Boston to visit Toronto Thursday
Boston Red Sox (26-23, third in the AL East) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (20-29, fourth in the AL East)
Toronto; Thursday, 12 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Blue Jays are 4-7 against the rest of their division. Toronto’s team on-base percentage of .286 is last in the American League. Justin Smoak leads the club with an OBP of .376.
The Red Sox are 10-9 against the rest of their division. Boston has a team on-base percentage of .336, good for second in the American League. Mookie Betts leads the team with a mark of .393. The Red Sox won the last meeting 6-5. Heath Hembree recorded his first victory and Betts went 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI for Boston. Jimmy Cordero registered his first loss for Toronto.
TOP PERFORMERS: Rowdy Tellez leads the Blue Jays with nine home runs and has 25 RBIs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 13-for-36 with a double, five home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games for Toronto.
Mitch Moreland leads the Red Sox with 13 home runs and has 34 RBIs. J.D. Martinez is 8-for-26 with a double, four home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Boston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jays: 4-6, .223 batting average, 4.30 ERA, outscored by one run
Red Sox: 6-4, .278 batting average, 4.13 ERA, outscored opponents by 12 runs
Blue Jays Injuries: Ryan Tepera: 10-day IL (right elbow impingement), Matt Shoemaker: 60-day IL (knee), Clayton Richard: 10-day IL (knee), David Phelps: 60-day IL (elbow), Ken Giles: day-to-day (right wrist soreness), Clay Buchholz: 10-day IL (shoulder), Ryan Borucki: 60-day IL (elbow), Dalton Pompey: 60-day IL (concussion), Devon Travis: 60-day IL (knee).
Red Sox Injuries: Brian Johnson: 10-day IL (elbow), Nathan Eovaldi: 10-day IL (elbow), Dustin Pedroia: 10-day IL (knee), Tzu-Wei Lin: 10-day IL (knee), Brock Holt: 10-day IL (eye), J.D. Martinez: day-to-day (illness/sore back).
