TORONTO — Trent Thornton and three others combined on a two-hitter, Teoscar Hernández and Rowdy Tellez homered, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 8-0 Wednesday night.
The slumping Red Sox have lost five straight. They had just four baserunners, and none advanced past second base.
Thornton (5-9) followed an opener with five hitless innings, walking one and striking out seven in his first career relief appearance. He is the second pitcher in Blue Jays history to pitch five hitless innings of relief. Right-hander Roy Lee Jackson did it against Minnesota on Sept. 28, 1982.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had three RBI and Cavan Biggio had two hits and scored twice as the Blue Jays won their second straight following a season-long seven game losing streak.
Rafael Devers and Brock Holt each had singles for the Red Sox, who were blanked for the second time in three games. Boston also failed to get an extra-base hit, ending a 159-game streak that was as the fourth longest in baseball history.
Blue Jays opener Wilmer Font allowed a hit during the first two innings, and Jason Adam and Ryan Tepera pitched an inning each after Thornton.
Toronto first baseman Brandon Drury made a diving play on Devers’ hard grounder down the line in the ninth, throwing to second to force out Chris Owings.
Held hitless through the first three innings, the Blue Jays scored twice in the fourth against right-hander Trevor Kelley (0-1). Biggio reached on a bloop double and stole third before scoring on Guerrero’s sacrifice fly. Tellez followed with a drive to right, his 19th and seventh in 11 games against the Red Sox. Tellez hit a go-ahead two-run homer in Toronto’s 4-3 win Tuesday.
Toronto scored six more in a bat-around fifth against a trio of relievers, with six of seven batters getting hits at one stretch. Guerrero hit a two-run single off Ryan Weber, Randal Grichuk hit a two-run double off Travis Lakins, and Hernandez capped it with a drive to left, his 22nd, also off Lakins
Left-hander Bobby Poyner opened for the Red Sox, the first start of his big league career and just his fourth as a professional. Poyner struck out two in two perfect innings.
INTERLEAGUE
ORIOLES 7, DODGERS 3: Jonathan Villar hit a tiebreaking, record-setting three-run homer in the seventh inning, and Baltimore beat visiting Los Angeles to end a six-game losing streak.
Villar’s drive off Caleb Ferguson (1-2) was the 6,106th in the majors this season, breaking the previous mark of 6,105 in 2017. The milestone shot came on a fastball that
Villar sent deep into the left-field seats to snap a 2-2 deadlock.
Pedro Severino added a two-run drive in the eighth.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BREWERS 7, MARLINS 5: Mike Moustakas homered twice, including a tiebreaking, two-run shot in the ninth inning as Milwaukee won at Miami.
The Brewers won their sixth in a row. They began the day one game behind Chicago for the second NL wild-card spot.
It was 5-all when Moustakas drove a fastball from Miami reliever Jose Urena (4-9) into the upper deck in right-center field for his 33rd homer. Urena retired the first two hitters before he walked Yasmani Grandal.
METS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 0: Todd Frazier and Jeff McNeil each homered twice, helping surging New York stun Diamondbacks ace Robbie Ray and beat visiting Arizona.
The Mets (75-70) have won the first three games of the pivotal four-game series to move past Arizona (75-71) in the race for the second NL wild card. New York entered Wednesday three games behind the Chicago Cubs, who played later Wednesday at San Diego.
Arizona has lost four straight since going 11-1 to rush back into the NL playoff picture.
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