TORONTODaniel Bard struggled with what looked like a complete lackof control, posting the worst outing for a Red Sox starting pitcherthis season, and the Sox dropped the series finale, 5-1, to the Blue Jays.
Bard lasted just 1 23 innings, facing 13 batters in all, giving up five runs on just one hit withsix walks two hit batters, a home run, and two strikeouts. Bards ERA rose from4.56 to 5.24.
Bard opened the game with walks to Kelly Johnson and YunelEscobar before Jose Bautistas blast into the left field seats. Bautista hadbeen 0-for-9 in his career against Bard before that.
Bard followed that with a four-pitch walk to EdwinEncarnacion before getting David Cooper to ground into a double play and BrettLawrie to fly out to Scott Podsednik in center.
Bards performance deteriorated in the second inning. Heopened with another four-pitch walk to Colby Rasmus and a walk to J.P.Arencibia before striking out No. 9 hitter Rajai Davis and Johnson.
Bard then hit Yunel Escobar with a pitch to load the basesbefore a walk to Bautista forced in a run. Encarnacion then became Bardssecond hit batter of the afternoon, forcing in another run -- with the RogersCentre crowd chanting for his ejection -- and forcing Bard from the game as theRogers Centre crowd booed him off the field.
Franklin Morales replaced Bard, holding the Blue Jays scorelessfor 4 13 innings, his longest outing as a reliever and longest since going 413 as a starter for the Rockies on April 28, 2008. Scott Atchison and Rich Hill pitched thefinal two scoreless innings.
Boston Red Sox
Meanwhile, Sox batters could do little with Blue Jays rookieDrew Hutchison, who went seven innings, giving up one run on five hits and awalk with five strikeouts, a home run and two hit batters.
The Sox scored their lone run on Kelly Shoppachs third homerun of the season, a solo shot with two outs in the fifth of Hutchison.