TORONTO — Adam Loewen picked a fine time to collect his first souvenir as a major-league hitter.

On his first day in the big leagues as an outfielder, the former pitcher whacked a sharp single to help spark an eighth-inning uprising that lifted the Toronto Blue Jays to an 11-10 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Boston pitcher Daniel Bard hit a batter and gave up Loewen’s first major-league hit to put runners at the corners. Three walks later, Toronto pulled into an 8-8 tie. Edwin Encarnacion followed with a three-run double off Matt Albers.

The Red Sox scored two in the ninth off Frank Francisco, who staggered to his 13th save.

“I grew up watching the Blue Jays and wanting to play for the Blue Jays,” Loewen said. “I think any Canadian kid back at home dreams the same thing, and for it to actually come true is an unbelievable feeling.”

A native of Surrey, B.C., Loewen was a left-handed pitcher for Baltimore before injuries ended that phase of his career in 2008. He spent three seasons in the minors making a comeback as an outfielder before his callup from Triple-A on Wednesday.

Loewen went 1-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. He played right field while Jose Bautista served as the designated hitter.

The Jays’ late surge took starting pitcher Brandon Morrow off the hook after an ugly outing in which he gave up eight runs in 4 1/3 innings.

It also deprived Tim Wakefield of his 200th career victory in his seventh try. Wakefield left with an 8-5 lead after five innings.

Encarnacion matched his career high with five RBIs. J.P. Arencibia hit his 21st home run, setting a franchise record for a catcher.

Loewen also made two running catches in right field. He said he was nervous as game time approached, but quickly calmed down in the first inning.

“The hit was probably the biggest thrill for me, just to get it out of the way, because once that’s over with I can kind of relax and not worry about it,” he said. “The best thing for us is that we won the game.”

The game ended when catcher Jose Molina, who entered the game in the ninth, threw out pinch-runner Mike Aviles trying to steal second. Aviles represented the tying run, prompting Jays manager John Farrell to call the move “somewhat uncharacteristic of the Red Sox.”

Farrell praised his hitters for their “relentless approach,” especially as they battled Bard in the eighth. He saved his highest praise for the plate discipline of Eric Thames, a notorious free swinger who was down 0-2 before drawing a bases-loaded walk.

“To me, that’s a huge step in his own personal growth,” Farrell said. “He has battled his own aggressiveness at times.”

A year ago, the Jays shut down Morrow early, protecting his prized right arm and allowing him to finish his first season as a starter on a high note.

Over his final four starts, he had posted a 3.21 ERA with 44 strikeouts. He fanned 17 in one of those games and 12 in another.

Morrow appeared ready to take another critical step forward this year. Some scouts believed he might eventually supplant Ricky Romero as Toronto’s ace.

Few have advanced that thesis lately. As the season winds down, Morrow is reeling rather than rolling.

He gave up eight hits and as many runs in 4 1/3 innings Wednesday night. Over his past nine starts, Morrow is 2-6 with a 6.66 ERA. He has surrendered 13 homers in that stretch.

“It’s been a really frustrating stretch of starts,” Morrow said.

His main problem was locating his fastball on the first-base side of the plate, he said.

Tired? “Not at all,” Morrow replied. “I feel good.”

Before the game, Farrell said the Jays have no plans to shut down Morrow early after confining him to 146 innings last season.

“We’d like to get him to 180-plus [innings], just to continue to push back his ceiling and his workload, see how he maintains that and physically how he comes through that,” Farrell said.

Morrow has averaged just under six innings per start, yet has also averaged more than 100 pitches. He tends to make critical errors on fastball location, as he did when Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz tagged him for homers worth a total of four runs.

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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow walks off the field following the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Toronto, Friday, Aug. 12, 2011. The Angels defeated the Blue Jays 5-1. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

Dunedin, FL (Sports Network) – The Toronto Blue Jays announced Wednesday that pitcher Brandon Morrow will begin the season on the disabled list with forearm inflammation.

Morrow, 26, made three spring training starts, going 2-0 while allowing one earned run and striking out 16 in 12 innings.

He went 10-7 with a 4.49 ERA in a career-high 26 starts last season, his first with the Blue Jays after coming over in a trade from Seattle. The right-hander recorded 178 strikeouts in 146 1/3 innings as he transitioned to a full-time starter.

Morrow lost a no-hitter with two out in the ninth inning on August 8 against Tampa Bay.

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In less than a week, the Toronto Blue Jays should know if a 14-year streak is going to continue.

The club has not gone to an arbitration hearing with a player since reliever Bill Risley in 1997. But the Jays have a major league-high nine players eligible this season and a team-imposed deadline of Tuesday to clear them from the books.

Toronto’s timeline shrunk last year when general manager Alex Anthopoulos said the team would not negotiate after salary figures were officially submitted for arbitration. That policy is expected to continue this season.

“That’s the impression that I’m under,” reliever Casey Janssen said from his offseason home in California. “I know Alex has talked about having deadlines – kind of encouraging things to get done – so I think he’s pretty comfortable with the file-and-trial system as well.”

Janssen, who went 5-2 with 3.67 ERA last year in his second season back from major shoulder problems, avoided a hearing in 2010 when he agreed to terms on a US$700,000 contract.

That was a raise from the US$414,000 he made in 2009. The right-hander should get a decent bump this year, whether or not his case goes to a hearing.

“It’s always exciting – one, the season, spring training, is right around the corner,” Janssen said. “And you don’t know how much, but I think most people that are arbitration-eligible are going to get some kind of raise, which is a nice perk.”

If the Jays and their arbitration-eligible players do not reach agreements over the next five days, the sides will submit salary numbers for 2011, then argue their cases before an arbitration panel. The arbitrators must pick one figure or the other.

That means millions of dollars will be at stake for the Blue Jays over the next few days.

Toronto’s biggest number will belong to Jose Bautista, who led the majors with 54 home runs in 2010. He could easily look to triple his US$2.4-million salary, although his history – the 30-year-old had never hit more than 16 home runs before – could also work against him.

Starting pitcher Brandon Morrow is heading into arbitration for the first time. A 10-game winner who struck out 178 batters in 146 1/3 innings and nearly threw a no-hitter, the 26-year-old Morrow will be looking for a significant raise on the US$410,000 he made in 2010.

Other Jays eligible for arbitration include shortstop Yunel Escobar, outfielder Rajai Davis and pitchers Shawn Camp, Jason Frasor, Jesse Litsch and Carlos Villanueva.

Camp enjoyed his best season as a Blue Jay in 2010, with a career-best 2.99 ERA, half a run lower than the previous year.

Escobar had a strong start with Toronto following a mid-season trade from Atlanta, before tailing off badly to end the season. He hit .275 in 60 games with Toronto, .258 from Sept. 1 on. Still, he is a starting player at a premium position and hit 14 home runs in 2009.

Davis stole 50 bases with Oakland last year and arrives in Toronto as the favourite to be the Jays’ new leadoff man. He is a career .281 hitter, but has a sub-par .330 on-base percentage.

jsandler@nationalpost.com

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In less than a week, the Toronto Blue Jays should know if a 14-year streak is going to continue.

The club has not gone to an arbitration hearing with a player since reliever Bill Risley in 1997. But the Jays have a major league-high nine players eligible this season and a team-imposed deadline of Tuesday to clear them from the books.

Toronto’s timeline shrunk last year when general manager Alex Anthopoulos said the team would not negotiate after salary figures were officially submitted for arbitration. That policy is expected to continue this season.

“That’s the impression that I’m under,” reliever Casey Janssen said from his offseason home in California. “I know Alex has talked about having deadlines – kind of encouraging things to get done – so I think he’s pretty comfortable with the file-and-trial system as well.”

Janssen, who went 5-2 with 3.67 ERA last year in his second season back from major shoulder problems, avoided a hearing in 2010 when he agreed to terms on a US$700,000 contract.

That was a raise from the US$414,000 he made in 2009. The right-hander should get a decent bump this year, whether or not his case goes to a hearing.

“It’s always exciting – one, the season, spring training, is right around the corner,” Janssen said. “And you don’t know how much, but I think most people that are arbitration-eligible are going to get some kind of raise, which is a nice perk.”

If the Jays and their arbitration-eligible players do not reach agreements over the next five days, the sides will submit salary numbers for 2011, then argue their cases before an arbitration panel. The arbitrators must pick one figure or the other.

That means millions of dollars will be at stake for the Blue Jays over the next few days.

Toronto’s biggest number will belong to Jose Bautista, who led the majors with 54 home runs in 2010. He could easily look to triple his US$2.4-million salary, although his history – the 30-year-old had never hit more than 16 home runs before – could also work against him.

Starting pitcher Brandon Morrow is heading into arbitration for the first time. A 10-game winner who struck out 178 batters in 146 1/3 innings and nearly threw a no-hitter, the 26-year-old Morrow will be looking for a significant raise on the US$410,000 he made in 2010.

Other Jays eligible for arbitration include shortstop Yunel Escobar, outfielder Rajai Davis and pitchers Shawn Camp, Jason Frasor, Jesse Litsch and Carlos Villanueva.

Camp enjoyed his best season as a Blue Jay in 2010, with a career-best 2.99 ERA, half a run lower than the previous year.

Escobar had a strong start with Toronto following a mid-season trade from Atlanta, before tailing off badly to end the season. He hit .275 in 60 games with Toronto, .258 from Sept. 1 on. Still, he is a starting player at a premium position and hit 14 home runs in 2009.

Davis stole 50 bases with Oakland last year and arrives in Toronto as the favourite to be the Jays’ new leadoff man. He is a career .281 hitter, but has a sub-par .330 on-base percentage.

jsandler@nationalpost.com

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