BOSTON — Clay Buchholz did all he could and more to earn a win Monday, but the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t let that happen.
Buchholz pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, but the Jays beat up on the Red Sox’s normally strong bullpen in the eighth and went home with the 4-3 win. The right-hander slashed his ERA nearly in half to 5.74, but he had to settle for the no-decision after Boston couldn’t complete the comeback in the ninth.
Let’s take a look at how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
Deflating.
Even though a 1-0 lead isn’t something to feel super secure about, the Red Sox still were riding high after Buchholz’s strong start. The bullpen unraveled all that in the eighth inning, though, and Boston was left playing catch-up with very little game to go.
IT WAS OVER WHEN …
Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrel couldn’t get things done in the eighth.
ON THE BUMP
— In stark contrast to his first two outings, Buchholz was brilliant Monday. The right-hander got through 6 2/3 innings without giving up a run, while his defense helped him by turning four double plays.
Buchholz allowed six hits, walked two and struck out two. Red Sox manager John Farrell called upon Junichi Tazawa for the final out of the seventh, and Tazawa got Russell Martin to ground out.
— Uehara came on in the eighth and picked a bad time to have his worst outing of the young season. He gave up a single to Kevin Pillar and a walk Justin Smoak to start things off, and a Michael Saunders groundout scored Pillar after the runners advanced on a passed ball.
Uehara followed that by hitting Josh Donaldson and walking Jose Bautista to load the bases before being yanked in favor of Kimbrel.
Kimbrel started his outing with a strikeout of Encarnacion, but he walked Troy Tulowitzki to bring in a run and gave up a single to Russell Martin that scored two more. All four runs were credited to Uehara.
— Noe Ramirez closed things out with a clean ninth despite walking two batters. Chris Colabello grounded into a double play, and Ramirez struck out Donaldson to end the inning.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Red Sox got their first run when designated hitter Hanley Ramirez (2-for-4) got on base with a ground-rule double in the second inning, and third baseman Josh Rutledge (1-for-2) followed with an RBI double.
Ramirez also knocked in a run in the ninth to put the Red Sox within one run.
— Travis Shaw had a good day despite the Red Sox’s quiet offense, singling in the seventh and adding an RBI double in the ninth to go 2-for-4.
— Jackie Bradley Jr. went 0-for-2 but got on base with a walk.
— Chris Young hit a double high off the Green Monster in the eighth inning to go 1-for-3.
TWEET OF THE DAY
JBJ made kind of a good catch in the seventh inning.
.@JackieBradleyJr runs. He dives. He makes our jaws DROP: https://t.co/P76zIHw9Xv https://t.co/BPKQIoPAbA
— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2016
UP NEXT
The Red Sox remain at Fenway Park on Tuesday to begin a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Joe Kelly will go up against Rays left-hander Drew Smyly in the 7:10 p.m. ET matchup.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
