Jars of Clay

Looks like Clay Buchholz might be a decent big league pitcher after all. It's still ludicrous that the Sox wouldn't trade him and other prospects to get Roy Halladay but last night Buchholz outpitched Halladay as the Red Sox won 6-1 in Toronto.

Buchholz improved to 2-3 as he went six strong innings, allowing only one run on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Halladay (13-6) like Josh Beckett the night before, was not on his game for whatever reason. He went just five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.

Boston (68-51) took a one game lead in the wild card thanks to its win and the Twins comeback victory over the Rangers.
David Ortiz (2 hits) continued to swing a hot bat as he hit a solo shot in the second inning. New shortstop Alex Gonzalez (2 hits) singled home Casey Kotchman later in the inning to make it 2-0 good guys.

In the fourth, Jacoby Ellsbury tripled home Gonzalez for a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Blue Jays (55-63) scored their only run of the game when Vernon Wells drove in Aaron Hill with a single.

Boston tacked on two in the fifth on Jason Bay's two-run bomb and one in the ninth on Victor Martinez (2 hits) solo homer.

Jon Lester takes the mound tonight as the Red Sox try to sweep the Blue Jays before coming home to face the Yankees.

Please trade this guy to a contender, just not in the American League

After being in the middle of constant trade rumors for weeks, you'd think that maybe Roy Halladay would be a tad distracted. Maybe not.

The Blue Jays ace stifled the Red Sox (55-36) yesterday as Toronto (46-47) won 3-1 at the Rogers Centre to take the weekend series.

It might be the timing-the dead of summer-but Halladay has been talked about endlessly by various baseball writers and national media. After spending his whole career in Toronto, he deserves to experience playoff baseball, something that the Blue Jays likely won't sniff for a while since they're in the same division as Boston, the Yankees and Rays.

The Phillies have been the most consistently mentioned suitor and if Philadelphia could acquire Halladay, I think it would make them the favorites to come out of the National League. That's how good this guy is; he's probably a nose ahead of Tim Lincecum for the title of best pitcher just because he's a veteran that's been around longer. I just hope he doesn't end up somewhere else in the AL.

He improved to 11-3 with a complete game gem. He allowed one run on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Jon Lester (8-7) matched him for a while but he didn't get any help from the Sox' dead bats. Lester went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts.

David Ortiz knocked in Dustin Pedroia in the first for Boston's only run. They couldn't make anything else happen for the rest of the game and they resorted to something completely out of character-swinging at first pitches-as the innings dragged on.

Rod Barajas provided all the offense for the Blue Jays. He had a two-run bloop double in the second and a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Boston flew to Texas after yesterday's contest and will play three against the surprising Rangers. Fresh off a sweep of the Tigers, the Yankees sit just one game back of the Red Sox entering tonight.

It's time to win in Tampa Bay

With 13 games left in the regular season, the Boston Red Sox (88-61) are one game back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

Boston did what it had to do over the weekend, taking three of four from what had been a red-hot Toronto Blue Jays (80-70) team.

Jon Lester capped off the series yesterday afternoon with eight solid innings as the Red Sox held off the Blue Jays, 4-3.

In improving to 15-5, Lester lasted eight innings, giving up one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Roy Halladay (18-11) didn't go the whole way which is newsworthy. He pitched seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits with five strikeouts.

Boston's hottest hitter continued to scorch the ball, Coco Crisp contributed two hits and two RBIs.

Jose Bautista had a solo homer in the first off Lester but the Red Sox scored four straight runs. Ortiz knocked in Jacoby Ellsbury with an RBI groundout in the first while Crisp's RBI singles were in the second and seventh. Kevin Youkilis' sacrifice fly in the eighth pushed across Ortiz with what turned out to be a vital run.

Jonathan Papelbon gave up two runs in the ninth but still managed to record his 38th save of the season. Adam Lind had an RBI single for Toronto and Scott Rolen drove in the other run with a groundout.

The Sox left after the game for Tampa Bay and three games at the Trop. Boston is winless (0-6) in Tampa Bay this season but that will soon be forgotten if they can pick up a win or two the next few days.

Dice-K and Scott Kazmir go tonight.

Uh Yes Please, Two Walk-Off Wins

After coming home saddled with a five-game losing streak, the Boston Red Sox (17-12) quickly made fans forget about that as they've won their last two games over the Toronto Blue Jays (11-17) in style: walk-off, ninth inning wins after pitcher's duels.

Tuesday night, Jon Lester and Roy Halladay were locked in a tight battle until Kevin Youkilis knocked in David Ortiz with the game-winning RBI single as the Red Sox won 1-0. Not lifting Ortiz for a pinch runner seemed questionable (even with only two guys on the bench) but Vernon Wells' bobble in center gave Papi just enough time to score.

Lester went eight innings, giving up only one hit, four walks and striking out six. Halladay (2-4) pitched his fourth straight complete game (and third straight loss), giving up five hits, one walk with six strikeouts.

Given that he only threw 97 pitches and who he was going up against, I'd say it was the best MLB start of Lester's short career.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts to earn the win.

Last night Dice-K and Dustin McGowan thrilled Fenway with another low-scoring NL style game. Dice-K went seven innings, giving up two hits, two walks and four strikeouts. McGowan went 7.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Once again, Papelbon pitched a clean ninth thus earning the win.

David Ortiz broke the shutout with a solo home run in the seventh. Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios hit a sac. fly in the eighth to tie it up.

Jason Varitek was the hero this time as his RBI single knocked in Manny Ramirez, who promptly spiked his helmet after he got the safe call. Ironically, Brandon Moss had hit a single in the previous at-bat but pinch runner Jed Lowrie was tagged out in a close play at the plate.

The three-game series closes tonight as Tim Wakefield goes vs. A.J. Burnett.