SB Nation Boston - Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1: Daniel Bard's Terrible Outing Sinks Sox

Red Sox Vs. Blue Jays Final Score: Sox Fall To Jays 5-1 Thanks To Daniel Bard's Terrible Start

2012-06-03T20:17:12Z

The Red Sox fell to the Blue Jays 5-1 Sunday afternoon, and it's no question where this one came from: Daniel Bard.

Bard would set the tone for his incredibly short outing with the first batter of the day, falling behind 3-0 and ultimately surrendering a five-pitch walk. With the second batter nearly a carbon copy of the first, Bard had two men on with Jose Bautista coming to the plate. Once again Bard fell behind, but this time rather than give up the walk, he gave up the meatball down the middle of the plate.

Jose Bautista is pretty good with those.

The ball left the park, and the Jays were up 3-0 in a hurry. While Bard would manage to escape that inning after another walk, a double play, and a very long fly ball that nearly made it 4-0, he went right back to walking batters in the second, and somehow managed to let two more runs come in without giving up a hit--aside from the two batters he hit on the hands.

Frankly, that's really all that happened in the game. Franklin Morales, Scott Atchison, and Rich Hill did well in relief to keep the Sox alive, but Drew Hutchison wasn't about to let them back into the game. A very disappointing offensive performance saw the Sox taking ill-advised swings against the inexperienced starter, with only Kelly Shoppach providing any real offense with a home run in the fifth.

It was a game that was over after all of two innings. The rest was just paperwork.

Final - 6.3.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston Red Sox	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	6	1
Toronto Blue Jays	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	5	6	0
WP: Drew Hutchison (5 - 2) LP: Daniel Bard (5 - 6)

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Red Sox Vs. Blue Jays Live Blog: Inning By Inning Updates For Game 3

2012-06-03T17:50:34Z

The Red Sox are after a sweep Sunday afternoon, as they send Daniel Bard to the mound to take on Drew Hutchison and the Toronto Blue Jays.

We'll keep you up-to-date with all the action as it goes down in Rogers Center.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, Final -- The Sox go relatively quietly in the ninth, and the game that has been over for more-or-less eight innings is now over officially.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, End 8th -- Rich Hill gives up a couple of singles, but escapes unharmed thanks to a caught stealing.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, Mid 8th -- The Sox are down to just one inning as the heart of the lineup goes in order.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, End 7th -- Scott Atchison relieves Franklin Morales and faces just three batters with the help of a double play ball.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, Mid 7th -- Nothing doing for the Sox in what seemed like a crucial inning. The Blue Jays are very close to putting this one away.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, End 6th -- Franklin Morales is surprisingly still in the game, but manages to get out of the sixth unharmed despite a very long fly ball that seemed destined for the stands off the bat of Rajai Davis that died on the track.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, Mid 6th -- The Blue Jays perhaps respond to the earlier hit batters by catching Youkilis on the shoulder. The third baseman is understandably upset at having the pitch come in towards his head, but takes his base and moves to second on a Mike Aviles single. A long fly ball seems like it's going to mean runs for the Red Sox, but unfortunately Rajai Davis is in left field, and covers a lot of ground to make the grab over his shoulder for the out.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, End 5th -- Franklin Morales is doing yeoman's work out there today, but it seems like his time has run up. A long fly ball costs the Sox two bases when Daniel Nava makes an ugly attempt on it and lets it bounce off the wall. Credit to the left fielder, though, as he chases down the loose ball and catches David Cooper trying to make it three. The assist saves the Sox a run when Brett Lawrie singles in the next at bat before Morales finishes up the inning with a pop-up.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 1, Mid 5th -- Kelly Shoppach manages to lift a fly ball to center field which just keeps going, dropping over the wall to put the Sox on the board. Still, they're going to need a crooked number at some point if they want to make this one a game.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 0, End 4th -- This time Franklin Morales gets his 1-2-3 inning. He's doing more than his fair share tonight. Too bad he wasn't called on to do it earlier.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 0, Mid 4th -- 1-2-3 go the Sox in the fourth, though Ryan Sweeney gives one a ride to left field. These guys don't have the look of a bunch that's going to recover from the early hole.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 0, End 3rd -- Amazingly, the Sox don't have a disaster third! That's probably a lot to do with the fact that Daniel Bard didn't pitch it. Franklin Morales could have had a 1-2-3 frame, but a bad Nick Punto throw costs them an out before Morales picks up the slack again by striking out Rajai Davis.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 0, Mid 3rd -- The Sox get their customary baserunner in the form of Kelly Shoppach, who takes a pitch to the elbow to start off the inning, but again can do nothing more.

Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 0, End 2nd -- It's hard to say what's worse: Daniel Bard's complete lack of control, or Bobby Valentine's negligence in leaving him in there as long as he did. Starting the inning off with two more walks, Bard would pick up a pair of strikeouts--one a complete gift from Rajai Davis, who apparently hadn't been watching the rest of the game and chased three straight balls--but immediately fell apart again, and in dangerous fashion. A ball inside to Yunel Escobar caught him on the wrist and then bounced into his face, a walk to Jose Bautista scored a run, and then another pitch inside to Edwin Encarnacion sounded like it broke some fingers. Franklin Morales would have to come in to clean up the mess.

For most of the inning, Bobby didn't even have someone warming in the pen, despite a 3-0 game still being very winnable and there being an off-day to rest the pen. After a couple weeks of decent decisions, Bobby went back to his April state of going completely catatonic, and possibly costing the Sox a chance at this game in the process.

Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 0, Mid 2nd -- The Sox get another hit, as Mike Aviles singles with two outs, but they strand their baserunner again as Nick Punto hits an easy ground ball to second for the out.

Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 0, End 1st -- Daniel Bard is off to one of the most pathetic starts you will ever see. Two straight 5-pitch walks set up Jose Bautista, who takes a couple of bad swings at bad pitches, but manages to foul them off, keeping him in the at bat until he gets a meatball over the plate and kills it for a three-run shot. Another walk makes it four straight to reach base to start the game, but Bard finally gets a reprieve when David Cooper grounds into a double play. Even the final out is scary, however, with Brett Lawrie just barely missing a home run.

Red Sox 0, Blue Jays 0, Mid 1st -- The Sox get their first hit of the game, as Adrian Gonzalez lines a double to the wall in right field after falling behind 0-2 to Drew Hutchison. With two outs already recorded in the inning, however, David Ortiz can only hit a shallow fly ball to center field, ending the frame without damage.

Red Sox Vs. Blue Jays Lineups: Scott Podsednik Leads Off, Adrian Gonzalez Plays First

2012-06-03T14:43:24Z

The Red Sox will be after a sweep Sunday afternoon as they take on the Toronto Blue Jays in Rogers Center. First pitch is at 1:07 p.m. EST with broadcasts on NESN and the MLB Network.

The Sox will continue the lineup shuffle that has become so commonplace for the team since the return of Kevin Youkilis from the disabled list, with Will Middlebrooks the odd man out today. Adrian Gonzalez will be back at first, with Youkilis returning to his old home at third.

Boston Red Sox (28-25)

Scott Podsednik, CF
Daniel Nava, LF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Mike Aviles, SS
Nick Punto, 2B
Kelly Shoppach, C

Toronto Blue Jays (27-26)

Kelly Johnson, 2B
Yunel Escobar, SS
Jose Bautista, RF
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
David Cooper, 1B
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
J.P. Arencibia, C
Rajai Davis, LF

Next Game

Boston Red Sox
@ Toronto Blue Jays

Sunday, Jun 3, 2012, 1:07 PM EDT
Rogers Centre

Daniel Bard vs Drew Hutchison

Partly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing from left to right field at 10-20 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 60.

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For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Dustin Pedroia Injury Update: Red Sox Second Baseman Could Return Tuesday

2012-06-03T13:16:40Z

Six days ago, Boston Red Sox fans were holding their breath as it seemed Dustin Pedroia was again headed to the disable list, this time with a torn muscle in his right thumb. However, after a few days out of the lineup and a few solid batting practice sessions it looks like the Red Sox second basebmen is ready to make his return.

Barring a change of heart by the team, he’ll get today off and then return to the starting lineup on Tuesday.

“I’m ready to go,” Pedroia said. “They’re making me wait until after (tomorrow’s) off day. That’s the plan, but if an emergency happens, I’ll be ready.”

Initially, there was speculation that Pedroia's injured finger would keep him out for a month, but that's obviously not the case now.

“I hit today on the field and I felt normal,” he said. “Once I come back on Tuesday, there’s not going to be a problem. I’ll be out there every day.”

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Red Sox Extras: An Unusual Day For Nick Punto

2012-06-03T11:00:26Z

In Saturday's 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, Nick Punto provided three hits, including a double and a home run.

It was, to say the least, atypical of his performances-to-date.

How atypical? So much so that it boosted his OPS by a full third, from .417 up to .557. His slugging contributed the biggest difference, shooting up by more than 100 points.

That his power should rise so dramatically can be no surprise. Before Saturday, after all, Punto had just the one extra base hit--a double coming all the way back on April 8 against the Tigers. Not only did he replicate his double, but he added a homer, tripling the figure from one to three.

There's no question that Punto has been a wreck for the Sox thus far this year. His failures at the plate have not been mitigated by impressive play at the field, and it had been getting to the point that he was not only failing to reach base, but aiding struggling opposing pitchers out of bad siuations be it with a double play ball or by swinging away when the pitcher was clearly struggling to find the zone.

But should we now be expecting this to start the turnaround? Simply put, no. Punto has done this before on some level. He did it in Detroit when he last had a two-bagger, going 3-for-6 with his double against Detroit as he made a rare appearance in the leadoff spot. He would get one more hint in the month of May.

It''s possible Punto is feeling it now. The hits were hardly the bloopers that they were the last time he was effective. But for now, let's keep him batting ninth if at all, shall we Bobby V?

Ross Ohlendorf Opts Out Of Deal With Red Sox, Becomes Free Agent

2012-06-02T21:30:58Z

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Ross Ohlendorf has opted out of his deal with the Boston Red Sox, becoming a free agent.

Ross Ohlendorf has opted out of his deal with the Red Sox, MLBTR has learned. He is now a free agent.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@mlbtrben) June 2, 2012

The 29-year-old pitcher started 10 games for the Red Sox Triple A affiliate in 2012. He pitched a total of 52.2 innings and sported an underwhelming ERA of 4.61; he struck out 37 batters, while walking 15.

Ohlendorf has been around a while. He's spent time in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system, the New York Yankees farm system, the Pirates farm system, and most recently, the Red Sox farm system. He has 392.2 career innings at the major league level, with a career ERA of 4.77 and 14 wins.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Red Sox Vs. Blue Jays Final Score: Nick Punto Lifts Red Sox To 7-4 Win Over Toronto

2012-06-02T20:41:57Z

The Red Sox took a 7-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday afternoon thanks to contributions from an unlikely source in Nick Punto.

To say Nick Punto has had a bad start to 2012 would be an understatement. Hitting .132/.266/.151 in his first 53 at bats, Punto was perhaps making Sox fans wonder if the DH wasn't better used on him than on their pitcher. Finally, however, he came through with some hits.

HIs first came in what would be a big second inning for the Red Sox. Jarrod Saltalamacchia had already scored on a Will Middlebrooks hit after walking with one out and moving to third on a Ryan Sweeney single with two outs. Punto would keep the inning going by hugging the line in right with a line drive double, bringing Sweeney in to score and then coming home himself on a Daniel Nava single (which should have been an error on Colby Rasmus, who overran the line drive) that capped off a four-run frame.

The Jays would consistently manage to stay in the game. Jeff Mathis made it 4-1 when he took an outside fastball not even in the strike zone and managed to put a jolt into it, knocking a solo shot to right field. After the Sox scored a fifth in the top of the fourth, a fielding gaffe from Felix Doubront, a bunt, and a blooper were good to equal it in the bottom half of the inning.

That was just sort of the night Felix Doubront was having. He fooled Mathis into swinging at an outside pitch, and was rewarded with a homer. He almost makes a great defensive play, and it costs him a run (the ground ball he stopped was headed straight for Aviles). He paints a corner against Jose Bautista, and there's nothing in it for him but another homer. Still, Doubront would manage 6.1 innings of three-run ball (two earned), striking out seven and walking one. Even when things really aren't going his way, he's been able to keep the runs to a minimum.

The Sox would extend their lead back to three runs in the eighth on a ground out with the bases loaded, but again had the Jays respond in the bottom half of the inning, as Ryan Sweeney threw a ball all of about 10 feet in front of him in right to allow a runner to score from second. Ultimately, though, it would be Nick Punto who would have the last say, launching a very long shot to right field to make it 7-4 before Alfredo Aceves closed the game out with ease.

Final - 6.2.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston Red Sox	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	7	8	2
Toronto Blue Jays	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	4	9	2
WP: Felix Doubront (6 - 2) SV: Alfredo Aceves (14) LP: Kyle Drabek (4 - 6)

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For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

2012 MLB Mock Draft: Red Sox Select Stryker Trahan And Tanner Rahier

2012-06-02T18:33:47Z

The first round of the 2012 MLB Draft is scheduled for Monday, June 4, at 6 PM EST, televised on the MLB Network. The Boston Red Sox own two picks in this year's first round – the 24th and 31st.

ESPN's Keith Law recently published the third edition of his first round mock. Here's who he has going to the Red Sox:

#24

Stryker Trahan, C, Acadiana H.S. (Lafayette, La.)
Trahan didn't have a great spring, but his tools are promising. I'm still hearing the Red Sox linked to Texas A&M outfielder Tyler Naquin; I could see anything but a prep arm here.

#31

Tanner Rahier, SS, Palm Desert (Calif.) H.S.
It's unlikely he'll stay at short, but he has a polished bat for a high school kid. I still think we won't see a high school arm for Boston until the sandwich round unless there's a signability guy who falls. (This selection is compensation from the Phillies for Jonathan Papelbon.)

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.