Toronto Blue Jays (6-6) @ Boston Red Sox (2-9)
Brett Cecil (0-1, 7.20) vs. Clay Buchholz (0-2, 7.20)
7:10 PM EDT | Fenway Park (Boston, Massachusetts)
TV: NESN RADIO: WEEI 850, SBN 1510
INJURY REPORT
Toronto: Rajai David, twisted right ankle (placed on 15-day DL 4/11); Frank Francisco, strained right pectoral (placed on 15-day DL 3/30, retroactive to 3/22); Brandon Morrow, inflamed right forearm (placed on 15-day DL 3/30, retroactive to 3/22)
Boston: Matt Albers, strained lat muscle (placed on 15-day DL 4/8)
GAME NOTES
Clay Buchholz absolutely dominated the Blue Jays last year. In three starts against them, he pitched 22 innings against, giving up a total of 2 runs (1 ER), good for a 0.41 ERA. Buchholz had a rough start last time out against the Yankees, but with his contract extension being announced the next day, he should me much more comfortable on the mound tonight. I think there’s no question that the impending contract could have been weighing on his mind. Now that it’s signed, hopefully Clay can get back to his dominant ways of 2010. One particular thing that concerns me this series is the long ball. The Red Sox pitching staff had struggled keeping the ball in the park this year, and the Blue Jays hit the most in the majors last season with 257, a possibly lethal combination for Boston.
LINEUPS
Toronto
Escobar SS
Patterson CF
Bautista RF
Lind 1B
Hill 2B
Arencibia C
Snyder LF
Rivera DH
Nix 3B
Boston
Crawford LF
Pedroia 2B
Gonzalez 1B
Youkilis 3B
Ortiz DH
Drew RF
Saltalamacchia C
Scutaro SS
Ellsbury CF
PLAYER OF THE DAY
Like the rest of major league baseball, today I will salute Jackie Robinson. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Robinson has an infamous history with the team. On April 16, 1945, the Red Sox held a tryout for Robinson and other Negro League players at Fenway Park. The tryout was held to please Boston City Councilman Isadore Muchnick, a desegregationalist, as the Red Sox had no intention in signing any of the players. In 1959, the Red Sox became the last team to integrate its roster when Pumpsie Green made his debut on July 21, 12 seasons after Robinson debuted for the Dodgers.