TORONTO — The Red Sox demoted Eduardo Rodriguez to the minors in late June, tired of watching the lefthander waste his considerable talent. Everybody knew he was better than the way he had pitched.
Rodriguez returned after the All-Star break and has a 2.76 earned run average in 10 starts since with opponents hitting .197.
So why can’t he win any games?
“It’s getting frustrating. But all I can do is keep pitching,’’ Rodriguez said after he and the Sox were beaten, 3-2, by the Toronto Blue Jays before a crowd of 47,829 at Rogers Centre.
Rodriguez allowed three runs, two earned, over six innings. But the Sox managed only four hits against J.A. Happ and two relief pitchers.
The Sox have scored 24 runs the last 10 times Rodriguez has pitched. That’s the same amount in Rick Porcello’s last two starts. The team is 3-7 in his last 10 starts.
“Not much you can do,’’ Rodriguez said. “Maybe it’ll be different in the playoffs. I have to be positive.’’
The Sox had a three-game win streak snapped. They are a game up on Toronto in the American League East with one game left in the series. The road trip ends Sunday afternoon with Clay Buchholz facing Aaron Sanchez.
The Blue Jays were a desperate team, having lost four straight and six of seven. An embarrassing 13-3 loss against the Sox on Friday night led to a lengthy players-only meeting on Saturday morning.
Happ (18-4) made the timing work. He held the Sox to two runs over six innings. The lefthander has faced the Sox twice this season and allowed three runs on eight hits in 13 innings.
“He’s tough,’’ said Dustin Pedroia, who homered in the sixth inning. “His fastball gets on you, he locates real well. He’s got late movement on his offspeed stuff. This wasn’t our day.’’
Toronto came out with energy, scoring three runs in the first three innings against Rodriguez.
Melvin Upton Jr., one of the goats on Friday night, had a two-run homer in the second inning. He connected on a fastball and drove it to left field with Russell Martin on first after a walk.
“I made a pitch to Upton that was supposed to be up and away and it was in the middle,’’ Rodriguez said. “It was the pitch that maybe lost the game.’’
In the third, Josh Donaldson reached on a fielder’s choice and went to third when third baseman Aaron Hill couldn’t handle a potential double-play grounder off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion. Jose Bautista followed with an RBI single.
“Hard-hit ball. But typically that’s one he has sucked up and made a play on routinely,’’ Sox manager John Farrell said. “Handcuffed him. Ends up being a pivotal moment.’’
Rodriguez shut down the Jays from there but fell to 2-7. His ERA has dropped from 8.59 to 4.70.
Toronto was 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position against Rodriguez. He also retired the last nine batters he faced. It was the kind of pitching that would serve the Sox well if they make the playoffs.
“He attacked the strike zone well today. These last two starts I thought he’s been extremely powerful,’’ Farrell said. “With his back against the wall in the middle innings he was able to get a key strikeout.
“He more than did his job against that lineup to give us an opportunity to win. Offensively we just couldn’t get anything going.’’
Happ took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Chris Young singled. The Sox did not score until the sixth when Pedroia homered to left field.
Hanley Ramirez singled to lead off the seventh inning and when to third base when Hill’s single to right field was boxed around by Bautista.
Young fouled out, Bautista making a nice running catch. Jackie Bradley Jr. followed with a drive to right field that had a chance to clear the fence but was caught at the wall by Bautista. It went as a sacrifice fly.
Travis Shaw pinch hit for catcher Ryan Hanigan and struck out.
Roberto Osuna got the final three outs for his 31st save. Ramirez walked to lead of the ninth inning but Osuna got three outs on seven pitches.
The Sox are 16-21 in one-run games, losing six in a row.
Rodriguez tried to keep a level perspective afterward.
“I wish I could get some of those runs but I know that’s baseball,’’ he said. “If I keep pitching that way and stay healthy, it will work out for me, too. I just have to put it out of my mind and do my job. Maybe we’ll score 10 runs tomorrow, right?’’
Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.
