Blue Jays 9 Red Sox 7: Edwin Encarnacion Homers Twice

Red Sox 7 Blue Jays 9

Sorry, this was to be up earlier, but my wife asked friends to go for a drink and I ended up out for a couple of hours, but it was nice and the other couple bought. Anyway.....

It was a game that we needed to win and we did. We need someone to put to the team on his back and carry them and Edwin Encarnacion is trying to be that guy. In the 5th inning he hit a massive shot, into the 5th level at Rogers, becoming just the 14th player to hit a ball into the 5th level. That 2-run shot put us up 6 to 3. Then in the 7th he hit another 2-run homer to put us back in the lead. He now has 9 home runs this season.

The Jays tried to give the game to the Red Sox. We were up 4-0 after 3 innings, then Brandon Morrow gave up 2 solo home runs in the 4th and gave up another run in the 5th, making it a 4-3 game. Brandon had the velocity tonight but he didn't have the location. He went 5 innings, gave up 6 hits, 3 earned, 3 walks, with 7 strikeouts, 5 in a row over the 1st and 2nd inning.

Brandon was helped by an amazing play by Brett Lawrie, starting a double play. Will Middlebrooks hit a grounder, hard, to Brett's right, Brett dived and I'm not sure how he got a glove on it, but he did and then threw to Emilio Bonifacio from his knees. Emilio did a nice job turning the double play. If you didn't see the play, find the highlight. That might have been the most amazing double play I have ever seen.

Aaron Loup came into the game to start the 6th, with, after Edwin's first 2-run homer, a 6-3 lead. He gave up a solo home in the 5th, got a strikeout to start the 7th, then gave up a single. Munenori Kawasaki, just into the game as a defensive replacement made a throwing error to give us runners on the corners. That's Kawasaki's 2nd error of the season.

Steve Delabar came took over for Loup, and gave up a walk, to load the bases and then a double to clear them. Suddenly we were down 7-6. And, we all thought, here we go again.

We are so lucky to have Edwin on the team. He put us back in front, to stay, in the bottom of the inning. We got an insurance run in the 8th, off a J.P. Arencibia single, Maicer Izturiz sac bunt and a Colby Rasmus RBI double.

Darren Oliver pitched a scoreless 8th, with just a walk, to get his 4th hold. Casey Janssen has a clean 9th to get his 7th save.

Jays of the Day: Edwin (.570 WPA, 2 home runs, 4 RBI), Jose Bautista (.150, 1 for 2, double, 2 walks), Rajai Davis (.120, 1 for 3 with a walk, his first of the season, a stolen base and he drew a wild pickoff throw from the Red Sox catcher Jarrod Sattalamacchia, that allowed Brett Lawrie to score from 3rd and Rajai to score from first), and Oliver (.120). I'm also giving one to Lawrie for that defensive play.

Suckage: Delabar (-.348 WPA) and Loup (-.112).

David Ortiz hit a home run and a double, picking up 4 RBI. Mike Carp and Jonny Gomes had solo homers. Starter Jon Lester was less than sharp, he gave up 6 runs, 5 earned in 6 innings. Junichi Tazawa gave up Edwin's second homer and took the loss.

Tomorrow Mark Buehrle (1-1, 6.35) tries to get us a win streak going. I hope he noticed that the page is turning on the calender. Last year he was 1-4, in April but 4-0 in May. We could use the 4-0. Clay Buchholz (5-0, 1.19) starts for the Red Sox.

We had another good game thread, 1,154 comments from 63 commenters. MjwW led the way with 86 comment, great work.