Good Weekend North of the Border

I'll take the positives from the weekend the Red Sox had into Toronto.

They took two of three from the Blue Jays. They played a near-perfect game on Friday, as the hitting, pitching and defense came together. The Sox scored early and often in a comfortable 8-1 win, probably their easiest win of 2014 so far. Jake Peavy pitched seven solid innings.

Saturday started out looking like another disaster in the making. Clay Buchholz got off to a miserable start, allowing three runs in the first, while walking two. But he settled in after that difficult start, and Jays starter Brandon Morrow simply couldn't find the plate, walking 8 in 2 2/3 innings (and didn't allow a hit), and was done for the day. The Sox hit into two DPs to get him off the hook early, but A.J. Pierzynski made Toronto pay with a grand slam and Will Middlebrooks hit one out following that to get the Sox on their way.

The pen was shaky on Saturday, especially Koji Uehara, who allowed a run on three hits in the ninth, but he held on to a 7-6. As spectacular as Koji has been, he's gets a pass on this one.

Sunday was a great pitcher's duel between Jon Lester and R.A. Dickey, with the score 2-1 Toronto heading into the seventh. The Jays scored two off Lester in the 7th, ending his day, and they tacked on three more in the 8th for a 7-1 win.

The loss kept the Sox from winning their third straight, something they have not done yet this season. But they took the series, and head back to Fenway for series with Tampa Bay and Oakland. They stand at 12-14, in fourth place, three and half behind New York.