American League Game Summary - Toronto at Boston
Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Edwin Encarnacion hit two of Toronto's four home runs and accounted for four RBI, as the Blue Jays took down Boston by a 7-4 count in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday at Fenway Park.
Melky Cabrera ended up 4-for-5 with a solo homer, two runs batted in and three scored for the Jays, winners in six of their last eight. Erik Kratz also went deep for the victorious visitors.
"I think there's the same respect but I feel better if you want to know the truth," Toronto manager John Gibbons said of playing on the road against the defending champions. "We've been playing some good baseball lately."
J.A. Happ (3-1) allowed four runs on seven hits while fanning six and walking two over five-plus innings. Casey Janssen worked out of a jam in the ninth for his fourth save.
Jonny Gomes finished 3-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Red Sox, who have lost four in a row on their current homestand and six of their last seven overall. Dustin Pedroia and Jackie Bradley drove in a run each in defeat.
Felix Doubront (2-4) was tagged in the setback for five hits and as many runs while not surviving the fifth inning.
"During the game, I couldn't feel my shoulder," said Doubront, who admitted he felt numbness early in the contest. "It felt weird. I don't know if my whip or the release point was there. My arm speed wasn't there."
Despite a three-run cushion, Janssen got into trouble right away, allowing back-to-back singles from Pedroia and Shane Victorino. David Ortiz then ripped a ball just foul down the right-field line and well over the Pesky Pole on a 2-2 pitch, but fanned swinging for the first out.
"It was his power versus my power, my strength and let the best man win," Janssen recalled. "Thank goodness it went foul and I survived to get another pitch."
Mike Napoli then grounded into a game-ending 5-3 double play.
Toronto scored in three straight innings and led 6-0 after 4 1/2 frames. In the third, Cabrera doubled with one out and two batters later, Encarnacion launched a ball to left which cleared the Green Monster seats and advertisements with room to spare inside the left-field foul pole.
Dioner Navarro walked to start the Toronto fourth, and though erased on a double-play grounder, Kratz homered to the light tower in center to give the visitors a 3-0 edge.
Boston loaded the bases with one out in the home half on two walks and an infield hit, but Xander Bogaerts -- who had a tough night in the field with two errors -- grounded into a 5-2 double play to end the threat.
Jose Reyes started the fifth with a double, then came in on Cabrera's two- bagger to increase Toronto's lead to 4-0. Cabrera later crossed home on Encarnacion's second homer of the contest to make it a six-run spread.
Back-to-back RBI doubles from Bradley and Pedroia got the Red Sox on the board in the home half, but Cabrera hit the foul pole in right for a two-out solo shot in the sixth.
Happ was yanked after Napoli's infield single and Gomes' two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth which pulled the hosts within 7-4. Dustin McGowan allowed consecutive singles, but retired the next three batters in succession.