Blue Jays can’t back up Jose Bautista, fall again to Red Sox

Jose Bautista‘s two home runs were not enough as the Toronto Blue Jays fell 8-4 to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon at the Rogers Centre.

The loss is the Blue Jays (2-4) fourth straight, as Boston (3-1) was able to stack up timely hits on R.A. Dickey through the middle innings.

Dickey came out of the gate very strong, needing just 21 pitches to work through his first two innings. He quickly hit a wall, though, and his outing exemplified that it really is possible for a knuckleball to have “too much” movement at times.

Along with Dickey’s throwing error on a pick-off attempt to second base, Josh Thole was officially charged with two passed balls and had several others bounce away from him. Dickey left the game after 5.0 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and two walks, striking out nine.

Bautista’s two home runs and four RBI were his first of the season, giving him 37 for his career against the Red Sox. His day in the field wasn’t as strong, though.

A costly error by Bautista allowed two more Boston runs to score in the fifth, with a line-drive single off the bat of Hanley Ramirez bouncing over his head.

Red Sox starter Rick Porcello lasted six innings, and outside of Bautista, fared quite well. He left with seven hits allowed, four earned runs, and seven strikeouts as the Blue Jays continue to fan at an unexpected rate.

Koji Uehara pitched a clean inning for Boston in relief then handed off to left-hander Robbie Ross who took it the rest of the way.

Arnold Leon was first on in relief for the Blue Jays to pitch the sixth inning with his 25-man roster spot on the line, but looked somewhat shaky for the second consecutive outing. He would allow one run in 2.0 innings on a Dustin Pedroia double, walking one and striking out two.

Joe Biagini, his main competition for the final roster spot, took over for the eighth inning and worked around walk and single. Roberto Osuna rounded out the night with a clean ninth.

Pedroia led the way for Boston, going 3-for-5 with two RBI. Pablo Sandoval was the only Red Sox starter not to record a hit on Saturday

Marco Estrada is expected to be activated off the disabled list to make his first start of the season against Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright.