Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox Box Score on Sep 26, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Sep 27, 2017

BOSTON -- Chris Sale was hammered for four home runs in five innings, and the Toronto Blue Jays played the role of spoiler for a second straight night in a 9-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

Josh Donaldson hit two solo homers, Teoscar Hernandez delivered one, and Kendrys Morales belted a two-run shot off Sale.

Hernandez added a three-run homer in the eighth inning, and J.A. Happ pitched seven strong innings to keep the Red Sox from moving closer to their second straight American League East title.

Boston's lead over the New York Yankees was trimmed to three games with five to play.

Sale (17-8) came in 3-0 with 22 scoreless innings against Toronto this season and needing 14 strikeouts to break Pedro Martinez's club record of 313. He got eight of them.

How much he pitches in his next start, Sunday, depends on the standings situation, but he is expected to at least start the game against the Houston Astros.

The loss dropped him to 2-2 this September and to 11-16 in career in September/October.

Happ (10-11) gave up a run before he got an out but then retired 16 straight before giving up a pair of singles in the sixth inning. He pitched out of that jam and struck out three of his last four hitters, and nine total.

In seven innings, he yielded a run on four hits and no walks with nine strikeouts.

Donaldson hit his 32nd and 33rd homers of the season, but his 23rd and 24th since the All-Star break, tops in the major leagues. Hernandez hit his fourth and fifth homers in the past five games. He has two multi-homer games this month. Hernandez has seven homers and 18 RBIs in 22 games for the Blue Jays.

Ryan Goins added a pinch RBI single in a four-run eighth inning for Toronto.

Sandy Leon greeted reliever Matt Dermody with a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth. The Red Sox added two more runs on a pinch double by Rajai Davis and an RBI single by Hanley Ramirez.

Donaldson had three hits for Toronto for the second straight night. Kevin Pillar also had three hits.

Boston's Chris Young had a single, a double and a triple in the loss.

The Red Sox lead the season series with Toronto 12-6, going 8-1 in Toronto and only 4-5 at Fenway Park.

Donaldson got the Jays going for the second straight night when he homered with one out in the first. Then, after Sale stranded a pair of runners in the second, Donaldson led off the third with his 33rd home run of the season.

The Red Sox scored a run in the bottom of the first when Xander Bogaerts singled and rode home on Young's double.

Donaldson made it 2-1 in the third and Hernandez went deep in the fifth to make it 3-1. Later in the inning, Jose Bautista doubled and scored when Morales unloaded, putting Toronto ahead 5-1 and leaving the crowd stunned.

Sale was done after five innings, having allowed five runs, eight hits and two walks.

NOTES: RF Mookie Betts (wrist), DH/INF Eduardo Nunez (knee) and 2B Dustin Pedroia (knee) were all missing from the Red Sox lineup and all were considered day-to-day. Betts had tests on his left wrist Tuesday that came out negative. ... Boston LF Andrew Benintendi fouled two balls off his right leg in the same at-bat but stayed in the game. ... Toronto 3B Josh Donaldson hit his 15th first-inning home run of the season, breaking a tie with Giancarlo Stanton for the major league lead. ... Toronto LHP Brett Anderson, who got the win Monday night, said: "You don't want a team to clinch in your face." ... Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello (10-17, 4.55 ERA), who leads the majors with 17 losses and the American League with 229 hits allowed, closes the series against Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (10-8, 4.70), who brings a three-start winning streak and an eight-start unbeaten streak (5-0) into Wednesday night's series finale.