After being shut out 3-0 on Wednesday, the Red Sox will try to keep the series alive in a 1:35 p.m. matinee against the Blue Jays. Sonny Gray starts for Boston against Trey Yesavage, with both lineups penciled into a right-hander matchup in the finale.
The Red Sox walk into the finale with the kind of frustration that lingers after a shutout. On Wednesday, they were kept off the scoreboard in a 3-0 loss—then left the same problem behind them again on the first two games of the series.
They left 13 runners on base in each of the first two games, while going 1 for 24 with runners in scoring position. Interim manager Chad Tracy summed up the tension plainly: “We took some walks, we got some baserunners,” he said. “Some of the opportunities that we created were the result of taking walks and getting a guy out there. We need to drive a ball with two outs, one out and find a gap. Usually you get one swing and it turns things, but just a struggle right now.”.
That struggle is what will be tested again in Sunday’s matinee. The Red Sox and Blue Jays square off for Game 72 at 1:35 p.m., with NESN carrying the game and WEEI-FM 93.7 airing it.
Sonny Gray will get the start for Boston in a right-hander matchup. Toronto will counter with Trey Yesavage.
The Blue Jays are lined up with Springer as the designated hitter, Guerrero Jr. at first base, Sánchez in right field, Piñango in left field, Clement at second base, Lukes in center field, Okamoto at third base, Valenzuela behind the plate, and Giménez at shortstop.
The Red Sox bring Gasper as the designated hitter, Rafaela in center field, Abreu in right field, Contreras at first base, Duran in left field, Kiner-Falefa at shortstop, Durbin at third base, Wong behind the plate, and Monasterio at second base.
Tracy’s message points to the exact place Boston has been stuck: not creating chances, but turning them into runs when the game gives them runners.
The pitching matchup adds another layer to the day. Gray enters with an 8-1 record and a 3.03 ERA, while Yesavage is 3-3 with a 3.78 ERA.
Boston’s recent rhythm against Toronto also stands out. Gray is 4-4 with a 2.91 ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts) against the Blue Jays. In his last eight starts, he is 6-0 with a 2.36 ERA. He has won each of his past three outings. including last Friday’s 10-1 win over the Rangers in which he allowed one run in six innings.
Yesavage has already seen the Red Sox this season. He faced them once, going 5⅓ innings in a 3-0 win on April 28.
The lineups carry their own reminders of the stakes of a single inning. Against Gray, Andrés Giménez is 5-for-20, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 0-for-5, George Springer is 5-for-21, Myles Straw is 6-for-12, and Jesús Sánchez is 1-for-8. Alejandro Kirk is listed at 0-for-0. and Myles Straw’s and Giménez’s numbers are part of what Toronto will lean on if Boston’s run-prevention holds.
Against Yesavage, Wilyer Abreu is 0-for-2, Willson Contreras is 1-for-3, Jarren Duran is 0-for-3, Caleb Durbin is 0-for-2, Marcelo Mayer is 1-for-2, Carlos Narváez is 0-for-2, and Masataka Yoshida is 1-for-2.
The broader picture shows how urgent this day can feel for Boston. The Red Sox have a .695 OPS (25th in the majors), a .314 on-base percentage (21st), and a .381 slugging percentage (26th).
They’ll need more than baserunners to make that number move, especially because of what they did in Wednesday’s shutout loss. They stranded at least one runner in each of the first eight innings.
After this game, the Red Sox head west for a six-game road trip at Seattle and Colorado, beginning Friday against the Mariners.
But for now, the focus is squarely on the finale—and on whether they can convert what they’ve been building. One matinee. One chance to stop the sweep from becoming the series story.
Red Sox Blue Jays Game 72 Sonny Gray Trey Yesavage NESN WEEI-FM 93.7 Chad Tracy shutout sweep