The Red Sox had the crowd at Fenway Park on their feet in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday afternoon. They were looking for something — anything — to cheer.
This was their moment.
There was one out in the frame. The Sox were down by two, but had two runners on base after Blue Jays reliever Adam Cimber walked Christian Vázquez and plunked Xander Bogaerts on his left forearm.
But Franchy Cordero struck out on a full-count fastball and Cimber handed the baton to All-Star reliever Jordan Romano, who fell behind in the count before inducing Bobby Dalbec to fly out to center to end the inning.
The Blue Jays tacked on an insurance run in the ninth against reliever Ryan Brasier to put the finishing touches on a 4-1 win over the Red Sox, who made it 0-11-1 in series against American League East opponents.
“This is where we’re at,” manager Alex Cora said. “We have to find ways to score runs.”
The Sox staggered into and have staggered out of the All-Star break.
They hoped a reset would do them some good after opening July 5-12, including 1-6 in their last seven games against the Rays and Yankees. However, their limp has only gotten stronger. On the heels of a humiliating 28-5 loss in Friday night’s opener, the Sox absorbed yet another blow.
Outscored 59-9 in their last four games, they were without J.D. Martinez (back spasms) and Rafael Devers, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with what the team called right hamstring inflammation. Trevor Story is still out, too, with a right hand bruise.
“It’s very challenging,” Bogaerts said. “A lot of really good players are out. Some of our best players are out. No one is going to feel sorry for us. The opposing team is looking at the schedule and see that the Red Sox are next. No sympathy there.”
After allowing a record 28 runs in their hideous loss to the Blue Jays, the Sox were forced to run out a lineup you might see during a spring training game in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, had George Springer back in the lineup, who sat out Friday with a sore elbow, and All-Star Alek Manoah on the mound.
The Sox battled in this contest.
Dalbec gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead when he belted a hanging slider from Manoah for a solo home run. The next batter, Jackie Bradley Jr., singled to right and advanced to second on a Yolmer Sanchez hit-and-run. Bradley then advanced to third on a wild pitch, giving the Red Sox a prime opportunity to extend their lead. But Manoah buckled down and struck out Jeter Downs and got Jarren Duran to fly out to left field to end the threat.
The Sox compiled seven hits against Manoah, however, it wasn’t enough as Manoah recordedseven strikeouts in six innings of work, the last of which led to the Blue Jays big righthander taking a parting shot at Dalbec as he stalked off the mound.
This goes back to what Bogaerts intimated. That despite two and a half weeks of poor baseball and a depleted roster, opposing teams are still coming for the Red Sox.
“He was looking at us in the dugout, screaming at us,” Cora said of Manoh’s exit. “Yeah, this is where we’re at.”
The Sox stranded eight runners and went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.
The lack of offensive punch undermined what was Kutter Crawford’s second straight quality performance against an AL East foe. Crawford went on to pitch six innings despite allowing three runs on four straight hits and a sacrifice fly in a third-inning outburst that helped Toronto erase their deficit.
Crawford did not allow another hit until his sixth and final inning when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dumped a single to right field.
The Sox are now 2-8 in their last 10 games. They are on a four-game losing streak and will send out rookie Brayan Bello to start Sunday in an attempt to stop the bleeding and avoid a sweep. The team hopes to have Martinez back in the lineup.
With the Aug. 2 trade deadline looming, Bogaerts said the team has remained even-keeled despite the reality there could be wholesale changes coming to Boston’s roster.
“These last two games, it hasn’t worked out results-wise, but attitude-wise, before the game, it’s been solid,” Bogaerts said. “The vibe in here has been solid, despite a lot of big boys being out.”
Correction: This story originally listed the wrong score for Friday night’s game. It was 28-5.
Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him @byJulianMack.