Red Sox Fall to Blue Jays 6-2 as Offense Stalls in Cold Fenway Conditions
Boston (Newsbino) — The Boston Red Sox saw their five-game winning streak come to an end Monday night with a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, as cold temperatures and steady rainfall at Fenway Park muted the momentum of a once-surging offense.
Boston managed just five hits and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The team, which scored 23 runs in a doubleheader Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals, left six runners stranded in a performance that manager Alex Cora called underwhelming.
“We had opportunities, but just couldn’t get the big hit,” Cora said postgame. “It was one of those nights.”
Fitts Delivers, but Gets No Help
Despite the loss, rookie right-hander Richard Fitts delivered a quality start in his second appearance of the season. The 25-year-old allowed three runs over six innings on six hits, four walks and struck out four while throwing 102 pitches.
“I felt pretty good,” Fitts said. “The wind made the ball slick, so I had to keep licking my fingers just to find a grip. But overall, I thought I executed when I needed to.”
Fitts has now posted back-to-back solid starts—both resulting in losses due to lack of run support.
Wong Injured in First Inning
Boston’s night got off to a rough start when catcher Connor Wong exited in the top of the first inning with a fractured left pinky finger after being hit by a George Springer swing on a late catcher’s interference call. Cora confirmed Wong would be placed on the injured list.
“He’s going on the IL,” Cora said. “It got him good.”
Carlos Narváez replaced Wong behind the plate.
Defensive Highlight, Blue Jays Shine
Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela delivered the defensive play of the night, making a difficult sliding catch on a deep fly ball by Bo Bichette in the first inning—a play with just a 5% catch probability, according to Statcast.
On the mound, Toronto starter José Berríos allowed just one run over seven innings. He improved to 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA across his last four starts against Boston.
George Springer led Toronto’s offense, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs. The four-time All-Star now owns a .310 career batting average with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 79 games against the Red Sox.
Series Continues Tuesday
The Red Sox will look to bounce back on Tuesday with ace Garrett Crochet set to start. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET at Fenway Park. Pre-game coverage will be available live on NESN.
