Michael Wacha allowed one run in six innings, Xander Bogaerts was 4-for-4 with a walk and an RBI and the visiting Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 Wednesday night.
Enrique Hernandez had two RBIs for the Red Sox, who ended a four-game losing streak in taking the third game of a four-game series.
Wacha (2-0) allowed four hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
Toronto starter Ross Stripling allowed one run and five hits while striking out seven in five innings.
Boston scored once in the first. Bogaerts had a two-out infield single to shortstop and scored on a double by Rafael Devers.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the third on three singles, but Stripling escaped with two strikeouts.
Toronto tied the game in the home third. Tyler Heineman and George Springer singled. Second baseman Trevor Story twice made bobbles on potential double-play grounders that resulted in only forceouts at second. Heineman scored on the second bobble on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s grounder to shortstop when Story failed to make the throw to first.
Stripling retired his final eight batters, six on strikeouts before Trent Thornton (0-1) replaced him in the sixth and allowed two runs. Bogaerts, Devers and J.D. Martinez singled and Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly.
Wacha retired his final seven batters. Jake Diekman took over and allowed a walk in two-thirds of an inning in the bottom of the seventh. Hirokazu Sawamura replaced him and pitched around a single.
Martinez and Hernandez led off the eighth with doubles against Julian Merryweather to increase the lead to 4-1. Jackie Bradley Jr. sacrificed Hernandez to third and Bobby Dalbec hit a sacrifice fly.
John Schreiber pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth. Tyler Danish pitched a perfect ninth.
Toronto’s Gosuke Katoh doubled in the fourth inning for his first career major league hit.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora rejoined the team Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
Toronto put left-hander Ryan Borucki (left middle finger blister) on the injured list Wednesday and recalled left-hander Andrew Vasquez from Triple-A Buffalo. Vasquez allowed two runs in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
