Red Sox at Blue Jays
Scratched from his scheduled start earlier in the week after experiencing numbness in his throwing hand for the second time this season, Boston Red Sox left-hander David Price was relieved to be diagnosed with a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome. Price will return to the mound Saturday when the Red Sox resume a three-game series at the Toronto Blue Jays.
Price, who has more wins against Toronto than any other opponent, said he will stop playing the video game "Fortnite" in the team clubhouse even though he dismissed that as a reason for causing the carpal tunnel. He will have a tough act to follow after fellow left-hander Chris Sale struck out 15 over nine innings in a 12-inning, 5-3 loss in the series opener. Blue Jays catcher Luke Maile delivered a walk-off two-run homer to cap a four-RBI night in which he also had a run-scoring single and a tying solo shot against Sale. Maile's heroics enabled Toronto to keep a pair of perfect streaks alive -- the Blue Jays improved to 17-0 when scoring at least five runs and 5-0 in extra innings.
TV: 4:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), Sportsnet (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH David Price (2-4, 5.11 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (2-2, 5.21)
Price lost his third consecutive start at Texas on May 3 when he was shelled for nine runs (seven earned) and six hits over 3 2/3 innings. While he has allowed 19 runs during the three-game slide, Price has dominated the Blue Jays over his career with a 17-3 record and 2.40 ERA in 26 appearances (25 starts). He pitched well against the Blue Jays in his first season with Boston, going 1-1 with a 2.49 ERA in four starts in 2016.
Following a string of shaky starts, Estrada turned in his best performance of the season last time out at Tampa Bay, settling for a no-decision despite tossing six scoreless innings. He failed to pitch beyond five innings in his previous four turns, giving up 18 runs and 28 hits over 19 innings. Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts are both 3-for-26 against Estrada, who was 0-1 with a 4.12 ERA in four starts versus Boston in 2017.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox DH/LF J.D. Martinez has hit safely in 12 straight games.
2. Blue Jays DH Kendrys Morales went 1-for-5 in the opener, ending an 0-for-28 slide.
3. Boston is the only team in the majors without a pinch hit (0-for-15).