Henderson Alvarez helps Toronto Blue Jays beat Boston Red Sox 7-5 – MLB Update
Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 7-5 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday, September 7 in the opening game of their three match series.
Starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez produced a match winning performance, giving up just two runs on four hits in six plus solid innings to grab his eighth win of the season. Alvarez is a very talented pitcher but he has not been able to live up to the expectations
this year. Surely, he will be looking to bring some consistency in his performances to cement his place on Blue Jays’ roster.
"He was powerful," Toronto manager John Farrell said. "He threw a lot of strikes. He kept the ball on the ground."
Relief pitcher Brandon Lyon allowed two runs in one inning of relief to help his side completed a deserving victory. Edwin Encarnacion, who was signed on by the Blue Jays after the All Star Break, showed just what he is capable of as he hit a sacrifice fly
to centre in the first inning to put his side on the board.
"When you look at what his production has been in a 1-2 count, he's hitting almost .350 on the year with a high number of homers," Farrell said of Encarnacion. "He doesn't overswing the bat in those counts."
He later smacked a home-run to left and double Blue Jays’ lead 2-0. Moises Sierra and Yunel Escobar made valuable contributions in the fourth and the fifth to give Toronto a commanding 5-0 lead. Colby Rasmus connected for a two run shot in the ninth to deny
Boston any chance of coming back into the contest.
"Colby, boy, when he's right, that's as good a swing as you're going to see," Farrell said.
The match was played on a very competitive note as both teams showed great fighting skills. Credit should be given to the Blue Jays who held their nerves under pressure to prevail. Although John Farrell and his men are out of American League East Division
pennant race, they can certainly make themselves proud by ending the season on a positive note.
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