Weekend Update: Jays Sweep Sox

Friday

Red Sox 3
Blue Jays 6

Saturday

Red Sox 2
Blue Jays 10

Sunday

Red Sox 4
Blue Jays 7

It was a weekend I'd rather not recap, but here are the low-lights...

Tim Wakefield went toe-to-toe with Shaun Marcum for 5 innings on Friday, but the Red Sox bullpen faltered while the Sox offense stayed quiet - excpet for a 3-run homer from JD Drew.

BL Hero of the Game - Shaun Marcum: 7.0 IP, 8 SO, 3 H, 3 ER

It was worse on Saturday... Clay Buchholz, with his spot in the roatation in jeopardy, struck out 7 over 5 innings of work and looked pretty good considering his lack luster Spring. A Sean Casey error would lead to a 3-run inning for the Jays in the 4th, but Buchholz closed out the inning against Stairs and Rios and pitched a 1-2-3 5th while facing Wells, Thomas and Overbay before leaving the game.

Overall it was a solid first start for the youngster.

"I felt this whole spring that all the runners I’ve got on base, I let them score,” Buchholz said. “I felt like the damage control today was a lot better.

“I hadn’t thrown a lot of sliders during the spring and that was a key pitch for me today,” Buchholz added. “It’s a key first-strike pitch that I threw a lot today.”

Red Sox manager Terry Francona liked what he saw from the second-year right-hander.

“Some of those changeups he threw, and a couple of breaking balls, they were as good as you’re going to see,” Francona said.

The Red Sox would not score again and a 4-2 lead for the Jays would grow to 10-2 as the bullpen imploded - one reliever after another. Perhaps, knowing that one of them would be cut after the game, Kyle Snyder and Bryan Corey gave up six runs on 4 hits while recording just 2 outs. Julian Tavarez would finally end the inning and close out the game allowing just 1 hit over 2.1 innings.

Kyle Snyder would be dropped after the game to make room for Josh Beckett. He didn't help his cause on Saturday, but he seemed the likely candidate from the get go, since they already have a proven mop-up guy in Jules... Mike Timlin will come off the DL soon, so Corey or Aardsma could be next.

BL Hero of the Game - David Eckstein: 2-5, 3 RBI, R

And on Sunday... well they lost again, but if you think that the Japan trip is to blame for the sweep...

"I’m tired of hearing that (expletive),” Dustin Pedroia said. “Yeah, we had to go to Japan and yeah, we had a 19-day road trip, but that’s the schedule, we have to accept it, no excuses. We played like (expletive) for three games and got our (butt) kicked,how’s that?”

He's right.

Josh Beckett looked sharp through 4, but a Vernon Wells home run might have been a sign that he was tiring. Jason Varitek would tie it up with a solo shot in the 5th, but Beckett just didn't have it in the 5th. After getting the first 2 outs, Beckett gave up a single to Hill and walked Rios and Wells to load the bases.

"Early in the game, he was throwing the ball knee-high with good velocity, nice and free and easy, and staying in his delivery,” Francona said. “In the fifth, I thought his legs were starting to go.”

Tito called on Manny Delcarmen to get the third out, who happened to be Frank Thomas. Thomas, who had an RBI double off of MDC the night before, was expecting the fastball of the first pitch and he took it deep to center for the Grand Slam.

A fitting end to a crappy weekend.

BL Hero of the Game - Frank Thomas: 1-4, GS, 4 RBI

Here are few other notes, some good, some bad...

JD Drew is 6 for 16 with 2 homers and 4 RBI during a 4-game hitting streak... Jason Varitek is 6 for 15 with 2 homers and 3 RBI over the last 4 games... David Ortiz is 3 for 26 (.115) after 8 games... After driving in 120 in '07, Mike Lowell is 6 for 28 (.214) - all singles - in 2008... The middle relievers were dreadful in Toronto: Bryan Corey: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, HR, SO -- Manny Delcarmen: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, HR, 2 SO -- David Aardsma: 1.O IP, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2 R -- Javier Lopez: 1 batter, 1 hit, 1 ER.

Bottom Line: The Red Sox are now dead last in the AL East at 3-4... and the Baltimore Orioles are in first at 4-1...