Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox
BOSTON (Interstat) — The Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox continue their three-game series at 7:10 p.m. Saturday at Fenway Park under clear skies and 79-degree temperatures.
Toronto (47-56) looks to avenge a 3-0 shutout loss Friday, when Boston pitching limited the Blue Jays to four hits. The Red Sox (52-49) won their second straight game after dropping three consecutive series to Baltimore and Tampa Bay.
Right-hander Shane Bieber (two wins in his last three starts) takes the mound for Toronto. Bieber pitched 7 innings Wednesday in a 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay, allowing three hits, one earned run and striking out three. He threw 6 scoreless innings July 18 against the Chicago White Sox, allowing three hits and striking out six in a 1-0 win. Bieber struggled in his two previous outings, however, surrendering seven earned runs in 4 innings at Seattle on July 4 and two earned runs in 5⅓ innings against Texas on June 28.
Boston counters with right-hander Brayan Bello, who allowed no earned runs over 5⅓ innings Wednesday against Baltimore, striking out five, but took a 5-1 loss. Bello won his previous start July 12 at the New York Mets, allowing one earned run over 4⅓ innings in a 3-2 victory.
The Blue Jays have won four of the last five meetings between the teams, including a three-game sweep June 16-18 at Fenway by a combined 13-4 margin. Boston won the series opener Friday.
Toronto enters Saturday having lost four of its last five games overall before Thursday’s win over the Rays. Boston split its four-game set with Baltimore, losing the finale 5-1.
Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-3 Boston victory. The Blue Jays are favored by 1.5 runs. The over/under is 7.5.
Bieber will need to replicate his recent efficiency against a Red Sox lineup that scored six runs in two of its last three games. Bello must navigate a Toronto offense that scored eight runs in its last two victories against Tampa Bay, but has been held to two runs or fewer in nine of its last 12 contests.
The series concludes Sunday before Toronto travels to Washington and Boston heads to for four-game sets.