BOSTON — Missed chances came back to haunt the Red Sox, as they fell 4-1 to the Blue Jays, in Game 1 of a seven-inning doubleheader Wednesday.
The Sox got on the board first when J.D. Martinez hit an RBI groundout to bring in Kiké Hernandez to make it 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
The Jays would answer right back in the second though, as with two outs and Bo Bichette on third, Randal Grichuk smoked a ball right off Garrett Richards. He wasn’t able to corral it in time as it would be scored as an infield RBI single for Grichuk. In the bottom half of the second, Boston would load the bases with nobody out. But Michael Chavis and Hernandez recorded a pair of strikeouts before Rafael Devers flew out to retire the side.
Grichuk added two more with a two-run blast in the fourth off Richards to make it 3-1. Richards came out for the fifth, but he would give up a leadoff homer to George Springer which made it 4-1 and would be taken out after 4+ innings of work.
The 33-year-old right-hander ended his day hurling 67 pitches, 44 strikes, 34 four-seam fastballs, 16 sliders, nine curveballs, and eight changeups. He allowed eight hits while only striking out two batters through his 4+ innings of work.
Boston would blow another opportunity in the fifth, as a double from Devers and a single from Martinez put runners on second and third. But Hunter Renfroe would strike out which was followed up by an inning-ending flyout from Christian Vazquez.
Yacksel Rios (fifth and sixth) and Brandon Workman (seventh) would throw a combined scoreless three innings out of the bullpen, but the Red Sox would go down 1-2-3 in the seventh to end the ballgame.
(Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)