Ace Against Ace
Jon Lester has had an outstanding season against the AL East, but that may not be good enough to help put the Boston Red Sox into the division’s top spot. The wild card, however, is theirs for the taking.
With a chance to secure a playoff berth, the Red Sox send Lester to the mound to match up with Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay as the teams play the middle game of their series Saturday.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Toronto -130 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 63% of bets for this game have been placed on Toronto -130 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Jon Lester (15-5, 3.15 ERA) has gone 9-1 with a 2.18 ERA in 14 starts against the AL East this season. The only pitcher with more wins against that division is Roy Halladay (18-11, 2.77), who is 10-6 with a 2.97 ERA in 16 starts.
Despite Lester’s success, the Red Sox (90-63) may have a tough time earning a second straight AL East title. Boston is 1 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay, which has won three of four.
The Red Sox, however, can wrap up at least the wild card with a win Saturday combined with losses by Minnesota and the New York Yankees. Boston has a 7 1/2-game lead over the Twins in that race.
"We’re in a good spot," Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen said. "Hopefully it just keeps going."
And if Boston can beat Toronto (82-72) for the fourth straight time, the Blue Jays would be eliminated from playoff contention. The Red Sox won the series opener 4-3 on Friday night.
Facing Lester, Toronto will have a tough time trying to avoid elimination. The left-hander has posted a 0.87 ERA en route to winning his last three starts, and is coming off a strong effort versus the Blue Jays.
Lester gave up one run and four hits while striking out six in eight innings as Boston beat Toronto 4-3 on Sunday. He has not lost since the Blue Jays scored seven off him on Aug. 23.
Lester is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in four career starts against Toronto.
Halladay, meanwhile, was on the losing end of a matchup with Lester on Sunday, allowing three runs – two earned – and six hits in seven innings. He is 2-2 with a 2.20 ERA in four starts versus the Red Sox this season, and 11-12 with a 4.46 ERA in 33 starts and three relief appearances against them all-time.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is batting .138 (4-for-29) against Halladay. Third baseman Mike Lowell, who has also struggled against Halladay (.233), is expected to miss this series due to a sore hip.
Lowell, batting .275 with 17 homers and 73 RBIs in 112 games, needs four or five more days of rest, according to Boston manager Terry Francona.
The Red Sox, however, got left fielder Jason Bay back Friday after he missed the previous two games to be with his wife as she gave birth to a daughter. Bay went 1-for-4, and is batting .385 (5-for-13) in his last four contests.
Did you like this article? Subscribe to our Baseball news feed for the fastest updates delivered right to you – Click here to Subscribe
