David Price, Xander Bogaerts Push Red Sox Past Blue Jays
BOSTON -- Continuing his career domination of one of his former teams, David Price picked up his first home win for his new one on Saturday.
The left-hander, who signed a seven-year, $217 million contract to leave Toronto for Boston, worked seven strong innings and Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer to power the Red Sox to a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays.
Price (2-0) gave up six hits and ended his late-afternoon performance by striking out the side in the seventh inning, giving him nine strikeouts (and no walks) as he improved his career mark to 17-2 with a 2.42 ERA against the Jays.
He has thrown a quality start in each of his 13 career home starts against the Jays, a team he helped into the 2015 postseason after being acquired by Toronto from Detroit.
The win, the Red Sox's third straight, lifted their record to 6-4.
Price gave up a first-inning run on a Josh Donaldson triple and Jose Bautista doubles and then, after the Red Sox scored four in the third, Bautista singled and scored on Edwin Encarnacion's double in the fourth.
Koji Uehara worked the eighth inning and Craig Kimbrel finished his third save in as many games (No. 4 overall) with a powerful ninth that saw him strike out Bautista, Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki -- the right-hander's fastball topping out at 99 mph.
Marco Estrada (1-1) worked the first six innings and took the loss for the Blue Jays (5-7).
Bogaerts hit his first homer of the season and his first in 24 games dating to last season after third-inning infield hits by Jackie Bradley Jr. and Dustin Pedroia. Later in the inning, Hanley Ramirez doubled and scored on Travis Shaw's single.
Encarnacion, who hit his first two homers of the season on Friday night, has four of Toronto nine hits and has driven in four of its five runs in the first two games of the four-game weekend series.
NOTES: Blue Jays manager John Gibbons credited a member of the media for his decision to wave both hands, two fingers up in the air, and "be like (Richard) Nixon" when he summoned switch-pitcher Pat Venditte from the bullpen on Friday night. Gibbons said WFAN New York Yankees reporter Sweeny Murti made the suggestion when the Yankees were in Toronto earlier this week. ... Two pitchers who have worked in hard luck so far this season square off in the third game of the four-game series on Sunday. Toronto RH Aaron Sanchez is 0-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts -- the Jays losing both games 3-2 -- while RH Steven Wright, who allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Jays in Toronto last Sunday, suffered 3-2 loss in that game. ... 1B Chris Colabello, a local product, was back in the Toronto lineup and was 1-for-19 coming into the game. He and fellow 1B Justin Smoak were a combined 2-for-31 with 17 strikeouts, with Smoak 1-for-12 with 11 Ks.
