Hi everyone. Another work week draws to a close, and the Jays travel to the Bay State to take on their division rival Red Sox.
As rough a season as the Jays have had, Boston's hasn't been a picnic either (although they are a game ahead of our lads), and things have only escalated following the blockbuster trade that sent a number of its highest profile players to Los Angeles.
Henderson Alvarez pithes for Toronto. Hendu's season has really tailed off recently, but that's not unheard of for a young pitcher. It's a very long season and there are adjustments he needs to make that are easier to make over an offseason than in between starts. That said, Alvarez's strikeout rates continue to be a concern, and August was also an awful month for him in terms of walks as well as hitting his spots down in the zone. The 22-year old is still very much a work in progress.
Felix Doubront pitches for Boston. Doubront is 2 1/2 years older than Alvarez, but is also in his first season of starting full-time. Doubront's August has also tailed off, spoiling what was looking like a fairly promising, if uneven, rookie year. He hasn't made it past 5 innings in a start since July and his ERA has climbed at the same time. All that said, the young lefty has very fine strikeout and walk numbers, so he perhaps has more of a foundation to build on than you'd think at first blush.
The Jays roster has recently expanded, and so we'll see some familiar but not-recently-seen faces tonight.
Today's title from "Twilight in Boston" by the great Jonathan Richman. The season has entered its twilight phase and I can't remember feeling more relieved about a season coming to an end before.
rules: Don't do that illegal stream thing; don't post images until the game is over, and don't be terrible.