The Toronto Blue Jays pounded out 16 hits Thursday night, and got 6.0 shutout innings from starting pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu to throttle the Boston Red Sox 13-1 to earn a split of the four game series at Fenway Park.
A two-run double by Teoscar Hernandez and an RBI single by Cavan Biggio in the top of the first inning is all Toronto needed in bolting out to a 3-0 lead. The night was over in the fourth for Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez when trailing 4-0 he walked Marcus Semien with the bases loaded. Bo Bichette then added an RBI groundout and the rout was on making it 6-0. The Jays added three more in the fifth and sixth innings, including a fifth inning three-run homerun by Vladmir Guerrero Jr. that cleared the green monster down the line in left field. It was his 33rd longball of the year. Toronto improves to 51-48 with the victory.
Rodriguez (7-6) was charged with the loss and allowed six runs on seven hits with four walks and eight strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Christian Vazquez had two of the five Boston hits on the night, while Bobby Dalbec knocked in the lone run with an RBI double. Hernandez and Reese McGuire had three hits each for Toronto, while Guerrero Jr., Semien, and Santiago Espinal had two a piece. Ryu (10-5) allowed only two hits, didn’t walk anyone, and had five strikeouts to earn the win. The Red Sox head out on the road to open a big three game series at Tropicana Field on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston (63-41) enters the weekend with a 1.5 game lead over Tampa in the A.L. East and will send LHP Martin Perez (7-6, 4.18 ERA) to the hill in the opener. The Rays counter with LHP Josh Fleming (7-5, 4.07).
