BOSTON -- When the Red Sox acquired Craig Kimbrel in a November trade with the Padres it was with the idea of creating their own ‘three-headed monster’ in the bullpen. Kimbrel would anchor the back end as the closer with former closer Koji Uehara moving into the setup role and Junichi Tazawa taking over the seventh inning.
But the Blue Jays (7-7) were the monster slayers on Monday at Fenway Park, jumping on Uehara and Kimbrel for four runs in the eighth inning on the way to a 4-3 win over the Red Sox (6-6).
It was a traditional but unorthodox 11:05 a.m. start for the game on Patriots’ Day, a local holiday that celebrates history while the Boston Marathon finishes just a few blocks from Fenway.
Clay Buchholz kept the Blue Jays scoreless through 6 2/3 innings, preserving a tenuous 1-0 lead, before Tazawa came in for the final out of the seventh.
Uehara started the eighth. But the Blue Jays batted around in the inning, battering Uehara and Kimbrel for a total of four runs on two hits and three walks. Toronto forced the pair to throw 48 pitches in the inning, just 25 for strikes. All the runs were charged to Uehara, while Kimbrel allowed all three inherited runners to score.
Kevin Pillar started the inning with a single, followed by a walk to Justin Smoak before Michael Saunders’ RBI groundout tied the game. Josh Donaldson was hit by a pitch and Jose Bautista walked to the load the bases, ending Uehara’s day.
Kimbrel entered and struck out the always dangers Edwin Encarnacion on three pitches, swinging at a 99-mph fastball to end the at-bat. Troy Tulowitzki walked, forcing in Darwin Barney, pinch-running for Smoak, with the go-ahead run. Russell Martin then ripped a two-run single on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, giving the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead.
“We missed the strike zone a little bit in that eighth inning,” said manager John Farrell. “I’d say that’s maybe an understatement.”
Martin, who entered the game hitting just .108, was just 1 for his previous 16 at-bats against right-handed pitchers. That one hit came in his previous at-bat, a single off Buchholz in the seventh.
“It’s definitely not a situation I’m accustomed to,” Kimbrel said of entering in the eighth. “I’m asked to come in and get two outs and leave it where it was. I was able to get the first one to give us a chance. Got ahead on Tulowitzki and walked him. That really wasn’t what we had written up.
“Guys came out, battled and made the game really close. Sometimes you kick yourself a little more.”
Kimbrel has been one of baseball’s most dominant closers since making his big league debut in 2010. He had 39 saves last season for the Padres and led the National League in saves from 2011-2014 while with the Braves, with a total of 185 in that span. His 50 saves in 2013 led the majors.
Entering the game he had posted four saves in six appearances. Of the 18 outs he had recorded 12 were by strikeouts. On Saturday he struck out Toronto’s Jose Bautista, Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki to preserve the win.
Kimbrel is pitching in the American League for the first time in his career. He has had several experiences this season he’d like to take off his resume’.
In the Fenway Park opener on April 11, he entered in the ninth with the score tied and gave up two walks before a two-out, three-run home run to Chris Davis on the way to a Red Sox loss. It was the first time in Kimbrel’s career he had ever given up a home run with multiple runners on base.
The walk to Tulowitzki on Monday was the first Kimbrel has allowed in 31 bases-loaded situations in his career.
“Obviously he’s one of the best closers in the game,” Tulowitzki said. “His fastball just tends to ride up on guys. So trying to get on top of it. I just did a good job today of laying off the pitch that was up and put together a good at-bat and did whatever I could to try to help us win.”
Uehara, who turned 41 on April 3, was making his eighth appearance of the season in Boston’s 12th game. In his previous appearances, spanning seven scoreless innings, he had allowed just two hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He entered the game with a 13 2/3-inning scoreless streak going back to last season.
“Nothing bothering him physically,” Farrell said. “Uncharacteristic loss of command that we’ve been so accustomed to seeing Koji have on the mound. They were able to bunch some base runners.”
“It’s probably just early morning,” Uehara said. “It’s just my body was not awake. I’ll do my best tomorrow.”
The Blue Jays have also struggled to find consistency this season. The win allowed them to escape Fenway with a split of the four-game series.
“It was a good team inning for us because everybody contributed,” Tulowitzki said. “Overall, just a great win and a great team win.”
