Boston shortstop Xander Bogaerts gets set for a pitch to be thrown Monday night at Fenway Park against Toronto. Bogaerts homered Tuesday night in a Sox loss to the Jays. Photo courtesy of Delaney Gardner
The Boston Red Sox debut of Andrew Cashner Tuesday night at Fenway Park ended with his fourth loss. Cashner was only able to go five full innings leaving when it was 5-4 Blue Jays in the sixth, as Toronto added on late in a 10-4 win.
Xander Bogaerts put the home team up early with his 21st homer of the season. The solo homer with one out in the first made it 1-0. Teoscar Hernandez though put Toronto in the lead in the second with a long 441 foot three run homer to center. The Jays never lost the lead from that point. Justin Smoak singled in a run in the third inning to extend the lead to 4-1. The Sox did come back to tie it in the fifth. Mookie Betts hit a two run single, and Bogaerts knocked in one with an RBI single to even it 4-4. But Toronto (36-60) knocked Cashner out when Justin Smoak notched the game winner with a solo homer in the top of the sixth, and then Freddy Galvis singled to end the night for the former Baltimore Orioles right hander. A wild pitch by Boston reliever Josh Taylor scored another in the sixth to make it 6-4. Toronto tacked on in the ninth inning off Heath Hembree and Ryan Weber. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Danny Jansen singled in runs, while Eric Sogard and Randal Grichuk had RBI doubles to end the scoring. Hembree didn’t record an out and was tagged with three runs, before Weber came on to give up the other Jays run. Boston falls to 51-44, that includes a 22-25 home record (29-19 on road).
Cashner (9-4) had a final line of 5.0 innings allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. Taylor, Colten Brewer, and Darwinzon Hernandez each had a scoreless inning pitched. Betts and Bogaerts had three hits a piece to lead the offense. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had three hits for Toronto, while Sogard, Smoak, and Galvis each had two a piece. Justin Shafer (1-1) got the win in 1.0 inning of relief. Starter Jacob Waguespack allowed four runs on six hits in 4.2 innings.
Game three is Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m. Boston sends lefty Eduardo Rodriguez to the hill, to be opposed by Toronto righty Aaron Sanchez.
