Recap: Boston vs. Toronto
Sports Network | August 16, 2008
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay held the powerful Red Sox at bay as Toronto topped Boston, 4-1, in the first of a truncated two- game series at Fenway Park.
Halladay (14-9) allowed seven hits and one run for his eighth complete game of the season, tops in the major leagues. The 31-year-old moved one ahead of CC Sabathia, who has registered seven complete games with the Brewers and Indians. The right-hander fanned four, walked one and needed just 109 pitches for the outing, his second win in three starts.
Alex Rios hit a two-run homer and Adam Lind smacked a solo shot for the Blue Jays, who have won four of five. Vernon Wells added an RBI single.
Dustin Pedroia homered and Jason Bay collected a pair of hits for the Red Sox, whose four-game win streak was halted.
Paul Byrd (7-11), in his Boston debut after coming over in a deal from Cleveland on Tuesday, was charged with 10 hits and four runs over 7 1/3 innings. He allowed two home runs while neither striking out nor walking a batter.
Byrd did not make it out of the first inning unscathed. Joe Inglett singled to start the game but was picked off. Marco Scutaro followed with a base hit and scored when Rios poked a ball over the Green Monster for a 2-0 Toronto lead.
Halladay survived the home half, and though David Ortiz singled and Kevin Youkilis walked with two down, J.D. Drew lined out to end the inning.
From there, the Jays' ace allowed two singles by Bay -- one in the second and another in the fifth -- along with a Jason Varitek base hit in the third and one by Drew in the seventh.
Lind added a one-out solo homer in the sixth which once again barely cleared the iconic wall in left for a 3-0 Jays edge. Byrd's night ended after Rios tripled to center in the eighth and scored when Wells followed with a single up the middle.
Pedroia began the ninth with a homer to left, but Halladay completed the game by retiring Ortiz on a groundout, Youkilis on a line out and striking out Drew looking.
Halladay had seven complete games all of last season. His career high is nine, set in 2003...Friday's scheduled series opener was postponed due to rain and will be made up as a day-night doubleheader on September 13...The Sox also had their six-game home win streak snapped. Boston's last Fenway setback came at the hands of the AL West-leading Angels on July 30.
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