Game Info
Date: Wednesday, September 14th, 2005
First Pitch: 7:07 pm ET
TV: NESN
Starting Pitchers:
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/players/6712.jpghttp://bellsouthpwp.net/c/h/chinigor/TALKSOX/VS.GIFhttp://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/players/4057.jpg
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/mlb/images/team_logos/50x50/tor.gif #7 Josh towers (11-10, 3.88)
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/mlb/images/team_logos/50x50/bos.gif #16 David Wels (12-7, 4.37)
Boomer tries to befuddle Blue Jays
Boston (84-60) at Toronto (72-72), 7:07 p.m. ET
Boston's struggles against Toronto this season continued on Tuesday. The Blue Jays used an early five-run inning to beat the Red Sox, 9-3, in the second game of the three-game series at the Rogers Centre.
The Red Sox fell to 4-9 against the Jays this year and saw their lead in the American League East shrink to 2 1/2 games over the Yankees.
David Wells will take the mound for Boston in the series finale. Wells, who spent eight years with Toronto, has allowed 11 runs on 16 hits in 12 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays this season. The left-hander is 3-1 in his last four starts, but he lost his last outing to the Yankees. In that start, Wells yielded five runs on nine hits across 5 2/3 innings.
Josh Towers will start for Toronto. Towers hasn't faced the Red Sox this season, but he is 3-1 in his last six starts and has turned in 10 quality starts in a row. In his last outing, the right-hander picked up a win against the Devil Rays after allowing two runs in six innings.
Pitching matchup
BOS: LHP David Wells
• 12-7, 4.37 ERA in 2005
• 0-1, 6.98 ERA vs. TOR in 2005
TOR: RHP Josh Towers
• 11-10, 3.88 ERA in 2005
• 0-1, 12.27 ERA vs. BOS in 2004
Player to watch
Trot Nixon will look to get back on track against Towers. Nixon is hitting .167 (6-for-36) in September, but he has a .533 (8-for-15) average with two doubles and two homers in his career against the Toronto right-hander.
Quotable
"We lost tonight. So we're going to have to shower, get ready for tomorrow and try to get the series. We were flat, we were dead and we didn't play a very good baseball game." -- Boston's Kevin Millar
Quick hits
David Ortiz has three home runs in his last two games and 10 dingers in his last 18 games. Ortiz has 37 home runs this season while serving as Boston's designated hitter. That equals the Major Leaguer record for a DH, set in 2000 by Seattle's Edgar Martinez. ... With a double in the fifth inning on Tuesday, Millar extended his hitting streak to 12 games. ... The Red Sox are ahead in the AL East by 2 1/2 games for the first time since Aug. 31. ... Boston has lost six of its last seven games at the Rogers Centre.
On deck
• Thursday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET