BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox were held to just four runs in their day-night doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Monday.
In both games combined, the Red Sox were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base while allowing 13 hits in 18 innings of baseball.
“We’re not playing good baseball right now,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after Boston’s loss in Game 2. “It was tough. It was a tough weekend. We just have to play better and we’re capable of doing that.”
“We’ve established this brand of baseball all season, and now it’s not working — in every aspect of the game. We’re not pitching well. We’re not playing good defense. We’re not hitting. That’s only magnified by where we are right now. We’ve just got to show up tomorrow. Throw some good at-bats, pitch and defend and try to win a game.”
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Brad Keller allowed five runs in the fifth inning after Red Sox starter Zack Kelly pitched three scoreless innings and Justin Slaten threw a scoreless fourth inning.
The defense behind Boston’s pitching made four errors, including two errors early in the ninth inning that allowed Toronto to score twice after Jarren Duran cut the deficit to 5-3 in the second half of the eighth inning.
“Even though we had two innings of rest in the first game, it’s a long day of baseball. A tough day,” Duran said. “It’s baseball and stuff happens. We’re going to get back on the horse. … Personally, I know I put a lot of pressure on myself. It feels like we put a little pressure on ourselves. But I think we’re OK. I think we just need to get back on the horse and realize we’re a good team and we can compete with anybody. We’ve proven that all year. It’s just about us believing in ourselves again.”
Here are more notes from Monday’s Red Sox-Blue Jays doubleheader:
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— The Game 1 loss was a continuation of the June 26 game that was suspended due to heavy rain. Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen made history by becoming the first player to appear on the scoresheet in a game for both teams.
— With Game 1 pushed back to June, Game 2 handed the Red Sox their fourth straight loss, fifth overall and six of their last eight. They are 9-12 in their last 21 games.
— Durran hit 3 of 4 home runs, two doubles and his 19th home run of the season. He has multiple extra-base hits in 15 games this season and has a .359 batting average in his last 10 games.
— Kelly made his third career start this season and threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings with one hit, four walks and 10 strikeouts.
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— The Red Sox and Blue Jays continue their four-game series Tuesday night. First pitch at Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. You can watch the game and an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
