Red Sox 2 - 5 Blue Jays
Final
  for this game

Late offense sends Blue Jays past Red Sox

Aug 28, 2014 - 6:14 AM Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Danny Valencia's three-run homer came in a four-run seventh inning and helped Toronto take down Boston 5-2 in the finale of a three-game set on Wednesday.

Jose Bautista homered and Jose Reyes knocked in the other run for the Blue Jays, who avoided a sweep and won for the first time in a nine-inning game since Aug. 20 in Milwaukee.

"We got that lead early, then gave it right back," said Blue Jays head coach John Gibbons. "Of course, the big home run from Valencia. (The lead) gives you a little more breathing room."

Marcus Stroman (8-5) worked 7 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Brett Cecil recorded the final four outs to pick up his fifth save.

David Ortiz had two hits and drove in a run for the Red Sox, who had taken the first two games in the series in extra innings.

Tommy Layne (1-1) was charged with the unearned go-ahead run while failing to record an out in relief of Joe Kelly. Kelly left after six-plus frames and allowed just three hits and two runs.

After maintaining a 2-1 lead, Kelly sat after a leadoff double by Edwin Encarnacion in the home seventh. Layne gave up a single to Dioner Navarro after catcher David Ross dropped a foul pop before yielding to Junichi Tazawa, who served up Valencia's pinch-hit go-ahead three-run homer to left.

"The pitch to Valencia leaked back quite a bit and went inside. I missed my location," Tazawa said.

Kevin Pillar doubled, was sacrificed to third and beat the throw home on Reyes' grounder to short and the hosts led 5-2.

Stroman was spelled by Cecil after Dustin Pedroia reached on a two-out single in the eighth, and Ortiz grounded out. Cecil struck out the side in the ninth to lock down the victory.

Bautista cleared the wall in left to give the Jays a 1-0 lead in the first.

The Red Sox countered in the sixth. Ross reached on an error with one away, then Brock Holt and Pedroia singled to load the bases ahead of an Ortiz RBI base hit to score Ross and a Stroman wild pitch that brought in Holt.

Game Notes

Valencia's homer was his first with the Blue Jays. The last time he went deep was July 5 at Cleveland for Kansas City ... Toronto has won 11 of 16 meetings with Boston this season, and five of 10 at Rogers Centre ... The Sox fell 7-39 when scoring three runs or fewer ... Prior to the contest, the Red Sox optioned reliever Heath Hembree to Triple-A Pawtucket and recalled pitcher Edwin Escobar from the PawSox.






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