Blue Jays 12, Red Sox 4
BOSTON - The Toronto Blue Jays, attempting to turn things around after a dreadful start that landed them in last place in the AL East, used five home runs over four innings to hammer the staggering Boston Red Sox 12-4 Sunday.
The win gave the Jays, who are 15-24 after being picked by many to win the AL East, wins in the last two games of a series that started with a Boston victory Friday night.
Adam Lind homered in the ninth inning to win Saturday's game, and Jose Bautista (Nos. 8 and 9), Edwin Encarnacion (No. 11), Emilio Bonifacio (No. 1) and Brett Lawrie (No. 4) all homered to key Sunday's blowout.
Right-hander Chad Jenkins, making his 2013 major league debut in place of injured Brandon Morrow, worked five-plus innings and got the win. Mike Napoli hit a solo homer, his seventh, in the fourth inning and had two other hits.
The Red Sox lost their third straight series, including both ends of a two-team homestand. They have lost eight of the their last 10 to drop to 22-16.
In first place every day of the season until Friday, the Red Sox are now two games out.
The Toronto lineup that started against Ryan Dempster (2-4) was a combined 14-for-76 (.184) lifetime against the veteran right-hander. Encarnacion had been 1-for-14 against him, but went 2-for-3 on Sunday off Dempster, who gave up six runs in five innings.
For Dempster, a Canadian, it was his first loss to a Canadian team. He came in 5-0 against the Montreal Expos and 1-0 against Toronto.
Down 10-1, the Red Sox got a sacrifice fly in from Daniel Nava in the sixth and a solo homer from Pedro Ciriaco (No. 1) in a two-run eighth. But the Jays answered that with a two-run ninth, the first run driven in by Encarnacion.
Bonifacio doubled and scored in the second inning, hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and singled, led a double steal and scored in the fifth.
The Jays jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Lind singled and advanced to third on Bonifacio's double. Munenori Kawasaki then had a seven-pitch at-bat that included a foul bunt, but he finished it with a lined single to right to score the two runs.
Bautista led off the third with his home run, and Bonifacio followed a one-out walk to Colby Rasmus with his homer in the fourth.
Napoli's homer to center cut into the lead in the bottom of the inning, but Encarnacion hit one a mile with one out in the fifth and Toronto was ahead 6-1.
Lawrie started and Bautista capped a four-run sixth with home runs, Bautista recording the 18th multi-homer game of his career.
NOTES: Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino ran into the right field fence chasing Bonafacio's homer and, after spending several minutes on the ground getting attention, stood up and stayed in the game. He did leave after six innings. ... David Ortiz, in a 1-fof-20 slump mostly coinciding with Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy asking him if he is using PEDs and then writing a column about it, got the day off Sunday. ... Morrow threw in the bullpen before the game Sunday and is on target to start Wednesday night against the Giants. ... Red Sox catcher David Ross, who took two foul tips to his catcher's helmet Saturday, was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list and Ryan Lavarnway was recalled from Pawtucket. ... Struggling defending National League Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey (2-5, 5.06 ERA) opens a two-game series against San Francisco when he faces Barry Zito Tuesday night, while John Lackey (1-3) opens Boston's nine-game road trip when he faces 6-0 Matt Moore at Tampa Bay Tuesday night. The Rays have won five straight to climb over .500. ... The Red Sox lead the season series with the Jays, 5-4. ... Right-handed pitcher Jose De La Torre made his big league debut for Boston, pitching the ninth and allowing two runs.
