Toronto grabbed Tuesday's opener 6-1 behind a quiet Red Sox lineup, and now it's the 41-year-old Scherzer's turn to try and slam the door on a series win. First pitch is 6:45 PM ET at Fenway, with Jake Bennett (1-2, 5.28) drawing the assignment for Boston. On paper, this is a coin flip with a heavy lean to the home side at -123.
Scherzer is the whole story for Toronto. He just came off the IL on June 10, joined the 3,500-strikeout club, and then promptly got tagged by the Phillies for 5 earned in 3.1 innings. His season line is genuinely ugly — 1-4 with a 10.23 ERA, 14 strikeouts against 11 walks in 22 innings. He said he felt physically fine after the Philly start, which is the only reason he's making this one. Bennett, meanwhile, is a rookie lefty trying to stick in the rotation while Brayan Bello works things out in the minors, and his peripherals suggest the 5.28 ERA is closer to the truth than his .340 BABIP would imply.
Neither team is exactly cruising. Toronto sits at 35-38 and just dropped 2 of 3 to the Yankees at home before flying into Boston and dropping 6 on the Sox. The Red Sox are 29-41 and have lost 3 of their last 5, with the rotation in tatters — Garrett Crochet is only now starting a throwing program after a shoulder/lat issue, and Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, and Patrick Sandoval are all on the 60-day. That's why Bennett is here in the first place.
- Day-To-DayGeovanny Jesus Planchart C — no
- Day-To-DayChay Yeager RP — Yeager will undergo season-ending UCL surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- 10-Day-ILDaulton Varsho CF — Varsho (wrist) is beginning to feel better and resumed hitting in the batting cages Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger RF — The Blue Jays are hoping to send Barger (elbow) on a rehab assignment next week, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILLenyn Sosa 2B — Sosa went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and an additional RBI on Saturday against the Twins in an 11-4 victory.
- developmental listFernando Perez P
- 60-Day-ILShane Bieber SP — Toronto announced that Bieber (elbow) will make another rehab start Wednesday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYimi Garcia RP — Garcia (elbow) has yet to pitch on back-to-back days during his rehab assignment, or even twice in three days, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayMickey Gasper C — Gasper (groin) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's contest versus the Blue Jays.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — Anthony (finger) underwent a follow-up MRI on Tuesday that came back clean, but he's not yet cleared to swing a bat, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- 10-Day-ILNick Sogard 3B — Sogard (oblique) told reporters Friday that he plans to start swinging a bat Monday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- developmental listNoah Song SP — Song (elbow) was reinstated from Double-A Portland's 7-day injured list Friday and made his 2025 debut for the affiliate in relief Sunday, striking out one and issuing one walk over a scoreless inning.
- 15-Day-ILJovani Moran RP — The Red Sox placed Moran on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Friday, with left elbow inflammation, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILRomy Gonzalez 1B — Gonzalez (shoulder) is beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder/lat) began throwing a plyometric ball Tuesday as the first step of his throwing program, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Boston's lineup is also shorthanded. Roman Anthony (finger) had a clean MRI Tuesday but still isn't cleared to swing, and Trevor Story is 6-10 weeks out after sports hernia surgery. Toronto's outfield is missing Daulton Varsho and Anthony Santander, though Varsho is at least back in the cages. With both rosters playing through this much rotation and lineup churn, the matchup tilts on whichever starter can keep the ball in the park — and that's the worry with Scherzer right now.
The total is sitting at 9.5, which feels honest given that Scherzer can either strike out 8 or get pulled in the 4th, with not much in between. If he survives the lineup turnover, Toronto's bullpen has been the more reliable group lately. If he doesn't, this gets out of hand fast and the under is cooked by the 5th.