Blue Jays vs Red Sox (4/23-4/24)

Game 1: Tim Wakefield's run of brilliant starts had to come to an end. Wakefield allowed 4 earned runs to the Blue Jays on Monday night and the Red Sox offense went dead as the Blue Jays took the game by the score of 7-3.

The Red Sox took a 2-1 lead when Dustin Pedroia recorded his first 2 RBI of the season with a double off of the monster but the Red Sox were unable to hold the lead. With the loss, the Red Sox fall to 12-6 but remain in 1st place in the AL East.

Game 2: Julian Tavarez had a rough outing on Tuesday night against the Blue Jays. The Red Sox defense wasn't too great either. The team made 4 errors in its sloppiest performance of the season. Tavarez was unable to keep the Red Sox in the game, which is always the goal when facing a great pitcher like Roy Halladay.

The poor performance of Tavarez might prompt the Red Sox to make a change with their #5 starter. Devern Hansack, possibly one of the best options at this point, turned in a subpar performance in AAA his last time out. Jon Lester will pitch for Pawtucket in Rochester on Wednesday night, but the Red Sox do not want to rush him back to the majors. Lester, as everybody will remember, is recovering from chemotherapy treatments.

Despite the loss, the Red Sox remain in 1st place in the AL East and remain 4 games ahead of the Yankees (who lost again on Tuesday night to Tampa Bay). The Yankees have lost 5 straight games and are currently in last place in the AL East. Don't expect that to last.

Notes: Coco Crisp sat again on Tuesday night to rest his strained left oblique. Francona believes that Crisp is fully capable of playing but stated that the Red Sox do not want to take any chances with Crisp's health. Pena got the start in center and looked sloppy at the plate and in the field.

On Deck: The Red Sox will begin a 2-game series with the Orioles on Wednesday night. Curt Schilling will take on Daniel Cabrera in the opener. The Orioles are currently in 2nd place in the AL East.