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Burnett sharp as Blue Jays blank Red Sox

May 2, 2008 - 3:52 AM By Mike Petraglia PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Toronto Blue Jays finally made the most of a good start.

A.J. Burnett scattered three hits over 7 2/3 shutout innings while Alex Rios homered, scored twice and had three hits as Toronto beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-0, on Thursday night at Fenway Park.

Toronto's second win in 10 games allowed the Blue Jays to salvage one win in the three-game set in Boston and avoid the worst nine-game road trip in franchise history.

Having posted a 2-7 mark on the road swing, the Blue Jays head home for a seven-game homestand beginning Friday with a four-game series against the White Sox.

"We've been struggling a little bit offensively," Rios said. "This is a good win. We're going home now and it's a good start and now let's see what happens in this homestand."

The Blue Jays had runners on first and second with one out in the second but couldn't score against Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield. But Rios started a rally in the third with a one-out single. Scott Rolen's two-out base hit to right gave Toronto its first lead of the series, 1-0.

The Jays loaded the bases in the fourth but left them stranded when Rios lined out to Manny Ramirez in left.

Vernon Wells drove home the second Toronto run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Rios drove a 1-1 Wakefield knuckleball to the second row of the "Green Monster" seats leading off the seventh to give Burnett and Toronto a three-run lead.

Wakefield (2-1) was lifted after seven innings, allowing six hits and three runs, walking four and striking out none while hitting two batters.

"I didn't have the command I would like to have," Wakefield said. "You're going to go through bouts like that and you grind it out as best as you can. Unfortunately, Burnett had a great game for them."

"I thought Wake was fighting it all night," Red Sox manager Terry Francona added. "He wasn't commanding his fastball, not that he throws it a lot, but you could see even when he threw it, it wasn't in the strike zone."

After watching Roy Halladay throw a complete game on Tuesday and Dustin McGowan hold the Red Sox to one run over 7 1/3 innings on Wednesday, only to lose both in the bottom of the ninth, Burnett held the Red Sox scoreless by working in and out of trouble.

"We saw some good pitching," said Francona of his team, which was held to less than three runs for five straight games for the first time since August 29-September 2, 2001. "We didn't have much to show for it. We had some opportunities and we put the barrel on the ball, certainly not consistently, but we had chances."

Burnett (3-2) walked five and managed to escape in the fourth and sixth innings, when he had David Ortiz on second and Manny Ramirez on first each time.

"I think as the game went on, A.J. got stronger and stronger," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "His command was better. Early on, he was missing a little bit off the plate. Halladay, McGowan (and Burnett), all three of those guys when they hit their spots, when they're throwing strikes, they can dominate, like all three of them did."

The Toronto righthander walked five and fanned five in earning his first road win since April 2 at Yankee Stadium.

"My fastball was going everywhere tonight, which is a good thing," Burnett said. "I had a great play by Hill early in the game, saved me. We came out, hit the ball, scored some runs, just a good W for us to get back on track."

Lefty Jesse Carlson retired Ortiz for the final out of the eighth while B.J. Ryan threw a scoreless ninth for his third save.

The game appeared to be over when Coco Crisp flew out to right for the final out of the ninth, but a balk was called by second base umpire Bruce Dreckman, allowing Brandon Moss to move to second base.

"The call was made and I probably didn't stop," Ryan said. "You try to stay in the moment out there and you can only control the things you can control out there. He made the call and stuck by it so it's my job to go back out there and keep some composure and finish the inning."

Gibbons wasn't as understanding and was ejected for arguing the call by Dreckman.

"It was a crap call, c'mon," Gibbons said. "The game's over. Everybody's shaking hands. But it was a (heckuva) ballgame. What did we give up? Three runs in the series here at Fenway, which is awful tough to do. We battled good tonight. Good ballgame, good one to finish a tough road trip on."

Crisp followed with a single to right against Ryan, bringing Jed Lowrie to the plate as the tying run. But Lowrie struck out looking to end the game.

"I ended up giving them a hit and giving them more life and that's something you can't do here," Ryan said. "You can't let that lineup roll over like that. You get out there and try to make pitches and it ended up good."