Toronto Blue Jays look to bury Red Sox in AL East race

Jun 28, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval (48) celebrates with designated hitter David Ortiz (34) after hitting a solo home during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Across the Diamond: Boston Red Sox

Now sitting at 34-43 and occupying the basement of the AL East, the Red Sox haven’t been able to find any level of balance. The rotation’s horrendous start torpedoed any efforts from the lineup, but now that the rotation is beginning to level off somewhat, the batting order is running into problems.

Dustin Pedroia has been placed on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury and Hanley Ramirez is headed for an MRI on his hand, which could keep him out for some or all of the Toronto series. Shane Victorino won’t complete his rehab assignment by the end of the series either, so John Farrell has been forced to patch together a lineup that gives little support to the big bat of David Ortiz.

Big Papi has struggled to a .233 average early on, but three home runs in the past week may be signalling a subtle turnaround for the slugger. Mookie Betts has been the star of the show offensively, impacting games with the bat and on the bases, while Brock Holt and Xander Bogaerts have played well respectively. When he’s not lurking on Instagram, Pablo Sandoval has underwhelmed with just six home runs and 24 RBI entering play on Sunday.

Next: Game 1: Dickey kicks off the series

Jun 22, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) points in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: Monday, June 29th   –   7:07 ET

R.A. Dickey vs. Clay Buchholz

The Blue Jays will turn to R.A. Dickey in game one of the series, and his curious road through 2015 is desperately in need of some stability. We’ve learned over the past month that there is a such thing as too much movement on the knuckleball. Dickey has tallied eight walks over his past two starts (14.1 IP), but how fine is the line between the current version of his pitch and the one that will finally click?

Dickey is nearing the point in the season where he’s due to find a groove. In 2014, Dickey posted a 3.07 ERA and 1.024 WHIP across six July starts. His August was not as forgiving, but he continued the surge with a 2.48 ERA in six starts from September 1st on. No time like the present, right?

Clay Buchholz will counter for the Red Sox, which may not be as intriguing at it sounded in May. The righty has put together consecutive strong outings of 7.0 IP to lower his season ERA to 3.68.

In his most recent start against the Blue Jays on June 13th, Buchholz lasted 6.0 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits while striking out seven and walking just one. His last meeting with the Jays before then, May 10th, was the last time that Buchholz walked more than two batters.

Next: Game 2: Near-No-No Estrada back at it

Jun 24, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Marco Estrada (25) is congratulated in the dugout at the end of the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2: Tuesday, June 30th   –   7:07 ET

Marco Estrada vs. Eduardo Rodriguez

Estrada has knocked on the door of a no-hitter in each of his last two starts and it’s becoming blatantly clear that he’s established himself as a legitimate starter for Toronto. His changeup is working wonders as a primary pitch, allowing him to surprise hitters with a fastball that wouldn’t typically have a great impact by itself.

This start will be a great test for Estrada. Coming off two fantastic outings that featured two heavy pitch counts, all eyes are on him as the league asks “Is Estrada for real?”. Just three starts ago he struggled against the Red Sox, allowing five earned runs over 5.0 innings while walking three, so he’ll be looking for redemption. Estrada is 4-0 in his last five starts.

Rookie Eduardo Rodriguez will take the mound for Boston, and his early results have been all over the place. In six Major League starts, the lefty has allowed 6+ earned runs twice, but one or less in his other four outings.

The Blue Jays batters will be glad to see Rodriguez come back around as their meeting on June 14th was the worst showing of his young career. Rodriguez allowed nine earned runs over 4.2 IP and looked entirely overmatched by a lineup heavy with right-handed bats.

Next: Game 3: Canada Day matinee!

Jun 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Mark Buehrle (56) throws against the Texas Rangers in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3: Wednesday, July 1st   –   1:07 ET

Mark Buehrle vs. Rick Porcello

The Blue Jays send their All-American Hero to the mound for Canada Day as Mark Buehrle looks for his ninth win on the season. Dating back to Buehrle’s complete game shutout against the Washington Nationals to kick off the month, he’s posted an incredible 1.75 ERA to go along with a 0.972 WHIP.

This run has dropped Buehrle’s ERA to 3.81, and signals him leaving a moderate dip in performance that dates back to mid-season 2014. He’ll never pile up strikeout numbers or wow on the radar gun, but Buehrle is the ideal pitcher to have with an offense like Toronto’s. If Buehrle holds the opponent to three runs or less, which he’ll do more times than not, the Jays are in the driver’s seat.

Rick Porcello is scheduled to pitch for Boston on Wednesday, but his stat line to this point hasn’t been worthy of a spot in the rotation. Porcello owns one of the highest ERA’s among eligible MLB starters at 5.54 and has allowed less than three earned runs just once over the past month. Walks haven’t particularly been a problem for the righty, but missing bats has been a huge struggle.

Next: Finale: Matt Boyd, part two!

Jun 27, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays stayrting pitcher Matt Boyd (46) is relieved by Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (5) during the seventh inning in a game against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre. The Texas Rangers won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Game 4: Thursday, July 2nd   –   7:07 ET

Matt Boyd vs. Wade Miley

Rookie left-hander Matt Boyd will get his second start of the season to close out this series, and he’s earned it. The home run ball ate him up in his first start, allowing four earned runs on nine hits over 6.2 IP, but Boyd displayed a feel for pitching that should allow him to develop into a reliable, albeit somewhat unspectacular, starting option in Toronto.

Boyd recorded seven strikeouts with zero walks and showed the ability to pump his fastball into the 94 MPH range when needed (after sitting at 89 – 92 MPH). His off speed pitches haven’t drawn rave reviews from scouts, but he was confident throwing them in all counts and did find success at times with the curveball. It will be interesting to see what difference Russell Martin will make behind the plate, assuming he gets the nod this time around.

Wade Miley will battle the rookie for Boston, and he, like the Red Sox rotation as a whole, is slowly starting to return to average levels. Miley has posted three straight quality starts, striking out eight in his last outing, but remains a somewhat volatile asset on the mound. Miley took the loss against Toronto on May 8th, allowing four runs in six innings.

Next: Injury update: Aaron Sanchez on the mend