Red Sox @ Blue Jays Game Thread/ 27th- 29th June 2022

Boston Red Sox’s winning streak snapped in 7-2 loss to Blue Jays; Connor Seabold tagged for 3 home runs in season debut
Updated: Jun. 28, 2022, 12:53 a.m. | Published: Jun. 27, 2022, 10:08 p.m.

By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com

TORONTO -- The Red Sox are not the same team as they were when Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman shut them down in back-to-back starts in late April. But they looked like it Monday night.

Gausman tossed seven shutout innings and Toronto tagged Red Sox rookie starter Connor Seabold for seven runs as the Jays snapped Boston’s seven-game winning streak with a 7-2 win. The Red Sox fell to 42-32 and will need to win back-to-back games at Rogers Centre to avoid their first series loss this month.
Enter your email address here to receive the Fenway Rundown email newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday.


Seabold’s outing demonstrated both his tantalizing pitch mix -- he induced 21 swings-and-misses, the most by a Red Sox starter this year -- and also a penchant for finding barrels. The Blue Jays tagged him for nine hits, including three hard-hit home runs, in 4 ⅔ innings in his second major league start (and first of the season). Matt Chapman’s two-run shot in the fifth inning chased Seabold from the game.

The Blue Jays got on the board immediately, as George Springer walked then scored on a Bo Bichette RBI double to open the scoring in the first. After a Seabold pitched a 1-2-3 second, Toronto began launching rockets in the third. Springer made it 2-0 with a solo shot that left the bat at 106.5 mph, then after Bichette hit a 106.6 mph single, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a two-run, 108.2 mph shot to put the Jays up, 4-0.

Toronto then opened things up in the fifth. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made it 5-0 with an RBI groundout, then Chapman launched a 362-foot shot to give Toronto a seven-run lead. Seabold departed having allowed seven runs on nine hits while striking out seven batters.

Gausman, who entered with an 0.64 ERA (1 ER in 14 innings) in his two starts against the Red Sox this season, dominated again, holding Boston to four hits in seven innings. The right-hander struck out 10.

Boston finally broke through in the ninth against former Red Sox farmhand Shaun Anderson. After Xander Bogaerts and Alex Verdugo led off the innings with singles, Trevor Story drove in the club’s first run with a sacrifice fly. Bobby Dalbec’s second single of the game made it 7-2.

Three Red Sox hitters -- Verdugo, Dalbec and Christian Vázquez -- had two singles each. Four of Boston’s eight hits came in the ninth.

Wacha looks to get Sox back on track

Right-hander Michael Wacha (6-1, 2.34 ERA) will pitch the middle game of the series Tuesday night. Righty Ross Stripling (4-2, 3.08 ERA) will take the ball for the Blue Jays. First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. ET.

With Sox's staff on mend, Seabold gains experience
Right-handed prospect allows 7 runs, strikes out 7 in Toronto in 2nd MLB start (1st of '22)
1:11 AM ADT
Ian Browne

Ian Browne
@ianmbrowne



TORONTO -- Despite Monday’s mishap in which Connor Seabold was belted around for three homers in a 7-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, the Red Sox have done more than weather a stretch in which starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock have been on the injured list simultaneously.

Boston has actually come out of it nicely, winning four of six games started by prospects Josh Winckowski, Kutter Crawford and Seabold.

And it isn’t just Eovaldi (low back inflammation) and Whitlock (right hip inflammation) the Red Sox have been missing. Chris Sale hasn’t thrown a pitch in the Major Leagues this season. Neither has James Paxton.

Yet, Boston is 19-5 in June and currently in possession of the top American League Wild Card spot, even after its seven-game winning streak came to an end in the series opener in Toronto.


And as manager Alex Cora noted after Monday’s loss, the Red Sox are about to get healthier. Whitlock threw a bullpen session prior to Monday’s game. Sale and Eovaldi have key steps in their progression coming up.

“We know they’re going to come [back],” Cora said. “The big guy [Sale] is pitching [for Double-A Portland] on Thursday. So he’s getting closer. Nate, he’s throwing a bullpen on Wednesday. This is part of 162.

“We’ve been able to do our thing with a lot of guys down, and just like other teams have done it, right? We’re comfortable with these kids coming up and pitching. We are. Today was just -- we were short in the bullpen and we had to try to get 15 outs with him. It just didn’t happen.”

Seabold got 14 outs on a night Cora stuck with him longer than he would have under normal circumstances.

But with Tanner Houck on the restricted list for these three games in Toronto and the bullpen pressed into a fair share of action of late, Cora challenged Seabold, the team’s No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline, to hang in there into the middle innings against one of MLB’s most dangerous lineups.

When Seabold came out for the fifth, Boston was down, 4-0, with right-hander Kevin Gausman dealing for Toronto. With two runners on and two outs, Matt Chapman put a stain on Seabold’s second career start with a towering two-run homer that put the game away for all intents and purposes.


George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went deep earlier in the night. Home runs accounted for five of the seven runs allowed by Seabold, who also recorded seven strikeouts.

“I made too many mistakes,” Seabold said. “The first few innings, I was able to limit it for the most part. Left one out over the plate with two strikes to Vlad. Gave Springer a first-pitch cookie, but I was able to keep it toned down for the most part. Then, fifth inning, I was out of gas, started making more mistakes, and they started capitalizing on it.”

That’s life in the Major Leagues.

Seabold came over with Nick Pivetta in a deal with the Phillies at the 2020 Trade Deadline in a move that is a clear victory for the Red Sox no matter what happens from here (the acquisition cost was Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree). The right-hander also showed he has some attributes that can make him successful at the highest level.

Of the 46 pitches the Blue Jays swung at against Seabold, they whiffed at 21 of them.

“That’s a lot, right? Like I said, the fastball has some life up there,” Cora said. “There’s some good hitters on that team, and to be able to do that against them, he’s a good one. It just happened that was the first one this year against a tough team. He’s a guy that we really like."

With an off-day for the Red Sox on Thursday, Seabold might get optioned back to Triple-A Worcester, rather than getting another turn in the rotation.

Boston can go with a four-man rotation on regular rest until July 5. Perhaps by then Whitlock will be back. There’s always a chance the Red Sox could call up another pitcher. All eyes continue to be on No. 4 prospect Brayan Bello, who has been electric at Triple-A.

A confidence has developed within the Red Sox that they can compete with whichever starter takes the ball. But that is about to be tested.

Monday started a stretch in which Boston will play American League East rivals 17 times in 20 games. This after playing only five division matchups -- all against Baltimore -- in a 50-game stretch.

“Every team in this division can pitch, every team in this division can hit the ball out of the ballpark and it’s going to be a grind,” Cora said. “We’re going to be banging heads for the rest of the season, and we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. We had expectations coming into the season to make it to the playoffs, and we’ll keep working for that.”

RED SOX NOTEBOOK
The Red Sox mandated Trevor Story get vaccinated before signing, and the infielder has no regrets with saying yes
By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated June 27, 2022, 9:02 p.m.


TORONTO — The Red Sox are without outfielder Jarren Duran and righthander Tanner Houck, both landing on the restricted list before Monday’s 7-2 loss to the Blue Jays as a result of their unvaccinated status. Three months ago, the Red Sox wanted to ensure the same would not be true of Trevor Story.

As Story neared agreement on his six-year, $140 million deal in March, the Sox declared Story needed to get vaccinated against COVID-19. It’s a stance the team struck largely because it wanted to ensure he would be available for all games in Canada (which requires visitors to be vaccinated), including potential postseason ones.


The Sox do not have an established policy requiring players whom they sign as free agents or acquire in trades to be vaccinated, but all of the other players whom the Sox had signed at that point in spring training were. The team wanted to avoid a scenario in which a potentially pivotal player would be unavailable for crucial games against a key divisional opponent.

Ultimately, Story agreed to get vaccinated out of a desire to be available. As he prepared to face the Blue Jays in Rogers Centre on Monday, Story felt that his decision had been a good one.

“To me, it’s a very personal decision, whichever way you want to decide. But at the end of the day, that’s what it came down to — playing these games in Canada. We obviously know how tough this division is. Each game counts,” said Story, who struck out three times Monday, but delivered Boston’s first run with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly. “So here we are.”

The second baseman suggested it would have been hard to have been away from the team for these games, particularly with the Red Sox amidst one of their hottest stretches in the last 20 years.

“We feel like every day when we’re coming to the park, it’s contagious. We feel like we’re creating a lot of momentum. Guys are showing up 12:30, 1 o’clock for a 7 o’clock game. Good teams I’ve been a part of in the past, it’s been that way. It’s exciting, man,” said Story. “That’s something I want to be a part of.”

Without Duran and Houck, the Red Sox called up Monday’s starter Connor Seabold and infielder Yolmer Sánchez from Triple-A Worcester. Righthander Silvino Bracho is with the team on the taxi squad, and will likely be added to the roster Tuesday with Seabold to return to the WooSox.
Around the injured list

Garrett Whitlock — on the injured list since June 10 due to a right hip strain — threw a bullpen session in Toronto. He’ll throw off a mound again on Friday in Chicago, and also take part in fielding drills in an effort to stress the injured area.

“It went well,” said Sox manager Alex Cora. “I think [Friday’s fielding drills are] the most important thing, actually, for him to move around and see how he feels and we’ll decide what we do after that.”

Lefthander Chris Sale threw a bullpen session in Fort Myers on Monday morning and will head to Double-A Portland in advance of his start there on Thursday, Cora said. Meanwhile, lefthander Josh Taylor will make a one-inning rehab appearance with Portland on Tuesday. While the reliever has been making game appearances every other day, Cora said that the Sox likely will want him to progress to the point where he pitches on back-to-back days before activating him.


At that point, it’s possible that Taylor could join a crowd of lefthanded relievers that already includes Matt Strahm, Jake Diekman, and Austin Davis.

“It’s too soon to start thinking about four lefties in the bullpen,” said Cora. “Let’s get him ready, let’s get him healthy, and the front office will do what they do.”

Nate Eovaldi — on the injured list since June 10 with lower back soreness — played catch on Monday and could throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. Outfielder Kiké Hernández (hip) has started throwing, but still isn’t swinging or taking fly balls.
Triston Casas among prospects getting healthy

According to farm director Brian Abraham, Triston Casas started swinging a bat again on Monday. The Red Sox second-ranked prospect, out since May 17 with a high right ankle sprain, is rehabbing in Fort Myers. Because of the amount of stress the 6-foot-5, 260-pound slugger puts on his landing foot, the team had been waiting until he could swing pain-free before having him resume doing so . . . Righthander Bryan Mata will pitch for Portland on Tuesday as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery in April 2021. The hard-throwing 23-year-old made four rehab starts, the last three with High-A Greenville, before being activated from the injured list for the purpose of returning to the upper levels . . . Righthander Thad Ward, out since undergoing Tommy John surgery last June, threw a simulated game at the team’s spring training complex in Fort Myers over the weekend and could start a rehab assignment as soon as this week.

Red Sox @ Blue Jays
Tuesday, 28th June 2022
7pm @ Rogers Center

Wacha 6-1/2.34

Stripling 4-2/3.08

Winning streak snapped, Red Sox look to bounce back vs. Jays
FLM

The Toronto Blue Jays ended the visiting Boston Red Sox's seven-game winning streak on Monday and will try to build a streak of their own as the three-game series continues on Tuesday.

Behind seven scoreless innings from right-hander Kevin Gausman, who matched his season best with 10 strikeouts, the Blue Jays defeated the Red Sox 7-2.

Boston fell to 19-5 in June.

The Red Sox were beginning a stretch in which 20 of 23 games will be against American League East opponents. They are 7-15 within the division, including 2-6 against the Blue Jays.

"Every team in this division can pitch, every team in this division can hit the ball out of the park," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "It's going to be a grind. We're going to be banging heads for the rest of the season."

"It's always a dogfight in this division," said Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Monday.

The Blue Jays prevailed in the opener of an eight-game homestand, having returned from a disappointing 2-4 road trip against the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers.

In their losses to the Brewers on Saturday and Sunday, the Blue Jays' starting pitchers did not get out of the third inning. Gausman reversed that trend on Monday.

"That was huge," Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said. "Seven innings. That is what we needed, and he gave us that. Our bullpen has thrown a lot and even more lately, so we needed some kind of start like that.

"That was the Gausman that we saw at the beginning (of the season). He's been good, but today he was impressive, back to that guy we saw the first couple of months."

It was Gausman's first winning decision since May 31. In three starts against Boston this season, he has allowed two runs (one earned) over 21 innings (0.43 ERA) with two walks and 27 strikeouts.

Right-hander Ross Stripling (4-2, 3.08 ERA) will get the start for Toronto on Tuesday. Right-hander Michael Wacha (6-1, 2.34) will start for Boston.

Stripling allowed one run in five innings against the Red Sox and did not factor in the decision on April 27. He is 2-3 with a 6.62 ERA in seven career starts against Boston.

Wacha earned a win on April 27 when he held the Blue Jays to four hits and one run in six innings. He is 1-1 with a 3.91 ERA in five career outings (four starts) against Toronto.

Before Monday's game, the Blue Jays promoted right-hander Shaun Anderson and optioned right-hander Jeremy Beasley to Triple-A Buffalo. Anderson allowed four hits and two runs to Boston in the ninth inning Monday night.

The Red Sox are at a disadvantage for the series. They put right-hander Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran on the restricted list on Monday because they did not meet Canadian COVID-19 requirements.

To fill the roster spots, Boston promoted right-hander Connor Seabold and infielder Yolmer Sanchez from Triple-A Worcester. Seabold made the start on Monday and allowed seven runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. It was his second career major league appearance and the first this season.

Boston's Alex Verdugo went 2-for-4 on Monday to extend his hitting streak to eight games, during which he is 12-for-30 (.400).

--Field Level Media