Postgame Report: TOR (-105) Winner

Addison Barger and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both hit solo homers for the Blue Jays in the first inning to put Toronto up 2-0.  He missed with a 1-1 slider to the lefty Barger.  Vlad hit the first pitch he saw over the centerfield wall.  

Boston rallied back in the bottom of the third with three hits and a pair of earned runs off Eric Lauer.  The game was tied at two a piece heading into the fourth.  

Buehler got the first two batters he faced in the fourth but the Jays put five runners on base and scored a pair of the righty before the inning was over. Two earned runs, two hits and three walks in total charged to Buehler who got some help from his defense.  Boston's catcher Carlos Narvaez picked off Tyler Heineman.  Bad base running from Heineman in that spot.  The bases were loaded, two outs in the inning.  It was a big play.

The Blue Jays bullpen has been good this season and made the base running blunder inconsequential.  Boston threatened in the fifth.  Yariel Rodriguez relieved Lauer with runners on first and third.  A pop out and a ground out to short stranded both runners, 5-3 Blue Jays after five.

Rodriguez worked the sixth and managed to escape unscaved.  It was Brendon Little, Nick Sandlin and Jeff Hoffman in the seventh, eighth and ninth.  They combined for three scoreless.  Hoffman struck out the side in the ninth to record his 18th save of the season.

Credit Lauer with his fifth win.  Buehler picks up the loss, his sixth of the year.  Buehler lost this game for the Red Sox and hasn't pitched well since joining the club this off season on a 1yr / 21M dollar deal.  

Buehler's fastball was hitting 95, still off a couple miles per hour from his '19 and '20 campaigns.  He is getting good movement on his pitches but he hasn't been effective without his velocity.  It's taken some of his confidence away.  He has been hittable and he is pitching around players because because of it.  Without his strikeout stuff, he hasn't been able to weather the walks.  

He might be better off in the bullpen and could be a good depth option for a team at the trade deadline but its a hefty price tag for a half season of Buehler pitching as poorly as he has in the first half.  

The Red Sox slide continues, they are three games under .500 with the loss.  The Blue Jays move to 45-38, three back of the first place Yankees in the AL West.