The Toronto Blue Jays look to get back in the win column as they send their ace to the hill against the Boston Red Sox following another frustrating defeat.
Right-hander Dylan Cease (6-5, 2.67 ERA) will try to get Toronto back in the win column Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park (coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+).
Toronto appeared poised to erase an early four-run deficit Friday before Boston pulled away for a 6-4 victory, handing the Blue Jays their fifth loss in six games and dropping them to 10 games under .500.
Kazuma Okamoto continued his impressive rookie campaign with a three-run homer in the seventh inning to spark Toronto's comeback. His 23rd home run of the season also moved him past Shohei Ohtani for the most home runs by a Japanese-born rookie in MLB history.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, their top relievers were not available to pitch late in the game, which forced manager John Schneider to turn to rookie CJ Van Eyk with the game tied 4-4. Van Eyk allowed four of the five hitters he faced to reach base, and two wound up scoring.
“I know it's tough,” Schneider told reporters after the game. “This is probably the hardest (ballpark) to come in in the eighth or ninth inning when you're a young pitcher.”
Cease didn't play up to his lofty standards in his last outing, allowing five runs (three earned) over six innings in Monday's 7-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite striking out seven batters, the All-Star Game starter surrendered two home runs for the first time since May.
The 30-year-old owns a 2-2 record with a 5.31 ERA in eight career starts against Boston but has enjoyed a fair amount of success at Fenway Park, posting a 1.25 ERA in four appearances there. Earlier this season, he held the Red Sox in check, throwing five scoreless innings in a 6-1 victory back on June 16.
Boston, meanwhile, will counter with one of the American League's hottest pitchers in Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA).
Gray has not lost since April 14 and has recorded nine straight quality starts. In his last outing against the Rays on Sunday, he allowed one run over six innings.
The 36-year-old owns a 4-4 record with a 2.99 ERA in 16 career appearances (15 starts) against Toronto. In his last outing against the Blue Jays, Gray allowed one run over seven innings, but Boston eventually lost 4-3.
Toronto will have its hands full with the Red Sox's lineup after Anthony Seigler collected his first career four-hit game in the series opener. Ceddanne Rafaela homered, and Romy Gonzalez delivered the go-ahead RBI double in the eighth inning.
Friday's four-run outing is just the second time the Blue Jays offence has scored four or more in a game since the team returned from the All-Star break. Toronto has just 13 runs over its last seven games.
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