Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 1
TORONTO -- Blue Jays lefty Ricky Romero was in complete control for most of Wednesday's game. He had to be against Boston southpaw Jon Lester, as the pair hooked up in a dazzling pitching duel.
Romero made a pair of third-inning runs stand up and held the Red Sox to three hits in the Toronto's 3-1 victory before a crowd of 25,285 at Rogers Centre.
Sergio Santos got two outs in the ninth inning, entering the game with runners on second and third, to earn his first save as a Blue Jay. He had blown his first two save opportunities.
The Blue Jays had only three hits against Lester. Two came in a third inning that was keyed by a run-scoring triple by Rajai Davis and a sacrifice fly by Yunel Escobar.
Escobar also scored Davis with an eighth-inning single.
All three of Boston's hits came in the third inning and briefly gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead, thanks to Jacoby Ellsbury's single.
Both pitchers allowed two walks each. Lester struck out six and Romero five. Toronto gave Romero an insurance run in the eighth when Davis walked with two out, stole second after a pick-off attempt at first base, and scored on Escobar's single to center.
Romero walked Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia to lead off the ninth, and both runners advanced on a fly to deep center by Adrian Gonzalez. Santos came in to strike out Kevin Youkilis and end the game on a grounder to shortstop by David Ortiz.
The victory gave the Blue Jays (4-2) a two-game winning streak and a 2-1 advantage in the three-game series over the Red Sox (1-5), who have lost two in a row after winning Toronto's home opener with a three-run ninth inning on Monday.
Lester (0-1) is winless despite making two good starts to open the season. He gave up one run in seven innings on opening day in Detroit, but didn't factor in an eventual 3-2 Boston loss.
Romero allowed three hits, three walks and four runs in five innings in his opening day start, April 5, in Cleveland, a game Toronto won 7-4 in 16 innings. He was much sharper Wednesday. He needed only 90 pitches to get through the first eight innings.
The Blue Jays made some good plays in the field behind Romero. Third baseman Brett Lawrie moved a couple of steps to his left to snare a line drive by Cody Ross to lead off the fourth.
Right-fielder Jose Bautista made a diving grab on a sinking drive to right center by Gonzalez to end the top of the sixth.
Boston's first two outs of the game were flies to the warning track and to left field, but Romero settled in. After Ellsbury's run-scoring single, Romero prevented further damage by striking out Dustin Pedroia and retiring Gonzalez on a grounder to second.
The Blue Jays took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third on a leadoff single by Eric Thames, a one-out triple by Davis and a sacrifice fly to right by Escobar.
Notes: Right-handed hitting Edwin Encarnacion started at first base and Davis in center for left-handed hitters Adam Lind and Colby Rasmus respectively with Ben Francisco starting as DH. ....Right-handed hitter Darnell McDonald started for Boston in right field instead of left-handed hitting Ryan Sweeney who had hits in each of Boston's first five games. ...Both teams have Thursday off....Boston will start RHP Josh Beckett (0-1, 13.50 ERA) at home on Friday against Tampa Bay's LHP David Price (1-0, 2.84) .... Toronto will start RHP Brandon Morrow (0-0, 0.00 after one start) on Friday at home against Baltimore's RHP Tommy Hunter (1-0, 0.00).
