After getting out of jams in the third and fourth inning, a three-run, no-out homer in the fifth inning was too much for Rubby De La Rosa, as he exited with a deficit that the Red Sox could not recover from. Jose Bautista's blast sent De La Rosa to the showers, and the Blue Jays prevailed, 3-1, on Sunday.
The three runs were all that De La Rosa allowed, but he yielded a total of seven hits and two walks in four-plus innings. He struck out two batters in the effort.
While the flurry of baserunners contributed to De La Rosa's early exit, so may have a pitch limit. Red Sox manager John Farrell told the Boston Herald he would be watching De La Rosa's workload, saying, "we are not going to just let him go to unrestricted or 100-plus pitches." The 25-year-old threw 81 pitches in the outing.
De La Rosa's record fell to 4-6, while his ERA rose to 4.01.