Red Sox Lose Patriots' Day Matinee To Blue Jays
By The Sports Xchange
BOSTON -- A pair of Ethiopians took the men's and women's titles at the 120th Boston Marathon on Monday, but the Toronto Blue Jays won a marathon of their own at Fenway Park.
Russell Martin came through with a two-out, two run single in the eighth inning that capped a four-run frame, and the Blue Jays outlasted the Boston Red Sox 4-3 in the annual morning Patriots' Day game.
"It seems like games can be kind of long here," Martin said. "I felt like guys were battling, grinding through at-bats on both sides."
Monday's game lasted three hours and 12 minutes -- by contrast, Lemi Berhanu Hayle won the 26.2-mile Marathon on the men's side in 2:12:45 while Atsede Baysa won the women's in 2:29:19.
Boston had the game's only run up until the eighth inning, when usually steady-handed reliever Koji Uehara imploded.
Uehara allowed a leadoff infield single to Kevin Pillar, who advanced to second on a throwing error by third baseman Josh Rutledge.
A Justin Smoak walk and a Christian Vazquez passed ball put runners on second and third with nobody out.
Michael Saunders' groundout tied the game and Uehara hit Josh Donaldson and walked Jose Bautista to load the bases before departing.
Martin's decisive hit came off Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel, who relieved Uehara in the 1-1 game with one out in the eighth and struck out Edwin Encarnacion on a 99-mile-per-hour fastball, but allowed a bases-loaded walk to Troy Tulowitzki.
"It's a big situation right there against a tough pitcher," Martin said. "Was fortunate to get ahead in the count, and then he's got an electric fastball, so really just trying to put the barrel on the ball."
Travis Shaw's two-out double in the ninth scored Dustin Pedroia from first to bring Boston within two runs and Hanley Ramirez singled up the middle to make it a one-run game.
David Ortiz pinch hit for Chris Young with two outs, much to the delight of the Fenway crowd, but he struck out looking to end the game.
"He doesn't go down looking too many times," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said with a smile on his face.
J.A. Happ (2-0) allowed one run on four hits and a walk and struck out four for Toronto (7-7), which split its four-game series with Boston after winning the last two.
Drew Storen allowed two runs in the ninth but still claimed his first save.
"I got some big double play balls, we had some great defense, and a huge eighth inning for us," Happ said. "Bullpen did a great job of shutting it out."
Clay Buchholz took a no-decision after tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings for the Red Sox (6-6), giving up six hits while walking two and striking out a pair.
Uehara (0-1) was charged with all four runs and walked two in a third of an inning.
"It's probably just early morning," Uehara said. "It's just my body was not awake. I'll do my best tomorrow."
Shaw, Ramirez, and Josh Rutledge each had an RBI for Boston, with Rutledge's coming on a second-inning double with two outs.
The Red Sox fell to 69-52 on Patriots' Day after winning 11 of the last 15 games on the date.
NOTES: Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman and actor/producer Jake Gyllenhaal, who portrays Bauman in the upcoming film "Stronger," threw out the ceremonial first pitches. Bauman lost both of his legs in the April 15, 2013 bombing that claimed the lives of Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi, Martin Richard, and later MIT police officer Sean Collier and Boston police officer Dennis Simmonds, and injured hundreds more. ... Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ was the first southpaw starter the Red Sox faced in 12 games this season. In 1996, Boston waited 13 games before encountering a lefty starter -- Baltimore's David Wells. ... Baltimore 1B Chris Colabello entered as a pinch hitter in the ninth for the Blue Jays after being hit in the head with a fastball Sunday, but grounded into a double play. ... Red Sox DH David Ortiz was not in the starting lineup Monday, but entered as a pinch hitter in the ninth. ... On Tuesday, Toronto is at Baltimore and Boston hosts Tampa Bay to open respective three-game series.
