Red Sox-Blue Jays Pitching Matchups: Boston Needs More Out Of Starting Rotation
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Red Sox are hoping to bounce back from a 2-4 road trip to Tampa and Baltimore, returning to Fenway Park for a nine-game homestand that begins Monday night.
The Blue Jays are in town for a three-game set, Boston's fourth straight series against an AL East foe. These are the first of 19 games these two teams will play this season, and after going 7-12 against the Jays last season, it will be important for the Sox to get some division wins under their belt early.
It's also very important for Red Sox starters to go deep into these next three games, especially after Wade Miley lasted just 2.1 innings on Sunday.
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Here's a look at the pitching matchups for Boston's series against Toronto:
Monday, April 27 -- 6:10 p.m.
Aaron Sanchez (1-2, 5.14 ERA) vs. Joe Kelly (1-0, 4.08 ERA)
Kelly has been Boston's best starter through April, but has just one win to show for it -- all the way back in his first start of the season when he held the Yankees to one run over seven innings. The righty struggled in his last outing against the Rays, a 7-5 Boston loss, allowing five earned runs off eight hits over five-plus innings. All of that came after his offense spotted him a 5-1 lead.
The Blue Jays open the series sending 22-year-old Aaron Sanchez to the mound. He was a solid reliever in 2014, holding batters to a .128 average in 24 appearances, but has struggled this season as a starter. He's only allowed eight runs, but has yet to make it out of the sixth inning in any of his three starts. Walks have been a big issue for Sanchez, as he issued seven free passes in his last start, a 7-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Key Matchup: Russell Martin vs. Joe Kelly
The Toronto catcher is struggling with his new team, batting just .173 on the season, but has had some success against Kelly in a very small sample. Martin is 3-for-6 with a homer and three RBI for his career against Kelly.
Tuesday, April 28 -- 6:10 p.m.
Drew Hutchinson (2-0, 5.48 ERA) vs. Clay Buchholz (1-2, 4.84 ERA)
Anyone want to take a guess which Clay Buchholz will show up on Tuesday?
Buchholz has made two very good starts this season (seven innings of shutout ball on Opening Day, six innings of one-run ball his last time out against the Rays), one pretty good start (six innings of two-run ball in a 4-1 loss to Baltimore) and one not-so-great start (nine earned runs in 3.1 innings in New York). It will likely be a guessing game with Buchholz all season, but hopefully he can build off his last time out when he held Tampa to just one run.
As for Hutchinson, he's coming off his best start of the season for Toronto, holding the Orioles to two runs in eight innings while striking out a season-high seven batters. He's holding opposing batters to a .257 average, but most of his good stuff is against lefties. Righties are hitting .407 (11-for-27) off Hutchinson this season.
Key Matchup: Edwin Encarnacion vs. Clay Buchholz
Encarnacion is only hitting .143 against Buchholz (4-for-28), but two of his hits have left the yard. He's also drawn seven walks against Buchholz, who is 11-8 in his career against Toronto.
Wednesday, April 29 -- 6:10 p.m.
R.A. Dickey (0-2, 5.25 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (1-2, 6.48 ERA)
It's been a very disappointing start to Rick Porcello's $20-million/season career with the Red Sox. While he pitched better his last time out, allowing four earned runs in six innings against Baltimore on Friday, Porcello has allowed 18 earned runs in just 25 innings pitched to start the year. Those aren't the numbers you'd expect out of a guy who received such a big payday after one start.
Porcello is 2-4 with a 4.70 ERA in eight career games (seven starts) against Toronto.
R.A. Dickey, a 40-year-old knuckleballer, is coming off his worst start of the season, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in 4.2 innings in a 12-3 loss to the Rays. Dickey has seen his ERA climb from 2.19 to 5.25 over his last two starts, allowing 11 earned runs over 11.2 innings. He gave up two homers in each of those last two outings.
Key Matchup: Xander Bogaerts vs. R.A. Dickey
Bogaerts is just 2-for-14 in his last five games (one of those hits has left the yard), but he's enjoyed some success against Dickey. The Sox shortstop is 6-for-11 (.545 average) with two doubles and two RBI against the Jays knuckleballer.
