Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts bats during the first inning at Fenway Park on Sunday, June 23, 2019 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
BOSTON, Mass- The struggles at home in the 2019 MLB season continued for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon. Marcus Stroman pitched six innings of shutout baseball as the Toronto Blue Jays took the rubber game of a three game series with a 6-1 win.
With two out in the top of the second inning, Rowdy Tellez hit a ground rule double to right field. Brandon Drury followed with a broken bat single to right to score Tellez to make it 1-0 Toronto. Boston had a chance to even the score in the bottom of the second. Brock Holt and Christian Vazquez both hit one out singles. Jackie Bradley Jr then also singled to left, but Holt was sent to the plate and was thrown out at home by Blue Jays left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Holt injured his hamstring on the play and left the game and is considered day to day. Michael Chavis grounded out to end the threat.
Toronto (29-49) then got all the offense they would need in the third inning. Gurriel Jr had a two out single, and Cavan Biggio followed with a double to make it 2-0. The Jays broke it open on Red Sox starter Rick Porcello in the sixth. Biggio walked and Freddy Galvis hit a double to lead off the inning. Biggio ended up scoring on a balk by Porcello, and then with two outs and the bases loaded Danny Jansen hit a two run single to left to make it 5-0. Eric Sogard added a solo homer in the eighth for Toronto, while the lone run for Boston came on an error in the ninth. The Red Sox are now 18-19 at home, where they finished 57-24 last season.
Porcello (5-7) went 6.0 innings in the loss allowing five runs on eight hits, with four walks and two strikeouts. Josh Smith allowed a run on two hits in 3.0 innings of relief. Mookie Betts had two hits for Boston. Stroman (5-9) allowed no runs and five hits, with one walk and six strikeouts in his 6.0 inning effort. Tim Mayza, David Phelps, and Joe Biagini each went an inning of relief not allowing any earned runs on two hits. Gurriel Jr. had three hits, while Tellez had two in the Blue Jays win.
Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts gets ready to bat on Sunday, June 23, 2019 against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
Boston (42-37) will remain home at Fenway Park to open up a three game series with the Chicago White Sox on Monday night at 7:10 p.m. The Red Sox will send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound, to be opposed by White Sox right hander Lucas Giolito.
