has allowed five runs in each of last two outings.
Morrow's track record against the Red Sox isn't a good one. He's 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA in 10 all-time appearances, including two starts. It's likely he remembers his outing against Boston exactly two months ago, when he surrendered six runs on three hits while walking six, all in just 1 2/3 innings. Toronto lost the game 7-6.
The Red Sox counter with veteran right-hander John Lackey (9-4). The strapping 31-year-old saw a personal five-game winning streak halted in his previous outing, when he allowed four runs over 7 1/3 innings of a 6-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Lackey is 4-3 in 12 career starts against Toronto, with a 3.74 ERA in 79 1/3 innings. He was the winning pitcher in his May 10 meeting with Morrow but wasn't his sharpest, allowing six runs on eight hits over six innings.