BOSTON – Kevin Pillar had four hits and Justin Smoak had three, including a pair of homers, and they drove in four runs apiece on Friday night to help the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Red Sox, 13-7, and snap Boston’s 10-game winning streak.
Dwight Smith Jr. also homered for Toronto, which won for the second time in six games. Jake Petricka (1-0) pitched two innings of shutout ball in relief of Ryan Borucki, who lasted just three-plus innings but left with an 8-6 lead.
Mookie Betts had three hits, including two triples, to raise his major league-leading batting average to .357. J.D. Martinez had two hits for the Red Sox, who won 15 of their previous 17 games and will head into the All-Star break with the best record in baseball and the AL East lead.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had two hits – and two of Toronto’s four errors. Yangervis Solarte also had a pair of hits.
The Red Sox led, 1-0, after one and posted five runs in the second to make it 6-3, getting a two-run triple off the Green Monster from Betts to take the lead. But Toronto answered with five in the third against 11-game winner Rick Porcello on Smoak’s leadoff homer, Pillar’s two-run double and then the two-run shot by Smith.
Betts, who tripled in each of the first two innings, also walked once and singled. Right-hander Seunghwan Oh came on to face him with two outs in the seventh and Toronto leading, 8-7; Betts lined out to third, where Solarte did a celebratory dance with Gurriel, the shortstop, before leaving the field.
Toronto added three in the eighth on RBI singles by Smoak and Pillar and a run-scoring double by Kendrys Morales. Smoak made it 13-7 in the eighth with his 16th homer of the season.
It was 8-6 midway through the second, with both starters already giving up a five-run inning. Borucki pitched to three batters in the fourth and was charged with seven runs – four earned – and eight hits. Porcello (11-4) was pulled after allowing the first five batters in the third to reach base; in all, he gave up eight runs and seven hits.
Red Sox: OF Andrew Benintendi went on the bereavement list because of a death in the family. He is expected to rejoin the team after the All-Star break. Sam Travis was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket and started at designated hitter. … LHP Drew Pomeranz threw 78
Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (knee) played his first game since June 6, with Double-A New Hampshire. He went 1 for 3 with a walk as the DH for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays against the GCL Phillies.
Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (11-3) tries to keep the Red Sox from losing two in a row.
Blue Jays: RHP Sam Gaviglio (2-3) goes for his first win since May when the series resumes on Saturday afternoon.