BOSTON — The Red Sox failed to notch a key series-opening win against the Blue Jays Friday night, costing them some ground in a tight American League wild card race.
Toronto struck first, taking the first of three in Boston with a 7-3 victory at Fenway Park that dropped the Red Sox to three games below the Blue Jays for the final wild-card spot. The Red Sox were doomed from the get-go, playing catch-up after the very first pitch was thrown with Toronto’s Whit Merrifield going deep — serving as the premonition for a costly division battle that didn’t fall in Boston’s favor.
Nevertheless, one loss is one loss and the Red Sox aren’t worried.
“It was a weird game, to be honest with you,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Rob (Refsnyder) gets on and then Masa (Yoshida) hits a rocket to third and (Matt Chapman) makes a great play. They played good defense. I think (Alek Manoah) too was able to get outs when he needed to. We hit some balls hard. It was kind of a weird night offensively.”
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Cora added: “It’s just one game. Let’s not make a big deal out of it. … They played a good game and we didn’t. That’s the bottom line.”
Typically, the Red Sox make easy work of the Blue Jays, entering the series having won seven-of-seven meetings while outscoring Toronto, 49-29, in those contests. The Blue Jays also took the field without the services of All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
Even facing Manoah, who’s been putrid overall this season and was sent to rehab in the rookie league after a 1-7 start, wasn’t enough for Boston to capitalize.
The Red Sox finished with just six base hits — a season-low against Toronto — while just one player — Jarren Duran — ended up with a multi-hit performance.
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“It’s one game,” Duran said, emphasizing Cora’s takeaway. “It’s over, done with. We’re gonna flush it. It’s baseball, it happens. They came out swinging. They got some good swings off early and put up a couple of runs, but, you know, it’s baseball, it happens. You’re gonna win some and lose some, but we have confidence in ourselves that it’s just a game and we’re gonna move on.”
Here are more notes from Friday night’s Red Sox-Blue Jays game:
— Red Sox pitchers allowed a season-high in home runs (five) and extra-base hits (eight) to the Blue Jays, losing five of their last six to follow up Boston’s five-game winning streak.
— Duran went 3-for-4 with a home run, recording his seventh three-plus-hit performance this season, including his third versus the Blue Jays.
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“Not trying to do too much, just putting quality at-bats together and putting good swings together,” Duran said.
— Acquired at the trade deadline, infielder Luis Urías made his Red Sox debut, starting at second base and hitting eighth in the lineup. Urías went 1-for-3 at the plate with an opposite-field single and drew a walk.
“Turned a few double plays. He did a good job,” Cora said. “I like the fact that he controlled the strike zone. That’s going to help us.”
— Masataka Yoshida recorded one of just three extra-base hits from Boston’s lineup, doubling in the fourth inning and finishing 1-for-4. Yoshida is now hitting .536 (15-for-28) against Toronto, racking up six extra-base hits with 10 RBIs.
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— Boston and Toronto return to action for Game 2 of the series Saturday. First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.
