R.A. Dickey, Blue Jays look to pad AL East lead

The Boston Red Sox continue to give New York Yankees fans reasons to dislike their team. The Toronto Blue Jays, who are battling the Yankees for the top spot in the American League East, will try to take advantage of the Red Sox to pad their lead again on Saturday.

While Yankees were busy losing to their crosstown rival Mets, the Blue Jays continued their winning ways, defeating the Red Sox 6-1 in Friday's series opener to extend their AL East lead to 4½ games.  

The Blue Jays, who have now won three straight and six of eight, have a magic number of 12 to clinch the division and lock up a postseason spot for the first time since 1993. Their recent surge has also brought them 1 game back of the Kansas City Royals — who lost in walk-off fashion to the Detroit Tigers on Friday — for the best record in the AL. 

Boston took two of three from Toronto at home earlier this month during a brief surge but has dropped three of its last four to solidify the bottom spot in the East. The Red Sox, who did the Yankees no favours by holding Dustin Pedroia (rest) and Pablo Sandoval (fever) out of the lineup on Friday, will send Wade Miley to the mound against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on Saturday.

Pitching Matchup

Red Sox LH Wade Miley (11-10, 4.41 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH R.A. Dickey (10-11, 4.08)

Miley has put together back-to-back strong efforts, going 1-0 while allowing a total of five runs in 16 innings against Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. The Louisiana native did not walk a batter in either of those outings and has walked a total of two in his last five turns. Miley matched a career high with seven walks at Toronto on July 2 but was bailed out by his offence and earned a win while allowing four runs in five frames.

Dickey suffered his first loss since before the All-Star break on Sunday, when he surrendered five runs in 7 2/3 innings at New York. The 40-year-old yielded a total of two runs in 15 innings over his previous two turns, striking out 10 and walking one. The second of those came at Boston on Sep. 8, when Dickey allowed a solo home run to Travis Shaw among four hits over six innings but did not factor in the decision.

Walk-offs

• Red Sox OF Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitless in the last five games and 1-for-30 with 17 strikeouts in his last nine contests.
• Toronto has won 26 straight games when scoring five or more runs.
• Boston RHP Joe Kelly (shoulder) had an MRI show no structural damage.