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Red Sox 10, Blue Jays 1: Boston strikes back with one-sided home run derby

Clay Buchholz was exceptional against the Blue Jays. But with the way Boston hit the ball Wednesday night in Toronto, he didn't need to be.

By Ben Buchanan
Tom Szczerbowski

After a disappointing loss in the first game of their series in Toronto, the Red Sox struck back with a 10-1 demolishing of the Blue Jays' pitching staff, one of their most dominant wins of the year.

For Mark Buehrle, the omens were there from the beginning. He would get out of the first inning having allowed just a swinging bunt of a hit, but already the Red Sox had taken him to the warning track a couple of times. That he would be taken deep in the next inning was not surprising, but the man that did it was. Getting a mistake pitch over the center of the plate, Stephen Drew let rip and collected the first homer for a Red Sox middle infielder in 2013, a two-run shot into the second deck in right field.

Buehrle would get through the third without much trouble, but once again found himself victimized by the long ball in the fourth. This time the Red Sox did not wait around, with Mike Napoli leading off the inning with a massive shot to dead center. Three pitches later and a hanging breaking ball made it easy for Daniel Nava to find the seats in left, giving the Red Sox their fourth run of the night.

From there, the Toronto southpaw would somehow manage to scuff his way through six innings, surviving some tight situations along the way, but nonetheless keeping his team alive. Clay Buchholz, however, wasn't about to actually let them into the game. The strikeouts were once again flowing, and if his fastball showed a bit of wildness at times, it only cost him a few walks. Given that the rest of his pitches were nigh-unhittable filth, it wasn't a problem. Buchholz would allow just two singles in seven innings of work, striking out eight batters along the way.

Buchholz likely could have gone into the eighth, but by then, his services were no longer needed. Mark Buehrle would finally leave the game after surrendering a two-out walk to Jonny Gomes in the seventh inning, and that's when the game got completely away from the Jays. Esmil Rogers entered the game and allowed a ground ball single to Dustin Pedroia before letting Gomes score from third on a wild pitch. Now with first base open, the Jays decided to offer up an intentional walk to David Ortiz, and sure enough, Mike Napoli made them pay. Swinging on 3-0, Napoli found not the first, not the second, but the third level in left-center field for a three-run shot.

The Sox would score another pair of runs as the game dragged on, and the Jays finally got on the board against Alex Wilson. But by that point it was all just extra curricular. Clayton Mortensen finished off the game, and the Red Sox left the park with a blowout win.

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