Red Sox vs. Blue Jays Highlights (4-29-26) - MLB Highlights

This is an opportunity, I think, for Eric Lowry. It's been a rough go for him earlier this season with his illness and not feeling well and all that, but after using an opener, I'm sure he took that to heart, and this is an opportunity for him to make a statement. One down. Contreras has numbers against this guy, 13 at bats, he's 5-for-13 with a home run. There's a shot, filled high and deep to left, you can kiss this one goodbye, and a Red Sox strike first. Wilson Contreras with his seventh of the year. Gets a good look at Eric Lauer, likes him a lot, that went 4-0-6, and it's 1-0 Sox. Yesterday came out in the first with a little first inning double, and today, he just looked at a bat, just looked under control, and then a cutter in, he didn't even blink at it. This is part of teamwork, this is part of being a good teammate, and that communication right there, Contreras to a couple of hitters on deck, that's what it's all about. Back-to-back hits against Lauer. Here comes Sedan. And he got him, elevated fastball for out number two. That's where you would have liked the pitch to Contreras to be, right? I think that's what they had in mind. Trevor also with really good statistics against this starting pitcher. 3-2 is lifted high in the air to left, straw going back, settling underneath it, and makes the catch for the third out. Garrett Crochet on the 15-day I.L. This is just what it is, right? Precautionary, shut him down for a little bit, so you don't have to deal with it later on in the season, which makes tonight's start, by Brian Bale, that much more important. So now with one out, Jesus Sanchez up the blue jay right fielder. 3-2 again, swinging high, deep drive, racking up Abreu, and leaping up, he timed it beautifully. Sanchez, I'm pretty sure thought he had it off the bat, but Abreu winds up with it, the gold glover with the catch. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. will be safe at first base. Kazuma Okamoto, in there, caught him looking, strike three. So he gives up a hit to Vlade, nothing after that, 1-0 Sox. Jimenez in the lineup, hamstring tightness, but he and the medical staff and the training staff are working hard, monitoring it. 1-2. Foul tips into the mitt, and held by Wong for the strikeout. That is number two for Bale in the strikeout column. Reini's staring in now at catcher Brandon Valenzuela. He's got himself a base hit. That'll snap an 0-8 for Valenzuela. It's now first and second with two down. That all sets up Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., who's not only hitting .346 this year, but in 31 career at-bats against Brian Vail, is a .419 batter. Fights it off softly into right for a base hit. Valenzuela's going to be held. Now the throw goes to the backstop, but everybody's got to get back to their base. Carlos Fabless held Valenzuela, and Jesus Sanchez almost ran himself into a world of trouble between second and third. He airmails his catcher. This is Guerrero maybe playfully saying to Fabless, what are you doing, man? So three singles to load the bases, just three for 27 with the bases loaded. And two of those hits came in the same inning. 2-0 on the way. And a swing and a line drive base hit. Here comes Valenzuela. Here comes Sanchez. And it's a two-run single for Kaz Okamoto. And he continues to get big hits for the Blue Jays. A big two-out, two-run single for Okamoto. And as I said, away, away, away. It's only a second at-bat, but you get a feel for what they're doing. Four-pitch base on. Balls for Varsho. And the bases are loaded again. And how about a pretty big spot for a young guy in just his first week in the big leagues, Johendrik Penaungo. Slash to left for a base hit. But Penaungo drives in a run with a base hit of his first major league RBI, as Guerrero came in on the base hit. So a leadoff walk here to start the fourth. Two outs top of the fourth inning. Eric Lauer against Andrew Monasterio. Run it goes. Down in the dirt. Here's the throw. They won't get him in the stolen base for Abreu. So he gets into scoring position with two away. That is a run-saving play by Ernie Clement. Out at second. Two-out walk for Valenzuela. And here comes Tracy. The bail, once again, fails to go very deep at all in the game. You can see that is him clearly saying and wanting to show his manager he's not hiding it, that he does not agree with this decision for him to come out of the game. Always aggressive with his decision to go to the bullpen. Greg Weissert facing Ernie Clement. Clement hits it hard. Down the left field line and it's gone. Number one on the season for Ernie Clement. Turning around a pitch from Greg Weissert. And lining it right on out of here down the left field line. As a disgruntled Brian Bale looks on from the first base dugout. Had been switching bats. Using any bat from any guy that he could find. The answer was right in his locker the whole time. It's IK up to second. Durbin to first with one out. Red Sox trying to climb back in the game. And he'll hit it softly but it's going to drop down for a base hit. And the bases are loaded on three consecutive singles. And it looks like John Schneider is making his way onto the field. And there is the call. He is going to go to the bullpen and as you said Joe. He is not going to let Eric Lauer face Wilson Contreras again. 5-1 Blue Jays. But the Red Sox have the bases loaded with one out. And John Schneider has brought great Fischer into the game. Bind is short. That's one and that's two. Durbin got too far off the bag. Jimenez the flip to Clement. And that is a big time double play. To get the defense off the field and keep this four run lead intact. But he's three for three. And pushing a 360 batting average on the year. A board to start the bottom of the fifth. And look who's getting loose. And isn't it nice just to have Springer in the dugout right now. With batting gloves on. Getting ready to hit. Because now the opposing manager has to consider that too. Moran is indeed coming into the game. Moran is going to come on to face Varshow with one out. Varshow gets hit. And Dalton Varshow will go down to first base with Guerrero moving to second. This is during the pitching change. I guess John Schneider. Some sort of good luck charm thing that they've got going. With David Popkins and George Springer. We don't need to know what's going on. Just if it works it works. Whatever works. And everybody is now aware. Who's coming to the plate. Pinch hitting for Piniango. With runners at first and second and one out. First pitch swinging. He's got a base hit. In to score. Varshow to third. Welcome back George. That didn't take long. George Springer means the world to this team. We talked about his season last year. They've had to go to battle without him for a couple of weeks. But how about that? First pitch change up. And he just stays on it enough to get it off the end of the bat and into left field. He's at first. Varshow came around to third. Here comes Miles Straw. He's 0 for 2. Swinging away. And he lifts a high fly ball to right field. Backing up is Abreu. Varshow will tag. And come to the plate. And score. On a sack fly by Straw. To make it 7-1. Everybody chipping in here today. One out. And Marcelo Meyer. Pardon me. Is in the pinch hit. He jammed his wrist in a play at second base last night. Seven game hitting streak. Ground ball. And there's eight. I guess that wrist is okay. So now Nance will face Caleb Durbin. The number nine hitter in the Red Sox lineup. Who's 1 for 2. Bounce back to the mound. Nance has it. Boy and he had a whole thought process going on there. About which way he was going to go. And especially given the score. He made the right play and got the sure out. And John Schneider does indeed want the lefty man to play. He faces the top of the order hitter Roman Anthony. With a runner on second. In two outs. Top of the seventh inning. Got him. And there's that nasty curveball against Anthony. Again. Strikes him out for the second time in the series. So multi-hit game. For both Contreras and Abreu. And the Red Sox have something brewing here. In the eighth inning. First and second. Nobody out. And here comes John Schneider. He wants Spencer Miles. Still first and second. And now one out in the inning. Story with a double last time up. Off the plate. Ball four. Set a couple of really good at-bats today. So the bases are all loaded up. Jaron Duran looking to do some damage. Go for his last 13. I think Red Sox trying to climb back in it. Struck him out. I felt like the toe tap. He wasn't getting a lot of results. But he wasn't getting a lot of this either. Like there wasn't a lot of swing and miss at all. Long is 0 for 3. Couple Sox have not had that many good chances. And chopped on the infield. There's just one out. And failed to score. 7 to 1. Brandon Valenzuela the batter. Had a good day. 1 for 2 with a walk. He has scored two runs. This is well hit. It's going a long way. Second big league home run for Brandon Valenzuela. And let's hope that tops off a very nice afternoon for Valenzuela. Both behind the plate. And at the plate. I think that smile says it all. Toronto one out away from winning the series. Roman Anthony 1 for 4 with a base hit. Here's the ball game. And here's the series as Miles finishes it off. Big smile for Brandon Valenzuela. And why not? He homered. Clement homered. And the Blue Jays win the series. Two games to one. And have now won three consecutive series. Well a good day had by all. Springer is back with this team. And more to come.