Boston Red Sox hurler Felix Doubront gets some work in from the bullpen at Target Field April 23
Tonight: RHP Felix Doubront (8-3, 4.30) vs. RHP Henderson Alvarez (3-6, 4.31) at 7:10 p.m.
FanGraphs.com says Doubront throws fastballs, cutters, changeups and curveballs. His fastball averages 92 miles per hour, his cutter is around 87 MPH, his changeup is about 85 and he drops hooks around 76. He beat the Jays in Toronto back on June 2 and is 2-0 lifetime against the Blue Jays. Doubront is 5-1 with a 3.19 earned run average on the road but at Fenway, his ERA jumps to 5.59 with a 3-2 mark. Kelly Johnson is 3-for-7 lifetime versus Doubront while Jose Bautista is 2-for-9 with two home runs. Jeff Mathis is 2-for-3 with a HR while Brett Lawrie and Edwin Encarnacion are each 2-for-6. Rajai Davis is 0-for-5.
Tuesday: RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-2, 6.00) vs. LHP Aaron Laffey (0-0, 3.00) at 7:10 p.m.
Dice-K's vast repertoire of pitches includes a fastball around 91 MPH, a cutter averaging 89, a slider and changeup hovering around 80 with the odd splitter around 86. He's 7-1 lifetime against the Jays, including a perfect 4-0 at Fenway. Omar Vizquel owns Matsuzaka to the tune of 2-for-3 for a .667 average. Yunel Escobar is 2-for-10, Bautista is 2-for-16 and Adam Lind is 3-for-20.
Wednesday : LHP Jon Lester (4-5, 4.48) versus LHP Ricky Romero (8-1, 4.34) at 1:35 p.m.
This is a rematch of the April 11 matinee in which Romero outdueled Lester at the Dome. Lester throws the gas at 92 and combines that with a cutter around 90. His changeup clocks in around 86 and his curve is about 76. He's 10-5 lifetime versus Toronto with a 3.08 ERA. Vizquel mashes Lester at a .500 clip in his two career at-bats. Escobar is 6-for-19 and Jeff Mathis is 2-for-7. On the flip side, Bautista is 8-for-42, Johnson is 0-for-8 and Brett Lawrie is 0-for-5.
Notes: The Jays are 3-3 against Boston this season with all six games played in Toronto...Brent Lillibridge will wear #23 for the Red Sox after coming to Boston in a trade for Kevin Youkilis. Righty Zach Stewart, the former Jay, is to report to AAA Pawtucket.
The Jays won't be facing Kevin Youkilis, batting here against the Twins earlier this season, but he's still in the American League as the color of his Sox changes from Red to White.