David Price helps carry Red Sox past Blue Jays

BOSTON – This was the scenario the Red Sox had in mind when they acquired David Price and Craig Kimbrel in the offseason.

The last time the two matched up, on Monday in Fenway’s opener, Price gave up five runs in five innings and Kimbrel gave up a three-run home run in the ninth inning of a tie game on the way to a loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

This time Price handcuffed the Toronto Blue Jays and Kimbrel took a two-run lead, preserving a 4-2 win. Boston improved to 6-4 while Toronto fell to 5-7.

Kimbrel struck out the side – Jose Bautista looking at 97-mph fastball, Edwin Encarnacionswinging at a curveball and Troy Tulowitzki looking at a 98-mph heater.

“I don’t know if there’s a guy in the league that can do it against those three guys,” said Red Sox manager John Farrell. He’s a unique animal.”

Xander Bogaerts’ three-run home run off Marco Estrada in Boston’s four-run third inning provided all the offense the Red Sox needed.

Facing his former team -- the team he helped into the playoffs last season -- for the first time, Price went seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts. In his final inning, he struck out the side – Chris Colabello and Russell Martin swinging at changeups and Darwin Barney looking at a fastball.

“We stake him to a lead after the four-run third inning and he went out and kept the game under control,” Farrell said. “Just an outstanding job to get us through seven innings.

“Really good fastball, really good cutter, outstanding changeup that he was able to get a high number of swing and miss today. Really good to see him work his full assortment of pitches and he was real strong today.

“It’s almost like he gave you the feeling that there was a closer mentality in that final inning of work. He finished the game today with a strong exclamation point to a solid outing for him.”

In his third outing, it was the deepest he’s gone in a game, after going six and five innings, respectively, in his first two starts, allowing a total of seven runs.

“I hadn’t thrown the ball the way that I know that I can the first two starts,” Price said. “To throw the baseball the way I did today against the Blue Jays, which is an extremely good hitting team feels good.”

Price went 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts after Toronto acquired him in a trade with the Tigers at the deadline last season. The Blue Jays got him as much for what he would do for them as for what he would not be doing against them. With Saturday’s win he is 17-2, leading all active starters (minimum 10 starts) with a winning percentage of .895 against the Blue Jays. It is also his best winning percentage against any team. His 2.42 ERA against Toronto is second among pitchers. He has thrown a quality start against them in each of his 13 career home outings.

“Part of the game,” Bautista said of facing his former teammate. “We would have loved to keep him but it’s a business. He’s got a new home and he’s one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game and he pitched accordingly.”

The Blue Jays got a run in the first off Price when Josh Donaldson tripled and scored on a double by Bautista, who was thrown out trying to stretch a triple. They added another in the fourth when Bautista singled and scored on Encarnacion’s double. But that was all they could muster against their former ace.

“We’ve been struggling offensively and then you run into Price today,” said Toronto manager John Gibbons. “We barreled some balls early and then he settled in and does what he does best. Seven strong innings. So yeah he’s not the guy you necessarily measure things against because he’s just so good.”

But the Blue Jays thought Price might have had some help in this game, with some believing home plate umpire Angel Hernandez’ strike zone was generous for the lefty.

“He was able to make good pitches, not make too many mistakes over the middle of the plate,” said catcher Russel Martin, who knows Price as well as anyone in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse. "It looked like Angel was kind of expanding the zone a little bit for him and then he just kept going out there. And he had a catcher (Christian Vazquez) that was receiving that the ball pretty good back there. If you feel like the plate's bigger than usual, you have to swing the bat and I feel like it was one of those cases today.”

Martin went 1 for 3 with a strikeout against Price.

“It’s tough when you feel like the guy’s being given a little bit inside and a little bit away. It makes for a lot of plate to cover. I feel like Price is a guy that doesn’t really need any extra help back there.”

Bautista went 2 for 3 with a strikeout against Price.

“He took advantage of the elements that were part of the game today,” Bautista said.

The elements?

“I would include everything,” he said. “The shadow and everything else.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/04/16/price-bogaerts-carry-red-sox-past-blue-jays-4-2/83137462/