(Sports Network) - Boston's offense has been struggling during this three-game set with Toronto, but luckily the Blue Jays' offense has been worse. The Red Sox will try to sweep this series with a victory tonight at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox have won the first two tests of this series by a 3-1 count. Boston recorded a 1-0 win on Tuesday before notching a 2-1 victory last night. Manny Ramirez scored the game-winning run, coming home on Jason Varitek's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth off of Scott Downs (0-1).
Though they swept the Blue Jays in Toronto last year, the Red Sox will try to record their first three-game sweep of the Jays at Fenway since August 16-18, 2004.
Daisuke Matsuzaka threw seven shutout innings, and gave up just two hits and two walks while striking out four. Jonathan Papelbon (2-0) got the decision after throwing a scoreless top of the ninth for the Red Sox.
David Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a homer for Boston, which has won two straight following a five-game losing streak.
A.J. Burnett starts for the Blue Jays tonight. Burnett dropped to 2-2 on the season with a 6.07 earned run average after falling in defeat to Kansas City on Friday by an 8-4 margin. The right-hander appeared to be in control until a big eighth inning by the Royals. In all, Burnett gave up five runs (3 earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings.
The 31-year-old is 3-0 with a complete game and 2.51 ERA in four career starts against Boston. That includes a victory on September 18 of last year that saw Burnett post 11 strikeouts in a win. He struck out Ortiz three times in that game while fanning Jacoby Ellsbury twice.
Ortiz and Ramirez are a combined 3-for-11 (.273) versus Burnett with two home runs.
Though he is still undefeated on the season at 2-0, tonight's starter for Boston, Tim Wakefield, hasn't pitched well over his last two outings. The right-hander gave up five runs on seven hits -- two of those home runs -- over eight innings in a win over Texas on April 20, and then yielded four runs (3 earned) on six hits and five walks over six innings on Friday versus Tampa Bay.
Wakefield got a no-decision in his team's 5-4 loss, but did see his ERA balloon to 4.06 and has walked 17 batters in 31 innings.
Wakefield is 15-10 with a save and 3.87 ERA in 46 career tests versus Toronto, 36 of those starts. He faced them on April 4 and got a no-decision after yielding three runs over six innings. All three of those runs came in the sixth, as Matt Stairs homered, while Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill each added run-scoring singles.
Stairs had two hits yesterday for Toronto, and is a career .271 hitter (13- for-18) with three homers and seven RBI against Wakefield.
Dustin McGowan threw 7 1/3 solid innings on Wednesday for the Blue Jays, who have lost eight of nine. He surrendered just one run on four hits and a walk, while fanning five. Alex Rios scored Adam Lind for Toronto's lone run.
Toronto swept a three-game series from the Red Sox earlier in the season at Rogers Centre and holds a 35-25 edge in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign.
Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Indians signed free agent starting pitcher Jeff Weaver to a minor league contract Saturda... Full Story...
What Is The Score | WhatistheScore.com
Design by SEOSolutions.co.cr
All Rights Reserved ©2006-2007
WITS - WhatIsTheScore.com is a Sports Content Website offering Real Time Sports Information such as Live Score, Free Live Odds, Sports News, Sports Events, Stats, Standings, Sports Articles and more in all Major Sports around the World – WhatIsTheScore.com
WebDesign & SEO marketing by
(fm) freaky-media! technology