Pedroia's extra inning ground-rule double helps Red Sox avoid sweep against Jays | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Pedroia's extra inning ground-rule double helps Red Sox avoid sweep against Jays

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (15) celebrates with teammates Travis Shaw (47) and Koji Uehara (19) after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays during 11th inning AL baseball action in Toronto on Sunday, May 29, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Original Publication Date May 29, 2016 - 2:40 PM

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays were staying positive following a 5-3 extra innings loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

Dustin Pedroia's 11th inning ground-rule double helped Boston (30-20) avoid a series sweep and snap a three-game losing skid.

Toronto (26-26) had won four straight and five of six prior to the loss.

"You keep winning series throughout the year, you're going to end up where you want to be," said Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey. "I don't think anybody in here is discouraged. We had a great win last night. Today we had a chance at another great win, just couldn't push one across when we had to.

"We're on the right path. We still haven't hit our stride, I don't think, in the least."

Pedroia scored Blake Swihart from third for the go-ahead run with runners on the corner. Xander Bogaerts followed it up with a ground out to second that scored Mookie Betts.

Clay Buchholz (3-5), who was making his first relief appearance since Aug. 17, 2008, which also came against the Blue Jays, pitched a scoreless inning for the win. Koji Uehara picked up his first save of the season.

"They (Buchholz and Uehara) did a heck of a job," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "On the heels of two really tough days up here I thought we battled back, took the lead, gave it up and kept coming. I couldn't be more proud with the energy and effort that guys find at some point during the game."

Gavin Floyd (2-4) surrendered two earned runs in a third of an inning for the loss.

Toronto erased a 3-2 deficit on Edwin Encarnacion's 11th home run of the season in the eighth inning. The designated hitter took Heath Hembree's 1-0 pitch to the second deck in left field tying the game 3-3.

Jose Bautista got the Blue Jays on the board in the fifth when he hit a two-run home run off David Price that smacked the top of the foul pole in left field. It was Bautista's sixth career home run off Price — the most Price has allowed to any opposing hitter.

Price, who made his first start in Toronto since signing with the Red Sox in the off-season, went 6 1/3 innings allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out three and walking three.

Dickey tossed 5 1/3 innings of no-hit ball before the Red Sox bats got to him in the sixth.

With the Red Sox trailing 2-0, Betts got Boston's first hit of the afternoon with a one-out triple to right. Pedroia followed it up with a single, scoring the Red Sox right fielder.

Bogaerts then extended his hit streak to 22 games with a single to left. After Travis Shaw walked to load the bases, Dickey hit Hanley Ramirez scoring Pedroia from third to tie the game 2-2.

Chad Girodo took over from Dickey and walked Jackie Bradley Jr., which scored Pedroia — the go-ahead run. Jesse Chavez relieved Girodo and retired both Josh Rutledge and Christian Vazquez to limit the damage.

Dickey allowed three earned runs over 5 1/3 innings while walking four and striking out one.

"He did great," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of his starter. "He had that no-hitter going into the sixth inning. Got the first strikeout, Betts gets it going with the triple and then the walk and hit batter, then we walked in another run so that's never good. He threw the ball great."

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016
The Canadian Press

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