Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 4
Edwin Encarnacion homered twice and Melky Cabrera added a blast among four hits as visiting Toronto took advantage of slumping Boston.
Erik Kratz hit a solo home run and Cabrera collected two doubles while scoring three times for the Blue Jays, who have won six of their last eight. J. A. Happ (3-1) allowed four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings but four relievers bridged the gap to Casey Janssen, who allowed the first two to reach in the ninth before locking down his fourth save.
Felix Doubront (2-4) was pounded for five runs on as many hits and three walks in four-plus innings as the Red Sox dropped their fifth straight. Jonny Gomes hit a two-run homer while Jackie Bradley Jr. and Dustin Pedroia each doubled in a run to highlight the Boston offense.
Cabrera doubled in the third and came in to score when Encarnacion sent a towering drive down the line and out of the stadium in left for a 2-0 lead. Kratz went out to center in the fourth to make it 3-0 and back-to-back doubles by Jose Reyes and Cabrera leading off the fifth ended Doubront’s night.
Encarnacion reached Edward Mujica for a two-run blast later in the fifth before the Red Sox finally got on the board in the bottom of the frame on back-to-back RBI doubles from Bradley and Pedroia. Cabrera’s blast made it 7-2 and Gomes left the yard to left in the sixth to end Happ’s night before the Toronto bullpen locked down the win.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Boston’s five straight losses marks the longest streak since John Farrell took over as manager prior to the 2013 season. … The Red Sox signed free agent SS Stephen Drew to a one-year contract and expect him to be ready after a week or so in the minors. … Toronto LHP Rob Rasmussen made his major-league debut in relief and faced just one batter, getting DH David Ortiz to ground to first.