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BoSox massacre Jays on Patriots' Day

Apr 19, 2011 - 1:56 AM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Jed Lowrie drove in four runs to support an impressive outing from Daisuke Matsuzaka, as the Boston Red Sox pounded the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-1, on Patriots' Day.

Lowrie finished 4-for-5 with a home run for Boston, which took the final three tilts of this four-game set. The Red Sox have won five of their last nine games after beginning the season 0-6.

Matsuzaka (1-2) allowed only one hit over seven scoreless innings and retired the final 16 batters he faced after issuing a two-out walk in the second.

The Japanese hurler rebounded from his previous start against Tampa Bay seven days ago, when he was tagged for seven runs and eight hits in just two frames.

Catcher Jason Varitek liked what he saw from Matsuzaka.

"He found his slider later, threw some good cutters, threw some cutters that backed out, the four-seamer was pretty good," said Varitek. "He was in the vicinity of where he was trying to go and allowed us to do a little more."

Alfredo Aceves replaced Matsuzaka and tossed a 1-2-3 eighth before Yunel Escobar spoiled Boston's shutout bid with only the second Toronto hit -- a one-out home run off Tim Wakefield in the ninth. The other Blue Jay hit belonged to Jose Bautista, a two-out single in the first.

Ricky Romero (1-2) gave up five runs on eight hits with five walks in 4 1/3 innings to absorb the loss, Toronto's seventh in nine games.

Boston put its first two batters of the game on base, as J.D. Drew tripled off the top of the center-field wall and Dustin Pedroia walked. After Romero fanned both Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz drew a walk to load the bases for Lowrie, who looped a two-run single to right field.

Ortiz singled home Youkilis in the third, then Lowrie added a two-run blast to the Monster seats in the fifth to put Boston up 5-0.

The Red Sox extended their lead in the next frame on a two-run homer by Youkilis and an RBI double from Carl Crawford. Jacoby Ellsbury launched a solo shot in the seventh to make it 9-0.

"We weren't in it from the start and it kind of got progressively worse from there," said Blue Jays manager John Farrell. "Their lineup is deep and there's really no breather for a pitcher."

Game Notes

Matsuzaka lowered his ERA from 12.86 to 6.43...Boston improved its Patriots' Day record to 67-49, including a 2-3 mark against Toronto...Ellsbury also homered in Sunday's 8-1 triumph and leads the Red Sox with four home runs this season...The Blue Jays on Monday traded pitcher David Purcey to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor league pitcher Danny Farquhar...The Red Sox recalled pitcher Hideki Okajima from Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday and optioned pitcher Felix Doubront to the PawSox.