Game Preview: Sox @ Jays 12:30P

Tavarez (0-1, 9.00) vs. Halladay (2-0, 2.35)

In the rubber game of this eventful-yet-low-scoring series Boston will trot out the worst member of its starting staff, Julian Gascan Tavarez, while Toronto rolls out one of the 5 best pitchers in the American League over the last 5 years, Roy Doc Halladay.

Tavarez was thrust into the 5th starter's role after Jonathan Papelbon had a change of heart about the closer's role and moved back to the 'pen just before the start of the season. Well, what's good for the bully is bad for the rotation as the always-wild Tavarez was ineffective in his first-and only-start this season; he gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks, lasting only 4 innings in an 8-4 loss to the Rangers on April 7th.

The one good note regarding Julie getting the start is that he had one of his best outings, well ever, here last September, when he threw a complete game 7-hitter in defeating Toronto 7-1.
So he's got that going for him.

Meanwhile 2003 Cy Young winner Halladay is coming off a monster performance against Detroit: a 10-inning, complete game 2-1 win. Although the ace only fanned 2 and scattered 6 hits, he had all of his pitches working and only threw 107 of them in 10 innings- incredible.

The sporadic and erratic Boston batters will have their work cut out for them today, especially since you gotta believe they'll have to score 5-6 runs to offset Tavarez' potential wildness. In Boston's 8 wins the Sox are averaging 7.1 runs/game; in its 5 losses it manages a measly 1.2 runs/contest. Yikes.

After the game the Sox will head back home to prepare for the first series this season with the Evil Empire.

Hopefully they will be able to head into that pressure cooker with a 2nd-consecutive series win
under their belts.