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Blue Jays keep Red Sox reeling

Sep 8, 2012 - 6:24 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Henderson Alvarez worked 6 1/3 effective innings on Friday and the Toronto Blue Jays knocked off the Boston Red Sox, 7-5, in the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park.

Alvarez (8-12) allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout to earn his first win since July 28. Darren Oliver, Steve Delabar and Brandon Lyon combined to finish the game out of the bullpen.

"He was powerful," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said of Alvarez. "He threw a lot of strikes and he kept the ball on the ground."

Colby Rasmus and Moises Sierra clubbed two-run home runs and Edwin Encarnacion added a solo blast for the Blue Jays, who have won back-to-back games on the heels of a four-game slide.

Mauro Gomez crushed a two-run home run and added an RBI base hit, while Dustin Pedroia ripped a solo shot and finished with a pair of RBI for the Red Sox, who have lost nine of their last 10.

"We're all trying to win the game," Pedroia said. "They scored more runs than we did. Alvarez had good stuff, had good sink on his ball."

Felix Doubront (10-8) took the loss after giving up five runs on six hits and two walks over four-plus innings.

Toronto opened the scoring with a run in its first at-bat when Brett Lawrie smoked a double leading off the inning, moved to third on a groundout by Rasmus and scored via an Encarnacion sacrifice fly.

The Blue Jays extended their lead to 2-0 in the third when Encarnacion got a hold of a change-up from Doubront and smashed it over the wall in left field for his 38th homer of the season.

Kelly Johnson worked a two-out walk in the fourth and Sierra smacked a two-run shot into the Green Monster seats in left field to make it a 4-0 game.

Rasmus tripled to right to start the Toronto fifth and scored on an infield single by Yunel Escobar for a 5-0 lead, but Boston would finally crack the scoreboard in the home portion of the inning.

Ryan Kalish started the Red Sox rally with a one-out bunt single, went first- to-third on a single by Scott Podsednik and scored on a groundout by Pedroia, cutting the deficit to 5-1.

In the seventh, a pinch-hit RBI single up the middle by Gomez scored Pedro Ciriaco, who walked and stole second, cutting the deficit to three. Pedroia's leadoff blast in the eighth then trimmed the margin to 5-3.

Rasmus rocketed a two-run shot over the wall in right off Daniel Bard in the top of the ninth to widen the lead to four.

Mike Aviles drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth and scored when Gomez crushed one over the Monster in left off Lyon, but Podsednik struck out to end the game.

Game Notes

Podsednik (2-for-5) has hit safely in 14 of 15 starts in Boston this year ... Prior to the game, Lawrie and catcher J.P. Arencibia were activated from the 15-day disabled list ... Bard has allowed a home run in his last three consecutive outings ... Boston went 2-for-6 with RISP and left five on base.