Blue Jays at Red Sox
Christian Vazquez is having a breakout season and made sure the Boston Red Sox would keep their current hot streak alive with a walk-off homer on Friday in extra innings. Vazquez and the Red Sox will try to keep rolling when they host the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday in the second of a three-game series.
Boston picked up its eighth win in nine games on Friday with a victory reminiscent of the 2018 World Series team, overcoming a 5-1 deficit and forcing extra innings before Vazquez, who came on as a pinch hitter late in the game, belted a 3-2 fastball into the bullpen in right-center. The Red Sox began a stretch with 12 of 14 games against sub-.500 teams leading up to the All-Star break on Friday and have a chance to make up some ground in the American League East, where they now sit seven games behind the division-leading New York Yankees. The Blue Jays are losers of six of their last eight games and allowed at least seven runs in five of those six setbacks. Toronto will try to keep he runs off the board by turning to the bullpen on Saturday while Boston sends left-hander Brian Johnson to the mound.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, TVA, Sportsnet (Toronto), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Sam Gaviglio (4-1, 4.47 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Brian Johnson (1-1, 10.00)
Toronto figures to turn Saturday's contest into a bullpen game, with Gaviglio the most likely to log multiple innings. Gaviglio came on in relief on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels and worked 3 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits while striking out a pair. Right-hander Derek Law could serve as an opener - a role he has filled twice this season - while righty Nick Kingham also has recent experience working multiple innings.
Johnson is making his second start in seven appearances and last worked Tuesday at Minnesota, when he allowed three hits and a run while recording one out in the 17th inning to absorb a tough loss. The Florida product last started at Baltimore on Sunday and yielded one run on five hits over three frames. Johnson went 1-1 with an 8.49 ERA in four games - two starts - against Toronto last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers (hamstring) was limited to a pinch-hitting appearance on Friday - driving in the tying run - and is day-to-day.
2. Blue Jays INF Eric Sogard is 19-for-42 over his last 10 games.
3. Boston rookie INF Michael Chavis hit safely in each of his last 10 games.