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Pedroia, Red Sox change their luck against Blue Jays

Aug 23, 2008 - 5:02 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- It wasn't in their customary fashion, but the Boston Red Sox got back at the Toronto Blue Jays.

After getting manhandled by Toronto in two games at home last weekend, the Red Sox reversed the trend Friday as Dustin Pedroia led an opportunistic offensive attack with three RBI in an 8-4 victory over the Blue Jays.

In his second start since being acquired from the Cleveland Indians, Paul Byrd (8-11) fell behind early but settled down. The righthander lasted six innings, allowing four runs and six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

"It was like Boy Scouts - survival," Byrd said. "I didn't have great command tonight, I just had to make it work. ... I went out there and I battled, and my team picked me up."

While All-Stars David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis and the recently acquired Jason Bay managed just two hits and did not drive in a run, the Red Sox found plenty of other ways to score. Pedroia got things started with a solo homer in the first, but Alex Rios answered in the bottom half with a two-run shot for the Blue Jays.

"It's nice to score some runs against their pitching," Pedroia said. "They've got some great arms."

In the fourth, however, Boston scored runs in a number of different ways. After Bay led off with a single, Shaun Marcum walked the next two batters and hit Alex Cora with a pitch to force in a run.

"We scored early and we stayed at it," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "We've had nights just like this where we come in here and I'm explaining why we lost or how we lost. We found a way tonight to turn it around and have a good win."

After Coco Crisp's bloop single snapped a 2-2 tie, the Red Sox scored on a groundout by Jacoby Ellsbury and a sacrifice fly by Pedroia.

"It was very disappointing," Marcum said. "This is the team we're chasing, so we needed to come in here and win the series and try to sweep them. Obviously, we can't get the sweep, but we still have a chance to win the series and pick up a game on them."

That was just enough offense for Byrd, who ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Lyle Overbay belted a two-run homer to pull the Blue Jays within 5-4.

But Byrd got some much-needed insurance from the suddenly hot Jason Varitek. The All-Star catcher, who has been mired in a season-long offensive slump, swatted his third homer in as many games in the sixth to give the Red Sox a two-run cushion.

The 36-year-old Varitek entered Friday hitting just .218 for the season.

"If they are three singles rather than three home runs, nobody is saying a word," Varitek said. "I was just able to put the good part of the bat on the ball."

Ellsbury and Pedroia capped the scoring with RBI singles in the eighth.

Marcum (8-6) lasted just 3 2/3 innings, surrendering five runs and six hits. He struck out two and walked two in having his three-game winning streak snapped.

"I thought he struggled with his control all ballgame," Toronto manager Cito Gaston said. "I thought he had a lot of pitches within two innings - he was in the 40s or so. I thought, from the start, he was struggling with his control. He has to be on with his control. Otherwise, he's going to have problems like he had."