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Blue Jays rough up Lackey, take both from Boston

May 12, 2011 - 6:49 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - John McDonald finished 2-for-4 with a home runs and three RBI as Toronto used a five-run seventh inning to rout Boston, 9-3, in the finale of a two-game series at Rogers Centre.

Rajai Davis collected four hits, drove in two runs and scored twice for the Blue Jays, who took both games in the set after losing three straight to Detroit.

Yunel Escobar, Corey Patterson, Aaron Hill and David Cooper added an RBI each for Toronto.

Jesse Litsch (4-2) worked 5 2/3 innings for the win, allowing three runs on six hits while fanning four.

"We put together a solid game," Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. "Any time you play in your division and can win, you look at those as two wins."

Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz went deep for the Red Sox, who had won three in a row against Minnesota entering the series.

John Lackey (2-5) was hammered in the loss for nine hits and nine runs over 6 2/3 innings, walking five with one strikeout.

The Jays turned a one-run lead into a six-run margin with a big seventh frame.

"I lost a feel for my fastball in that inning," Lackey said.

Patterson worked a leadoff walk and Jose Bautista singled before two quick fly outs. J.P.Arencibia walked to load the bases and then Cooper also walked to force in a run.

McDonald followed by roping a two-run double inside the left-field line to plate two more, and Lackey was yanked for Tim Wakefield. The veteran knuckleballer was greeted with a two-run line single from Davis to cap the burst and leave the home team up 9-3.

Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco turned in scoreless relief innings to finish off the victory.

Gonzalez doubled with two down in the first and came home when Kevin Youkilis followed with a single, but the Jays countered with two in the third and two in the fourth.

In the former, Patterson singled home Davis before Hill's grounder with the bases loaded brought in Escobar. In the latter, McDonald hit a one-out solo shot, then Davis singled, stole second and third, then came in on an Escobar sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.

Boston climbed within a run in the sixth after Gonzalez cleared the wall in left with one out and Ortiz cleared the right-field wall with two out.

Game Notes

Bautista has hit safely in 28 of 29 games for Toronto this season...Wakefield became the oldest person to appear in a game for the Red Sox at 44 years, 282 days...Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury saw his hit streak end at 19 games after an 0-for-4 night...Boston outfielder Carl Crawford's hitting steak was extended to 11 games after a two-hit contest...Both clubs are back in action on Friday as the Blue Jays begin a five-game road trip at Minnesota, and the Red Sox head to the Bronx.