BOSTON – The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t even have to wait 24 hours to pay Boston back for their comeback victory.
One day after the Red Sox rallied from four runs down to win on a walk-off homer in the 10th inning, the Blue Jays erased a six-run deficit and handed the defending World Series champions a setback in their attempt to close ground in the AL East.
“(Friday night) was a little salt in our wounds,” said Toronto first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who homered to help the Blue Jays win 8-7 on Saturday. “It was a good feeling to throw that back at them, especially a team that’s looking to contend in the playoffs.”
Boston scored five times in the second and led 6-0 after three before its bullpen blew a save for the 15th time in 31 chances.
Freddy Galvis and Tellez hit back-to-back homers as Toronto scored four in the seventh inning. Eric Sogard drew a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk when the Blue Jays added three more to take the lead in the eighth, when Matt Barnes (3-2) and Ryan Brasier combined to walk four straight batters with two outs.
Nick Kingham (3-1) pitched two hitless innings of relief for Toronto. Ken Giles pitched the ninth for his 12th save, allowing one run before striking out J.D. Martinez to end the game.
“We were not thinking about what happened yesterday,” Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said. “That’s why we won this game.”
KICK SAVE
The game began after a 25-minute delay for a sun shower, and Toronto opener Derek Law retired the side in the first. But he struggled after taking Martinez’s line drive off his foot in the second.
The ball ricocheted to Tellez at first for the easy putout, and Law remained in the game. But he walked the next batter, putting runners on first and second, then Jackie Bradley Jr. doubled off the Green Monster. Michael Chavis singled him home to make it 3-0 and chase Law.
One out later, Mookie Betts walked and Andrew Benintendi doubled off the Wall. Christian Vázquez, who hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning over the bullpens on Friday night, curled one down the right-field line in the third, hitting the Pesky Pole 302 feet away.
BLOWN SAVE
But Red Sox reliever Mike Shawaryn gave almost all of it back in the seventh, allowing a leadoff single to Cavan Biggio before Galvis curled a two-run shot around the Pesky Pole. Tellez homered to straightaway centre field, and Luke Maile scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-5.
Teoscar Hernández singled with one out in the eighth, took second on a wild pitch and scored to tie the game when Biggio singled off second baseman Brock Holt’s glove. Barnes walked Tellez and pinch-hitter Billy McKinney to load the bases.
Brasier came in and walked Sogard to give the Blue Jays their first lead of the game, and then walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to make it 8-6.
“That was a bad inning, too,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Honestly, a bad game. Offensively we didn’t do too much after we scored all those runs. That’s something that you have to do. … Putting teams away is a must sometimes.”
THWARTED RALLY
Betts walked with one out in the ninth, stole second and then scored to make it 8-7 when Xander Bogaerts lofted a high fly to left that got caught up in the wind and fell safely when Galvis, the shortstop, couldn’t get under it. It hopped over the side wall for a ground rule double — Bogaerts’ seventh straight game with a double, tying the AL record.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: 1B Steve Pearce (lower back strain) had four at-bats in a rehab start in Triple-A on Friday night and was scheduled to play again for the PawSox on Saturday. … If RP Heath Hembree (right elbow strain) reports back OK after throwing on Saturday, he will go out on a rehab assignment on Monday. … 1B Mitch Moreland took grounders and ran on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello (5-6) faces Marcus Stroman (4-9) in the series finale on Sunday.
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