Blue Jays Beat Papelbon, Red Sox
Through eight innings it appeared the Red Sox would keep rolling with a sweep of the Blue Jays. That train came to an abrupt halt in the ninth inning. Toronto put together a four-run rally for a walk-off 6-5 win. Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon wore the brunt of the damage, picking up his sixth blown save, matching a career-high.
Home runs by Jed Lowrie and David Ortiz helped the Sox to a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth. John Lackey had held the Jays at bay, but gave up a Jose Bautista homer to lead off the ninth. Enter Papelbon who had looked relatively dominant in back-to-back saves just a few days earlier. This time though he couldn't manage to locate as everything was over the plate and consequently crushed by Toronto's hitters.
After surrendering two runs on four hits, Papelbon intentionally walked pinch hitter Lyle Overbay to load the bases. Daniel Bard came on and gave up a sacrifice fly to Fred Lewis, allowing Aaron Hill to score the winning run. The rough outing catapulted Papelbon's ERA to over 3.00, the worst in his career.
The closer faced the music afterwards, admitting that he didn't feel as he should for the outing. He'll have to snap back into the right frame of mind soon as the team heads to Texas for a tough series with the AL West-leading Rangers.
Pats Squeeze Saints in Preseason Action
The Patriots returned to the field for their first action of 2010 with a preseason game against the Saints. New England jumped out to a quick first half lead, but gave it right back. They ended up needing a late Stephen Gostkowski field goal to preserve a 27-24 win over New Orleans.
Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriot starters played most of the first quarter. The franchise quarterback finished 5-of-8 for 67 yards and, most importantly, was not hit. Laurence Maroney ran for two touchdowns and Benjarvus Green-Ellis another in the victory. Rookie Brandon Spikes made a great first impact with a team high eight tackles.
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