TORONTO — Dustin Pedroia had three hits and two RBIs, Rick Porcello pitched six innings to win his season debut and the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 on Saturday.
Jose Bautista hit a pair of two-run home runs, his first two of the season, but the Blue Jays lost their fourth straight.
Hanley Ramirez tripled home the tiebreaking run on a ball that bounced over Bautista’s head in the fifth. Ramirez later scored on a passed ball.
The Red Sox have scored at least six runs and finished with at least 10 hits in all four games this season, the third time in team history they’ve done so — along with 1950 and 1985.
Porcello (1-0) came in 4-7 with a 5.29 ERA in 12 career games against Toronto and overcame Bautista’s twin blasts to earn the victory. He allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.
Kojie Uehara worked the seventh and Robbie Ross Jr. handled the final two innings.
R.A. Dickey (1-1) allowed seven runs, six earned, and eight hits in five innings.
Bautista homered in the first to put the Blue Jays on top but Boston answered with three in the third. Pedroia drove in a run with a grounder before Xander Bogaerts and Travis Shaw each hit RBI doubles.
Bautista connected again in the bottom half, making to 4-3, but the Red Sox tied it in the fourth on Blake Swihart’s sacrifice fly.
It was the 29th multihomer game of Bautista’s career. Seeking a third home run, he walked in the fifth and flied out in the seventh.
With runners at first and second in the fifth, Ramirez lined a ball that bounced over Bautista’s head in right and was scored a two-run triple. Ramirez scored when catcher Josh Thole couldn’t handle Dickey’s first pitch to Pablo Sandoval. Thole finished with two passed balls and Dickey also had a wild pitch.
NOTES
Red Sox: Sandoval made his first start of the season at third base and Rusney Castillo made his first start in center field. David Ortiz got the day off. Manager John Farrell said Chris Young will make his first start of the season Sunday. … C Christian Vasquez (right elbow surgery) went 1 for 2 with a double and two walks in the first game of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket Friday. Vasquez is scheduled to catch the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.
Blue Jays: Donaldson (right calf) started at DH for the second straight day and likely won’t return to third base until Tuesday’s game against the Yankees, manager John Gibbons said. Toronto is off Monday.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: RHP Steven Wright makes his season debut and will face Toronto for the first time in his career.
Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada will come off the DL after missing the start of the season with a sore back. Estrada was 2-1 with a 6.10 ERA in three games — including two starts — against Boston last season.
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