CBSSports.com wire reports
June 11, 2011

TORONTO — Imagine what the Boston Red Sox could’ve done to Blue Jays pitching if they were well rested.

David Ortiz hit a three-run homer, Jason Varitek homered and drove in four runs, and the sleep-deprived Red Sox beat Toronto 16-4 Saturday for their season-high eighth straight win.

The offensive outburst came in a day game following a night game Friday. The Red Sox arrived in Toronto early Friday morning after their matchup against the Yankees was delayed nearly 3½ hours Thursday night.

“This team’s tired though, too,” Varitek said. “There’s a point some of those later [at-bats] it’s a grind, we’re still playing catch up.”

John Lackey (4-5) made up for a terrible first start in Toronto this season. He delivered six strong innings in his second start since going on the disabled list with a strained elbow after giving up nine runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays on May 11.

“I felt good, I felt like it was a step forward, still building some arm strength,” Lackey said. “I thought the guys swung the bats pretty good, made it pretty easy on me.”

The right-hander was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks while having to wait through two innings in which the Red Sox batted around.

“I’ll sit there all day if they want to keep swinging like that. That’s fine,” he said. “That’s not something I’m ever going to complain about, for sure.”

Boston manager Terry Francona was pleased with Lackey’s performance that included a season-high eight strikeouts.

“He had some depth to his pitches,” Francona said. “You don’t ever hear me sit here and worry about strikeouts, I care about them getting out. But I thought the swings and misses were good.

Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs and had three hits, and Marco Scutaro had four hits while scoring three times.

“When everybody’s hitting, it’s kind of contagious,” said Scutaro.

Every Boston starter drove in at least one run as the Blue Jays allowed their most runs in a game this season.

Things got so bad for Toronto, utility man Mike McCoy pitched the ninth inning. McCoy, who had started at second base in place of Aaron Hill, pitched a perfect inning.

“You just try not to do too much and kind of stay within yourself and throwing softly is more effective against big-league hitters who are used to seeing 90 [mph] and I’m throwing 72, 73, hitters get themselves out usually,” McCoy said. “I threw a couple of sliders just to mix it up and get them out front a little bit. … It’s pretty exciting, except for the loss.”

Varitek ended a horrible afternoon for Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow (2-4) with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth that made it 9-2.

Morrow gave up a career-worst nine earned runs, 10 hits and three walks in just 4 1/3 innings, the 26-year-old’s shortest outing of the season.

Blue Jays trainers checked on Morrow in the top of the second after he was hit on the back of his right leg by a line drive off the bat of ex-Blue Jay Scutaro.

Reliever Jason Frasor took over with one out in the fifth but fared little better.

He surrendered a hit and a walk before Ortiz hit his 16th homer of the season that stretched Boston’s lead to 12-2.

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third as five straight Red Sox reached with one out, batting around for the first time.

Back-to-back singles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia set up Adrian Gonzalez, who roped a run-scoring double.

The hit gave the first baseman at least one RBI in eight straight games, extending a new career high he set on Friday when Boston won the series opener 5-1.

Morrow then loaded the bases by intentionally walking Ortiz — after a first-inning single he was 5 for 8 in his career against the right-hander — to face Jed Lowrie, who had never faced Morrow before popping up to end the first.

The move backfired. Morrow hit Lowrie with a pitch to force in a run that made it 2-0.

Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to left before Scutaro hit an RBI single up the middle.

Pedroia had a one-out RBI double in the fourth and two-run double in the eighth. Rajai Davis snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a two-run double that cut Boston’s lead to 5-2 in the fourth.

Edwin Encarnacion’s second home run of the season, a two-run shot off Lackey in the sixth, scored Toronto’s only other runs.

Notes

• Francona said that with a scheduled off day on Monday, he rested Kevin Youkilis Saturday so the third baseman could have extra rest. “He’s just a little beat up, day game after a night game,” Francona said.
• Shortstop Yunel Escobar returned to Toronto’s lineup after missing two games because of soreness in his left quadriceps.
• Saturday’s announced crowd of 39,437 marked the first time Toronto drew more than 30,000 since their season-opening series against Minnesota.
• Ellsbury’s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to nine games.
• AL home run leader Jose Bautista failed to homer for a 13th straight game, equaling his longest drought since a 13-game run in June of 2010. Last year’s major league-leader with 54 home runs has also gone 11 games without an extra-base hit.
• McCoy became the fifth position player in Blue Jays franchise history to pitch in a game, the first since Frank Menechino on Aug. 28, 2004.
• Varitek, 39, had his first four-RBI game since April 26, 2010, in a 13-12 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.

John Lackey made up for a terrible first start in Toronto this season, No. 9 hitter Jason Varitek homered and drove in four runs and the Boston Red Sox routed the Toronto Blue Jays 16-4 on Saturday.

Lackey (4-5) delivered six strong innings in his second start since going on the disabled list after giving up nine runs in 6 2-3 innings against the Blue Jays on May 11.
The right-hander was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out a season-high eight.

David Oritz hit a three-run homer and Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs as Boston amassed 18 hits. The Red Sox batted around twice and every starter drove in at least one run in piling up the most runs allowed by the Blue Jays this season.

Things got so bad for Toronto, utility man Mike McCoy pitched the ninth inning.

McCoy, who had started at second base in place of Aaron Hill, pitched a perfect inning.
Varitek ended a horrible afternoon for Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow (2-4) with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth that made it 9-2.

Morrow gave up a career-worst nine earned runs, 10 hits and three walks in just 4 1-3 innings, the 26-year-old’s shortest outing of the season.

Blue Jays trainers checked on Morrow in the top of the second after he was hit on the back of his right leg by a line drive off the bat of ex-Blue Jay Marco Scutaro.

Reliever Jason Frasor took over with one out in the fifth but fared little better.

He surrendered a hit and a walk before Ortiz hit his 16th homer of the season that stretched Boston’s lead to 12-2.

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third as five straight Red Sox reached with one out, batting around for the first time.

Back-to-back singles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia set up Adrian Gonzalez, who roped a double to right that scored Ellsbury.

The hit gave the first baseman at least one RBI in eight straight games, extending a new career high he set on Friday when Boston won the series opener 5-1.

Morrow then loaded the bases by intentionally walking Ortiz — after a first-inning single was 5 for 8 in his career against the right-hander — to face Jed Lowrie, who had never faced Morrow before popping up to end the first.

The move backfired. Morrow hit Lowrie with a pitch to force in a run that made it 2-0.
Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to left before Scutaro hit an RBI single up the middle.

Pedroia had a one-out RBI double in the fourth and two-run double in the eighth. Rajai Davis snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a two-run double that cut Boston’s lead to 5-2 in the fourth.

Edwin Encarnacion’s second home run of the season, a two-run shot off Lackey in the sixth, scored Toronto’s only other runs.

Toronto Blue Jays’ Yunel Escobar, centre, argues with home plate umpire Mark Carlson, right, after Carlson mistakenly called a third strike in the third inning of MLB baseball action against the Boston Red Sox in Toronto Saturday, June 11, 2011. The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 16-4. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Toronto Blue Jays’ Yunel Escobar, centre, argues with home plate umpire Mark Carlson, right, after Carlson mistakenly called a third strike in the third inning of MLB baseball action against the Boston Red Sox in Toronto Saturday, June 11, 2011. The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 16-4. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Toronto Blue Jays’ Yunel Escobar, centre, argues with home plate umpire Mark Carlson, right, after Carlson mistakenly called a third strike in the third inning of MLB baseball action against the Boston Red Sox in Toronto Saturday, June 11, 2011. The Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 16-4. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

TORONTO – Utility infielder Mike McCoy pitched the ninth inning and had the Toronto Blue Jays second 1-2-3 inning of the game.

That is how bad it was for Toronto on Saturday as the Boston Red Sox extended their win streak to a season-best eight games with a 16-4 victory.

“When we had Mike McCoy on the mound in the ninth inning I think it’s fair to say it wasn’t one of our better days on the mound,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. “We were just trying to get through the last inning without going to another pitcher so I asked him and he was willing to volunteer to go out and pitch.”

Jason Varitek hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Red Sox. David Ortiz also hit a three-homer in a seven-run fifth inning as the Red Sox rapped out 18 hits for the game. Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer for Toronto.

The Red Sox slammed right-hander Brandon Morrow (2-4) for 10 hits and nine runs in 4 1-3 innings and 103 pitches. Morrow’s earned-run average soared to 5.63. Boston right-hander John Lackey (4-5) allowed six hits and four runs in six innings while striking out eight.

McCoy is the fifth position player to pitch for Toronto and the first since Frank Menechino on Aug. 28, 2004, against the New York Yankees.

McCoy has pitched three times in the minors, one inning in 2009, one in 2005 and 3 2-3 innings in 2004 and has a 1.59 earned-run average for those outings.

Earlier this season he told Farrell during a game that he could throw an inning and save the bullpen. “So he knew,” McCoy said. ” One time in low-A I went 3 2-3, the bullpen got burned and we ended up tying it up and I threw a lot of pitches and my arm hurt real bad the next day.”

The crowd cheered him for his performance.

“You just try not to do too much and kind of stay within yourself,” said McCoy who started the game at second base. “And throwing softly is more effective against big-league hitters who are used to seeing 90 and I’m throwing 72, 73, hitters get themselves out usually.

“I threw a couple of sliders just to mix it up and get them out front a little bit. It’s pretty exciting, except for the loss.”

It at least gave Blue Jays fans something to enjoy.

The Red Sox (38-26), who have the best record in the American League, also had a seven-game win streak from May 13-20. Toronto (32-33) dropped below .500 for the first time since May 27 and is 6 1-2 games behind Boston in the AL East.

Morrow took a hard comebacker of his leg in the second inning but said it had no bearing on his outing.

“I’ll have a bruise tomorrow but it wasn’t bothering me at all,” he said.

Morrow thought he pitched well, despite the scoreline.

“It’s really tough to put a finger on it right now,” Morrow said. “I wasn’t falling behind too many guys. I was in pretty good counts. They hit some pretty good pitches, some flares, some broken bats. They got the big hit. That’s probably one that was hittable, it was elevated down the middle, that was the home run (by Varitek).

Boston struck for four runs in the third. Adrian Gonzalez drove in one run with a double. After Ortiz was walked to load the bases, Morrow hit Jed Lowrie with a pitch for the second run. Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly and former Blue Jay Marco Scutaro singled in the fourth run on his way to a four-hit game.

“They put a lot of good swings on some fastballs up in the zone,” Farrell said. “I thought in the third inning, we walk Ortiz to set up a potential double play and the 0-2 pitch that hit Jed in the leg, kind of opened up the floodgates a little bit.”

Morrow walked the No. 9 hitter Varitek to start the fourth and he scored on Dustin Pedroia’s double. Pedroia also doubled in two runs against Casey Janssen in the three-run eighth.

The Blue Jays cut the lead to 5-2 with a pair in the bottom of the fourth. Adam Lind doubled with one out, Jose Molina walked with two out and Rajai Davis doubled them home.

The Red Sox put the game away with a seven-run fifth, led by Varitek’s third homer of the season that ended Morrow’s start.

“When you’re in there and in a situation you’re just trying to get the run in and just up there battling because Morrow’s got really good stuff,” Varitek said. “And I just somehow was able to get a good part of the bat and his velocity carried the ball out.”

Ortiz followed suit against Jason Frasor with his 16th of the season. J.D. Drew drove in the first run of the inning with a single.

“I’ll sit there all day if they want to keep swinging like that, that’s fine,” Lackey said. “That’s not something I’m ever going to complain about for sure.”

The Red Sox tacked on a run in the sixth on Varitek’s single, his fourth RBI of the game. Encarnacion hit his second homer of the season after Lind singled to make the score 13-4. It was the first time this season Encarnacion has had more than one RBI in a game. He has 12 for the season and these were his first since May 29 when he hit his first homer of the season.

Lackey and manager Terry Francona were encouraged by the pitcher’s outing.

“He had some depth to his pitches,” Francona said. “You don’t ever hear me sit here and worry about strikeouts. I care about them getting outs, but I thought the swings and misses were good, I thought he was down, he threw some breaking balls that made them miss and got some fastballs by them.”

Lackey added: “I felt good. I felt like it was a step forward, still building some arm strong I thought the guys swung the bats pretty good, made it pretty easy on me.”

Notes: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 39,437. …..Toronto right-fielder Jose Bautista who has 20 homers was 0-for-3 with a walk and has not hit a home run in 13 games. …..Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar was back in the lineup Saturday after missing three games with a bruised left quadriceps muscle suffered while stealing second base in Tuesday’s game at Kansas City. …Toronto second baseman Aaron Hill was rested and did not start Saturday and McCoy took his place. …Boston third baseman Kevin Youkilis was given the day off, …The series ends Sunday with Toronto rookie right-hander Kyle Drabek (4-4, 4.98) going against Jon Lester (8-2, 2.98 ERA).

Updated Jun 11, 2011 7:09 PM ET

TORONTO (AP)

Imagine what the Boston Red Sox could’ve done to Blue Jays pitching if they were well rested.

David Ortiz hit a three-run homer, Jason Varitek homered and drove in four runs, and the sleep-deprived Red Sox beat Toronto 16-4 Saturday for their season-high eighth straight win.

The offensive outburst came in a day game following a night game Friday. The Red Sox arrived in Toronto early Friday morning after their matchup against the Yankees was delayed nearly 3 1/2 hours Thursday night.

”This team’s tired though, too,” Varitek said. ”There’s a point some of those later (at-bats) it’s a grind, we’re still playing catch up.”

John Lackey (4-5) made up for a terrible first start in Toronto this season. He delivered six strong innings in his second start since going on the disabled list with a strained elbow after giving up nine runs in 6 2-3 innings against the Blue Jays on May 11.

”I felt good, I felt like it was a step forward, still building some arm strength,” Lackey said. ”I thought the guys swung the bats pretty good, made it pretty easy on me.”

The right-hander was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks while having to wait through two innings in which the Red Sox batted around.

”I’ll sit there all day if they want to keep swinging like that. That’s fine,” he said. ”That’s not something I’m ever going to complain about, for sure.”

Boston manager Terry Francona was pleased with Lackey’s performance that included a season-high eight strikeouts.

”He had some depth to his pitches,” Francona said. ”You don’t ever hear me sit here and worry about strikeouts, I care about them getting out. But I thought the swings and misses were good.

Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs and had three hits, and Marco Scutaro had four hits while scoring three times.

”When everybody’s hitting, it’s kind of contagious,” said Scutaro.

Every Boston starter drove in at least one run as the Blue Jays allowed their most runs in a game this season.

Things got so bad for Toronto, utility man Mike McCoy pitched the ninth inning. McCoy, who had started at second base in place of Aaron Hill, pitched a perfect inning.

”You just try not to do too much and kind of stay within yourself and throwing softly is more effective against big-league hitters who are used to seeing 90 (mph) and I’m throwing 72, 73, hitters get themselves out usually,” McCoy said. ”I threw a couple of sliders just to mix it up and get them out front a little bit. … It’s pretty exciting, except for the loss.”

Varitek ended a horrible afternoon for Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow (2-4) with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth that made it 9-2.

Morrow gave up a career-worst nine earned runs, 10 hits and three walks in just 4 1-3 innings, the 26-year-old’s shortest outing of the season.

Blue Jays trainers checked on Morrow in the top of the second after he was hit on the back of his right leg by a line drive off the bat of ex-Blue Jay Scutaro.

Reliever Jason Frasor took over with one out in the fifth but fared little better.

He surrendered a hit and a walk before Ortiz hit his 16th homer of the season that stretched Boston’s lead to 12-2.

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third as five straight Red Sox reached with one out, batting around for the first time.

Back-to-back singles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia set up Adrian Gonzalez, who roped a run-scoring double.

The hit gave the first baseman at least one RBI in eight straight games, extending a new career high he set on Friday when Boston won the series opener 5-1.

Morrow then loaded the bases by intentionally walking Ortiz – after a first-inning single he was 5 for 8 in his career against the right-hander – to face Jed Lowrie, who had never faced Morrow before popping up to end the first.

The move backfired. Morrow hit Lowrie with a pitch to force in a run that made it 2-0.

Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to left before Scutaro hit an RBI single up the middle.

Pedroia had a one-out RBI double in the fourth and two-run double in the eighth. Rajai Davis snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a two-run double that cut Boston’s lead to 5-2 in the fourth.

Edwin Encarnacion’s second home run of the season, a two-run shot off Lackey in the sixth, scored Toronto’s only other runs.

NOTES: Francona said that with a scheduled off day on Monday, he rested Kevin Youkilis Saturday so the third baseman could have extra rest. ”He’s just a little beat up, day game after a night game,” Francona said. Shortstop Yunel Escobar returned to Toronto’s lineup after missing two games because of soreness in his left quadriceps. Saturday’s announced crowd of 39,437 marked the first time Toronto drew more than 30,000 since their season-opening series against Minnesota. Ellsbury’s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to nine games. … AL home run leader Jose Bautista failed to homer for a 13th straight game, equaling his longest drought since a 13-game run in June of 2010. Last year’s major league-leader with 54 home runs has also gone 11 games without an extra-base hit. McCoy became the fifth position player in Blue Jays franchise history to pitch in a game, the first since Frank Menechino on Aug. 28, 2004. Varitek, 39, had his first four-RBI game since April 26, 2010, in a 13-12 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.

CBSSports.com wire reports
June 11, 2011

TORONTO — Imagine what the Boston Red Sox could’ve done to Blue Jays pitching if they were well rested.

David Ortiz hit a three-run homer, Jason Varitek homered and drove in four runs, and the sleep-deprived Red Sox beat Toronto 16-4 Saturday for their season-high eighth straight win.

The offensive outburst came in a day game following a night game Friday. The Red Sox arrived in Toronto early Friday morning after their matchup against the Yankees was delayed nearly 3½ hours Thursday night.

“This team’s tired though, too,” Varitek said. “There’s a point some of those later [at-bats] it’s a grind, we’re still playing catch up.”

John Lackey (4-5) made up for a terrible first start in Toronto this season. He delivered six strong innings in his second start since going on the disabled list with a strained elbow after giving up nine runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays on May 11.

“I felt good, I felt like it was a step forward, still building some arm strength,” Lackey said. “I thought the guys swung the bats pretty good, made it pretty easy on me.”

The right-hander was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks while having to wait through two innings in which the Red Sox batted around.

“I’ll sit there all day if they want to keep swinging like that. That’s fine,” he said. “That’s not something I’m ever going to complain about, for sure.”

Boston manager Terry Francona was pleased with Lackey’s performance that included a season-high eight strikeouts.

“He had some depth to his pitches,” Francona said. “You don’t ever hear me sit here and worry about strikeouts, I care about them getting out. But I thought the swings and misses were good.

Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs and had three hits, and Marco Scutaro had four hits while scoring three times.

“When everybody’s hitting, it’s kind of contagious,” said Scutaro.

Every Boston starter drove in at least one run as the Blue Jays allowed their most runs in a game this season.

Things got so bad for Toronto, utility man Mike McCoy pitched the ninth inning. McCoy, who had started at second base in place of Aaron Hill, pitched a perfect inning.

“You just try not to do too much and kind of stay within yourself and throwing softly is more effective against big-league hitters who are used to seeing 90 [mph] and I’m throwing 72, 73, hitters get themselves out usually,” McCoy said. “I threw a couple of sliders just to mix it up and get them out front a little bit. … It’s pretty exciting, except for the loss.”

Varitek ended a horrible afternoon for Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow (2-4) with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth that made it 9-2.

Morrow gave up a career-worst nine earned runs, 10 hits and three walks in just 4 1/3 innings, the 26-year-old’s shortest outing of the season.

Blue Jays trainers checked on Morrow in the top of the second after he was hit on the back of his right leg by a line drive off the bat of ex-Blue Jay Scutaro.

Reliever Jason Frasor took over with one out in the fifth but fared little better.

He surrendered a hit and a walk before Ortiz hit his 16th homer of the season that stretched Boston’s lead to 12-2.

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third as five straight Red Sox reached with one out, batting around for the first time.

Back-to-back singles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia set up Adrian Gonzalez, who roped a run-scoring double.

The hit gave the first baseman at least one RBI in eight straight games, extending a new career high he set on Friday when Boston won the series opener 5-1.

Morrow then loaded the bases by intentionally walking Ortiz — after a first-inning single he was 5 for 8 in his career against the right-hander — to face Jed Lowrie, who had never faced Morrow before popping up to end the first.

The move backfired. Morrow hit Lowrie with a pitch to force in a run that made it 2-0.

Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to left before Scutaro hit an RBI single up the middle.

Pedroia had a one-out RBI double in the fourth and two-run double in the eighth. Rajai Davis snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a two-run double that cut Boston’s lead to 5-2 in the fourth.

Edwin Encarnacion’s second home run of the season, a two-run shot off Lackey in the sixth, scored Toronto’s only other runs.

Notes

• Francona said that with a scheduled off day on Monday, he rested Kevin Youkilis Saturday so the third baseman could have extra rest. “He’s just a little beat up, day game after a night game,” Francona said.
• Shortstop Yunel Escobar returned to Toronto’s lineup after missing two games because of soreness in his left quadriceps.
• Saturday’s announced crowd of 39,437 marked the first time Toronto drew more than 30,000 since their season-opening series against Minnesota.
• Ellsbury’s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to nine games.
• AL home run leader Jose Bautista failed to homer for a 13th straight game, equaling his longest drought since a 13-game run in June of 2010. Last year’s major league-leader with 54 home runs has also gone 11 games without an extra-base hit.
• McCoy became the fifth position player in Blue Jays franchise history to pitch in a game, the first since Frank Menechino on Aug. 28, 2004.
• Varitek, 39, had his first four-RBI game since April 26, 2010, in a 13-12 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.

TORONTO – John Lackey made up for a terrible first start in Toronto this season, No. 9 hitter Jason Varitek homered and drove in four runs and the Boston Red Sox routed the Toronto Blue Jays 16-4 on Saturday.

Lackey (4-5) delivered six strong innings in his second start since going on the disabled list after giving up nine runs in 6 2-3 innings against the Blue Jays on May 11.

The right-hander was charged with four runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out a season-high eight.

David Oritz hit a three-run homer and Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs as Boston amassed 18 hits. The Red Sox batted around twice and every starter drove in at least one run in piling up the most runs allowed by the Blue Jays this season.

Things got so bad for Toronto, utility man Mike McCoy pitched the ninth inning.

McCoy, who had started at second base in place of Aaron Hill, pitched a perfect inning.

Varitek ended a horrible afternoon for Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow (2-4) with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth that made it 9-2.

Morrow gave up a career-worst nine earned runs, 10 hits and three walks in just 4 1-3 innings, the 26-year-old’s shortest outing of the season.

Blue Jays trainers checked on Morrow in the top of the second after he was hit on the back of his right leg by a line drive off the bat of ex-Blue Jay Marco Scutaro.

Reliever Jason Frasor took over with one out in the fifth but fared little better.

He surrendered a hit and a walk before Ortiz hit his 16th homer of the season that stretched Boston’s lead to 12-2.

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the top of the third as five straight Red Sox reached with one out, batting around for the first time.

Back-to-back singles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia set up Adrian Gonzalez, who roped a double to right that scored Ellsbury.

The hit gave the first baseman at least one RBI in eight straight games, extending a new career high he set on Friday when Boston won the series opener 5-1.

Morrow then loaded the bases by intentionally walking Ortiz — after a first-inning single was 5 for 8 in his career against the right-hander — to face Jed Lowrie, who had never faced Morrow before popping up to end the first.

The move backfired. Morrow hit Lowrie with a pitch to force in a run that made it 2-0.

Carl Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to left before Scutaro hit an RBI single up the middle.

Pedroia had a one-out RBI double in the fourth and two-run double in the eighth. Rajai Davis snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a two-run double that cut Boston’s lead to 5-2 in the fourth.

Edwin Encarnacion’s second home run of the season, a two-run shot off Lackey in the sixth, scored Toronto’s only other runs.

NOTES: Francona said that with a scheduled off day on Monday, he rested Kevin Youkilis Saturday so the third baseman could have extra rest. “He’s just a little beat up, day game after a night game,” Francona said. Shortstop Yunel Escobar returned to Toronto’s lineup after missing two games because of soreness in his left quadriceps. Saturday’s announced crowd of 39,437 marked the first time Toronto drew more than 30,000 since their season-opening series against Minnesota. Ellsbury’s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to nine games. … AL home run leader Jose Bautista failed to homer for a 13th straight game, equaling his longest drought since a 13-game run in June of 2010. Last year’s major league-leader with 54 home runs has also gone 11 games without an extra-base hit. McCoy became the fifth position player in Blue Jays franchise history to pitch in a game, the first since Frank Menechino on Aug. 28, 2004. Varitek, 39, enjoyed his first four RBI game since last April 26 in a 13-12 win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.

TORONTO (Sports Network) — The Boston Red Sox take aim at their seventh straight win this evening when they open a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Boston took all three games from its most recent set with the New York Yankees, capping the sweep by scoring seven runs in the seventh inning in an 8-3 win on Thursday after waiting out a three-hour, 27-minute rain delay at Yankee Stadium.

David Ortiz scored the first run of the seventh and capped it with a two-run double, as Boston improved to 8-1 in the season series against its American League East rival.

“He feels good about himself, and he should,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Ortiz, who is hitting .326 with 15 homers and 36 RBIs.

Josh Beckett (5-2) continued his strong start to the season by allowing just two runs — on Curtis Granderson’s homer in the first — over seven innings. He gave four hits and two walks and improved to 3-0 against New York this year.

Tonight, the Red Sox turn to righty Clay Buchholz, who is 4-3 with a 3.82 ERA. Buchholz received his fourth straight no-decision on Friday against Oakland, but was awful in allowing six runs (five earned) and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings of his team’s 8-6 win.

Buchholz didn’t get a decision versus the Jays earlier in the year and is 6-3 lifetime against them with a 2.73 ERA.

Toronto, meanwhile, will counter with lefty Jo-Jo Reyes, who has won his last two starts after tying a dubious major league record by going 28 straight starts without a victory.

Reyes followed up a complete game win on May 30 to beat the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, holding them to three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 frames. He is 2-4 on the year with a 4.16 ERA.

“It didn’t bother me before, but I have to keep the same mind-set and just go out there and take it pitch by pitch,” Reyes said of the streak. “As long as I keep up the quality starts, [wins] are going to keep on coming.”

Reyes lost to the Red Sox earlier in the year, surrendering four runs in just three innings, in his only other appearance against them.

Toronto was denied a three-game sweep over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, as it dropped the finale at Kauffman Stadium, 3-2.

J.P. Arencibia accounted for the offense with a two-run triple for Toronto, which has split its last eight games.

Ricky Romero (5-6) was the hard-luck loser despite tossing his fifth career complete game. The left-hander surrendered three runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out four in eight frames.

“They bunched their hits together to score the three runs on a couple of pitches that were up in the strike zone,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. “Yet we answer right back with two of our own and still created a couple of legitimate scoring opportunities in the last two innings and yet the win is elusive as we stand here right now.”

Toronto has split its six games with the Red Sox this season.

 

The Sports Network

Jo-Jo Reyes shares one of the most dubious marks in baseball history. His past two starts for the Toronto Blue Jays have made it seem like a distant memory.

However, winning a career-high third straight outing promises to be difficult against the streaking Boston Red Sox.

Reyes takes the mound Friday night for the series opener against visiting Boston, which is in search of its seventh consecutive win.

Reyes (2-4, 4.16 ERA) tied Matt Keough’s major league record of 28 consecutive winless starts May 25 when he fell to the New York Yankees. After a complete-game victory May 30 against Cleveland, the left-hander beat Baltimore 7-4 on Sunday while allowing three runs in 6 1-3 innings.

“It felt good (Sunday), and as long as I keep up the quality starts I know (a winning streak) going to come,” Reyes said.

He’s never won three straight and his last outing against Boston on April 16 didn’t go so well, giving up four runs in three innings of a 4-1 loss. It likely won’t be any easier this time around with the Red Sox (36-26) clicking offensively.

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Boston completed a three-game sweep of the rival Yankees on Thursday with an 8-3 victory, the team’s sixth straight. The Red Sox have scored at least six runs in each victory during their surge, and six different players had an RBI in the series finale.

Boston broke the game open with a seven-run seventh inning. Adrian Gonzalez, who is 3 for 6 with four walks against Reyes, drove in two runs and scored another.

David Ortiz singled to start the pivotal seventh, and capped the rally with a two-run double. The veteran slugger is batting .471 with four homers, five doubles and 12 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak.

“He feels good about himself, and he should,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.

Clay Buchholz (4-3, 3.82 ERA) looks to keep the Red Sox rolling by continuing his dominance of the Blue Jays (32-31). Buchholz is 6-1 with a 2.42 ERA in his last eight starts against Toronto, but didn’t earn a decision April 15 after allowing three runs in five innings.

The right-hander also hasn’t factored into the decision of his last four overall outings. He gave up six runs in 4 2-3 innings last Friday against Oakland, but Boston rallied to win 8-6.

Buchholz will face an inconsistent Toronto offence which is coming off a 3-2 loss Thursday against Kansas City. The Blue Jays sandwiched eight- and nine-run performances between a pair of losses in which they scored twice, splitting the four-game set with the Royals.

Toronto left the bases loaded in the ninth inning Thursday.

Adam Lind continued his hot stretch with three hits, improving to 9 for 18 with four home runs and 10 RBIs over his last five games. The first baseman is 9 for 26 with two homers lifetime against Buchholz.

Jose Bautista walked Thursday, reaching base safely for the 52nd time in 55 games. He’s hitting .231 over his last eight games, however, and the slugger is 5 for 27 in his last seven games against Boston.

The Blue Jays and Red Sox have split six meetings this season.

Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia sat out Thursday’s game with a bone bruise on his right kneecap. His status for Friday is unclear.

Vega

Major League Baseball teams didn’t draft Chino Vega a year ago out of Trinity Christian.

But on Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays were more than happy to take Jorge Vega-Rosado in the 28th round of the first-year player draft.

“(Jorge Vega-Rosado is) my birth name,” Vega-Rosado said in a phone interview Thursday.

“Anybody who knows me, knows me as Chino (Vega). Only my college professors and people like that called me Jorge Vega-Rosado.

Vega-Rosado grew up as Chino Vega, but when he arrived at Miami-Dade South College, he told the school his birth name was Jorge Vega-Rosado.

As a youngster, his family decided to drop his mother’s maiden name, Rosado, from his last name.

Vega-Rosado said he was hanging out at home Wednesday when he got the call from the Blue Jays.

“I was with one of my old teammates, Jose Garcia,” he said. “We were at the field practicing and saying, ‘What if we got drafted?’ Then, the Blue Jays called me, talked to me and started negotiating with me.”

For four seasons, the slick-fielding shortstop played high school baseball locally under the name. As a senior, he helped Trinity Christian to a Class 1A state title.

This year as a college freshman, he helped Miami-Dade South to a 33-18 record and significantly increased his draft stock.

“The Blue Jays’ guy had a good interest in him last year, but the whole deal with him is he’s just been a guy who’s slid in under the radar,” Trinity coach Bryan Maples said. “(Vega-Rosado) going down (to Miami-Dade South) and being the full-time shortstop and having a solid year was big for him.”

The Puerto Rican-born right-hander batted .357, scored 37 runs and tallied 36 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in his first — and last — season of college baseball.

Vega-Rosado was one of 10 shortstops the Blue Jays took in this year’s draft.

Vega-Rosado, however, said Toronto offered him around $200,000 to forego his final three college seasons and sign a professional contract.

“From what I hear from all accounts, he’s actually getting an outstanding offer. I was very shocked to hear what they offered,” Maples said. “I know he wanted to finish up school, but it’s a very good offer. The biggest concern about a guy being drafted that late in a fielding position is you just kind of hope that he gets the fair chance that he deserves.”

It’s an option Vega-Rosado sought a year ago out of high school, but despite tallying solid numbers — .505 batting average, 25 RBIs, 43 runs, five homers and 13 doubles — and impressing at the state Final Four the draft came and went without his name being called.

He originally committed to play for Florida International, but after falling just short academically he landed at Miami-Dade South.

“It was all academics and I didn’t have enough credits since I transferred (from Pine Ridge) to a private school (for his final high school season),” Vega-Rosado said. “Miami-Dade saw me playing ball in the summer and FIU didn’t work out. It was a good season. I don’t regret anything.”

Apparently, one college season was all the pros needed to see as Toronto took Vega-Rosado with the 859th pick overall. One of 55 players that the Jays selected, he was the 18th pick of the 28th round.

Toronto’s offer was so generous that Vega-Rosado plans to sign a professional contract in Clearwater on Saturday and attend a four-day camp there before flying to Vancouver to finish off the Jays’ short-A season.

“I’m most likely going to sign and start my pro ball career,” Vega-Rosado said. “I’m excited. It’s going to be tough.”

CBSSports.com wire reports
June 9, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a long, tough homestand, Jeff Francoeur is ready to hit the road.

With Francoeur driving in two runs and Luke Hochevar pitching seven effective innings, the Kansas City Royals ended their longest stretch of home games Thursday with a 3-2 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was only their fourth victory in the 11-game stand at Kauffman Stadium.

Now the Royals will open a nine-game trip Friday night against the Angels.

“Maybe this will be good for us, to kind of get out on the road for a while and get away,” Francoeur said. “The homestand started out great, went sour, and then we finished on a nice, positive note.”

Hochevar (4-6) won for the first time in seven starts and the Royals survived Joakim Soria’s shaky ninth to split the four-game series with Toronto.

Soria, reclaiming the closer role he lost May 30 after back-to-back blown saves, loaded the bases in the ninth but got his eighth save in 13 opportunities.

“It’s never easy,” Soria said. “The last couple outings, I was pitching good. This was a tough one. We got the win, That’s all that matters.”

In a move that’s certain to have fans stirring, the Royals announced after the game they were bringing up third baseman Mike Moustakas, their 2007 first-round draft pick, and letting him make his much-anticipated major league debut against the Angels. He’ll also be reunited with first baseman Eric Hosmer, the 2008 first-round pick who was brought up on May 6 and has been the Royals’ best hitter.

“I’m really excited. One of my best friends in professional baseball,” Hosmer said. “It’s going to be fun. We’ve been texting back and forth.”

Edwin Encarnacion and Juan Rivera hit one-out singles off Soria, a two-time All-Star, then Mike McCoy, after being down 0-2, drew his fourth walk of the day to load the bases with two outs. But Soria got Corey Patterson on an infield popup, giving the Royals their fifth victory in 19 games.

Hochevar allowed two runs in the fourth but nothing else in seven innings. The right-hander gave up six hits, walked three and struck out three for his first victory in seven starts since May 1.

“You never want to go through those stretches,” Hochevar said. “Sometimes they happen. You’ve just got to battle through them and stay positive and continue to pound the strike zone and do what you do.”

Ricky Romero (5-6) pitched an eight-inning complete game for Toronto, allowing three runs on eight hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.

“I hate losing, bottom line, if I got beat by 10 runs or one run,” Romero said. “I’m a competitor. I have heart. I take a lot of pride in that. I hate losing. It’s unfortunate we lost. It stinks.”

Alcides Escobar singled in the third and scored the first run on Hosmer’s soft single into right. Hosmer has hit safely in 10 of his past 11 games.

Melky Cabrera then reached on a fielder’s choice and Francoeur rifled a two-run single into right as the Royals kept the Blue Jays from winning a series in Kansas City for the first time since 2003.

Francoeur was out at the plate on a strong throw from Jose Bautista after Billy Butler singled into right.

In the Blue Jays’ second, Bautista reached on a fielder’s choice, Adam Lind singled and J.P. Arencibia tripled into left field. Mitch Maier made a leap for the ball, but it hit the wall and bounced back toward center field as Lind and Bautista scored.

Aaron Hill walked, but Hochevar retired Encarnacion on a fly ball to end the inning.

The Blue Jays had runners at second and third with two out in the eighth. but Aaron Crow coaxed a grounder out of Arencibia.

Lind was 3 for 4, all singles.

Notes

• Infielder Mike Aviles is going down to Omaha.
• Toronto’s Jose Bautista has reached safely in 52 of his 55 games.
• Maier started in left field and led off for the Royals for the first time this year.
• Royals have played 16 games in a stretch of 20 days.
• Aviles was caught too far off first base in the second inning and thrown out by Romero.
• A victory would have put Toronto three games over .500 for the first time since April 8.

CBSSports.com wire reports
June 9, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jeff Francoeur drove in two runs, helping Luke Hochevar win for the first time in seven starts, and the Kansas City Royals survived Joakim Soria’s shaky ninth to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Wednesday.

Soria, reclaiming the closer role he lost May 30 after back-to-back blown saves, loaded the bases in the ninth but got his eighth save in 13 opportunities.

Edwin Incarnation and Raja Davis hit one-out singles off the two-time All-Star, then Mike McCoy, after being down 0-2, drew his fourth walk of the day to load the bases with two out. But Soria got Corey Patterson on an infield popup, giving the Royals their fifth win in 19 games.

Hochevar (4-6) allowed two runs in the fourth but nothing else in seven innings. The right-hander gave up six hits, walked three and struck out three for his first win in seven starts since May 1. He did not give up a home run for the fourth straight start after allowing 13 in his first 10 outings.

Ricky Romero (5-6) pitched an eight-inning complete game for Toronto, allowing three runs on eight hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.

Alcides Escobar singled in the third and scored the first run on rookie Eric Hosmer’s soft single into right. Hosmer has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games.

Melky Cabrera then reached on a fielder’s choice and Francoeur rifled a two-run single into right as the Royals completed a season-high 11-game homestand with a 4-7 record and kept the Blue Jays from winning a series in Kansas City for the first time since 2003.

Francoeur was out at the plate on a strong throw from Jose Bautista after Billy Butler singled into right.

In the Blue Jays’ second, Bautista reached on a fielder’s choice, Adam Lind singled and J.P. Arencibia tripled into left field. Mitch Maier made a leap for the ball, but it hit the wall and bounced back toward center field as Line and Bautista scored.

Aaron Hill walked, but Hochevar retired Encarnacion on a fly ball to end the inning.

The Blue Jays had runners at second and third with two out in the eighth. but Aaron Crow coaxed a grounder out of Arencibia.

Lind was 3 for 4, all singles.

Notes

Toronto’s Jose Bautista has reached safely in 52 of his 55 games. … Maier started in left field and led off for the Royals for the first time this year. … Royals have played 16 games in a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. … Mike Aviles was caught too far off first base in the second inning and thrown out by Romero. … A victory would have put Toronto three games over .500 for the first time since April 8.

AP Photo/Orlin Wagner

Kansas City Royals’ Billy Butler, right, is forced out at second by Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill during the second inning of a baseball game, Thursday, June 9, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo.

Ricky Romero’s one bad inning wasn’t really all that bad.
Romero gave up three runs on four hits in the third inning and that was enough for the Kansas City Royals to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Thursday to earn a split in the four-game series.
The Royals’ three-run third also included Matt Treanor’s being hit by a pitch and a Jose Bautista throwing error. None of the Royals’ hits was hard. Alcides Escobar had a leadoff infield single and Eric Hosmer and Jeff Francoeur singled to right.
“They bunched their hits together,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. “We have an overthrow that gives them an extra base. Still, Ricky minimized it to three and seemed to get in a very good groove and became much more efficient with his overall pitch mix and pitched a very good game. Most days that’s good enough for a win, but (not) today.”
Romero said the only pitch he would want back that inning was a 2-2 cutter that hit Treanor.
“Other than that, I made my pitches,” Romero said. “I hit my spots every time that inning. They got the bloop singles. There’s nothing I can do. That’s baseball. When it’s not going our way, it’s not going our way. That was the case today.”
Romero (5-6) went the distance and has a 3.18 ERA, allowing three runs on eight hits, two walks and two hit batters in eight innings to take the loss.
“I hate losing, bottom line, if I got beat by 10 run or one run,” Romero said. “I have heart. I take a lot of pride in that. It’s unfortunate we lost. It stinks.”
The Blue Jays stranded five runners in the final two innings, including leaving the bases loaded in the ninth off Joakim Soria.
“We still created a couple of legitimate scoring opportunities in the last two innings, yet the one hit was elusive,” Farrell said. “We still created a couple of legitimate scoring opportunities in the last two innings, yet the one hit was elusive.”
Francoeur drove in two runs, helping Luke Hochevar win for the first time in seven starts. Soria, reclaiming the closer role he lost May 30 after back-to-back blown saves, got his eighth save in 13 opportunities.
Edwin Encarnacion and Juan Rivera hit one-out singles off the two-time All-Star, then Mike McCoy, after being down 0-2, drew his fourth walk of the day to load the bases with two out. But Soria got Corey Patterson on an infield popup, giving the Royals their fifth win in 19 games.
Hochevar (4-6) allowed two runs in the fourth but nothing else in seven innings. The right-hander gave up six hits, walked three and struck out three for his first win in seven starts since May 1. He did not give up a home run for the fourth straight start after allowing 13 in his first 10 outings.
The Royals completed a season-high 11-game homestand with a 4-7 record and kept the Blue Jays from winning a series in Kansas City for the first time since 2003.
In the Blue Jays’ second, Bautista reached on a fielder’s choice, Adam Lind singled and J.P. Arencibia tripled into left field. Mitch Maier made a leap for the ball, but it hit the wall and bounced back toward center field as Lind and Bautista scored.
Aaron Hill walked, but Hochevar retired Encarnacion on a fly ball to end the inning.
The Blue Jays had runners at second and third with two out in the eighth. but Aaron Crow coaxed a grounder out of Arencibia.
Lind was 3 for 4, all singles, while Mike McCoy tied a Blue Jays record by walking four times.
NOTES: Bautista, who has not homered in 11 games, has reached safely in 52 of his 55 games. … Maier started in left field and led off for the Royals for the first time this year. … Royals have played 16 games in a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. … Mike Aviles was caught too far off first base in the second inning and thrown out by Romero. … A victory would have put Toronto three games over .500 for the first time since April 8.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Ricky Romero’s one bad inning wasn’t really all that bad.

Romero gave up three runs on four hits in the third inning and that was enough for the Kansas City Royals to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Thursday to earn a split in the four-game series.

The Royals’ three-run third also included Matt Treanor’s being hit by a pitch and a Jose Bautista throwing error. None of the Royals’ hits was hard. Alcides Escobar had a leadoff infield single and Eric Hosmer and Jeff Francoeur singled to right.

“They bunched their hits together,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. “We have an overthrow that gives them an extra base. Still, Ricky minimized it to three and seemed to get in a very good groove and became much more efficient with his overall pitch mix and pitched a very good game. Most days that’s good enough for a win, but (not) today.”

Romero said the only pitch he would want back that inning was a 2-2 cutter that hit Treanor.

“Other than that, I made my pitches,” Romero said. “I hit my spots every time that inning. They got the bloop singles. There’s nothing I can do. That’s baseball. When it’s not going our way, it’s not going our way. That was the case today.”

Romero (5-6) went the distance and has a 3.18 ERA, allowing three runs on eight hits, two walks and two hit batters in eight innings to take the loss.

“I hate losing, bottom line, if I got beat by 10 run or one run,” Romero said. “I have heart. I take a lot of pride in that. It’s unfortunate we lost. It stinks.”

The Blue Jays stranded five runners in the final two innings, including leaving the bases loaded in the ninth off Joakim Soria.

“We still created a couple of legitimate scoring opportunities in the last two innings, yet the one hit was elusive,” Farrell said. “We still created a couple of legitimate scoring opportunities in the last two innings, yet the one hit was elusive.”

Francoeur drove in two runs, helping Luke Hochevar win for the first time in seven starts. Soria, reclaiming the closer role he lost May 30 after back-to-back blown saves, got his eighth save in 13 opportunities.

Edwin Encarnacion and Juan Rivera hit one-out singles off the two-time All-Star, then Mike McCoy, after being down 0-2, drew his fourth walk of the day to load the bases with two out. But Soria got Corey Patterson on an infield popup, giving the Royals their fifth win in 19 games.

Hochevar (4-6) allowed two runs in the fourth but nothing else in seven innings. The right-hander gave up six hits, walked three and struck out three for his first win in seven starts since May 1. He did not give up a home run for the fourth straight start after allowing 13 in his first 10 outings.

The Royals completed a season-high 11-game homestand with a 4-7 record and kept the Blue Jays from winning a series in Kansas City for the first time since 2003.

In the Blue Jays’ second, Bautista reached on a fielder’s choice, Adam Lind singled and J.P. Arencibia tripled into left field. Mitch Maier made a leap for the ball, but it hit the wall and bounced back toward center field as Lind and Bautista scored.

Aaron Hill walked, but Hochevar retired Encarnacion on a fly ball to end the inning.

The Blue Jays had runners at second and third with two out in the eighth. but Aaron Crow coaxed a grounder out of Arencibia.

Lind was 3 for 4, all singles, while Mike McCoy tied a Blue Jays record by walking four times.

NOTES: Bautista, who has not homered in 11 games, has reached safely in 52 of his 55 games. … Maier started in left field and led off for the Royals for the first time this year. … Royals have played 16 games in a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. … Mike Aviles was caught too far off first base in the second inning and thrown out by Romero. … A victory would have put Toronto three games over .500 for the first time since April 8.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jeff Francoeur drove in two runs, helping Luke Hochevar win for the first time in seven starts, and the Kansas City Royals survived Joakim Soria’s shaky ninth to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Thursday.

Soria, reclaiming the closer role he lost May 30 after back-to-back blown saves, loaded the bases in the ninth but got his eighth save in 13 opportunities.

Edwin Encarnacion and Rajai Davis hit one-out singles off the two-time all-star, then Mike McCoy, after being down 0-2, drew his fourth walk of the day to load the bases with two out. But Soria got Corey Patterson on an infield popup, giving the Royals their fifth win in 19 games.

Hochevar (4-6) allowed two runs in the fourth but nothing else in seven innings. The right-hander gave up six hits, walked three and struck out three for his first win in seven starts since May 1. He did not give up a home run for the fourth straight start after allowing 13 in his first 10 outings.

Ricky Romero (5-6) pitched an eight-inning complete game for Toronto, allowing three runs on eight hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.

Alcides Escobar singled in the third and scored the first run on rookie Eric Hosmer’s soft single into right. Hosmer has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games.

Melky Cabrera then reached on a fielder’s choice and Francoeur rifled a two-run single into right as the Royals completed a season-high 11-game homestand with a 4-7 record and kept the Blue Jays from winning a series in Kansas City for the first time since 2003.

Francoeur was out at the plate on a strong throw from Jose Bautista after Billy Butler singled into right.

In the Blue Jays’ second, Bautista reached on a fielder’s choice, Adam Lind singled and J.P. Arencibia tripled into left field. Mitch Maier made a leap for the ball, but it hit the wall and bounced back toward centre field as Lind and Bautista scored.

Aaron Hill walked, but Hochevar retired Encarnacion on a fly ball to end the inning.

The Blue Jays had runners at second and third with two out in the eighth. but Aaron Crow coaxed a grounder out of Arencibia.

Lind was 3 for 4, all singles.

NOTES: Bautista has reached safely in 52 of his 55 games. … Maier started in left field and led off for the Royals for the first time this year. … Royals have played 16 games in a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. … Mike Aviles was caught too far off first base in the second inning and thrown out by Romero. … A victory would have put Toronto three games over .500 for the first time since April 8.

Blue Jays’ Adam Lind, left, seen receiving congratulations from teammate J.P. Arencibia, after his two-run homer Tuesday night, has 10 RBIs in five games since returning from a back injury. (G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

Adam Lind appears to be making up for lost time after a sore lower back kept him out of action for nearly a month.

A healthy Lind will try to continue his power surge Thursday for the Toronto Blue Jays as they seek a third straight win over the Kansas City Royals to cap a four-game series. First pitch is 3:10 p.m. CT.

In five games since rejoining the team, Lind has gone 6-for-17, but four of those hits have been home runs. Lind, who also has 10 runs batted in during that time, launched his second career grand slam Wednesday to lift the Blue Jays to a 9-8 win.

“He’s got power and driving in runs and hitting for average as well. The fact he’s in the lineup is a huge difference. He’s a great hitter. He’s proven it before and he’s proving it again,” said Blue Jays right-fielder Jose Bautista, who hasn’t homered in 10 games but continues to lead the majors with 20.

Jayson Nix added a three-run homer and Corey Patterson had his second four-hit game of the year as Toronto improved to 4-2 heading into the finale of its road trip.

Coming off one of his worst efforts in 2011, Ricky Romero (5-5, 3.16 earned-run average) gets the start for the Blue Jays. The left-hander surrendered five runs and a season-high 11 hits — including Mark Reynolds’ first career slam — over 7 2/3 innings Saturday as Toronto lost 5-3 in Baltimore.

“You can have your best stuff out there and it can still work against you. One pitch can cost you the game,” said Romero after his first loss in five starts.

Kansas City debut

Romero, who has never pitched in Kansas City, defeated the Royals on June 5, 2009, in Toronto.

Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler hit three-run homers and Alex Gordon had two hits and two RBIs Wednesday for Kansas City (26-36), which has dropped six of seven.

Rookie star Eric Hosmer was held without a hit, but is batting .381 with seven multi-hit contests during the Royals’ season-high 11-game homestand.

Kansas City will next go with Luke Hochevar (3-6, 5.25). The right-hander, who lost six games last season, is 0-3 with a 4.99 ERA in six starts since beating Minnesota on May 1.

Hochevar was tagged for six runs and 11 hits in six innings of the Royals’ 7-2 loss to the Twins on Saturday.

“You look at Hochevar’s line and he pitched a lot better than his line would indicate,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “…[Hochevar] was frustrated after the game.”

Hochevar is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA against the Blue Jays heading into his first start against them since June 6, 2009.

Toronto (32-30) should have catcher J.P. Arencibia back in the lineup after taking a foul tip Tuesday. Arencibia is tied for second among all rookies with 10 home runs.