Blue Jays pound Red Sox with 5 HRs
TORONTO -- Justin Smoak hit a pair of home runs while Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson also went deep as the Blue Jays offense rolled all over Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello during an 11-2 victory on a special Canada Day matinee affair Wednesday at Rogers Centre.
Toronto didn't waste any time putting this game away as the club scored five in the first inning and two in the second off Porcello. Encarnacion opened the scoring with a three-run shot, Smoak made it 5-0 with a two-run homer later in the first and Bautista added a two-run shot of his own in the second. Jose Reyes, who scored on the Encarnacion, Bautista and Donaldson homers, went 4-for-5 and scored four runs overall.
Video: BOS@TOR: Encarnacion crushes a three-run homer
Porcello was charged with seven runs on seven hits over two innings. Toronto left-hander Mark Buehrle was the exact opposite as he cruised throughout and allowed one run over seven innings. Buehrle has surrendered two runs or fewer in six consecutive outings and hasn't lost since May 23.
Video: BOS@TOR: Buehrle allows one run over seven for win
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Bautista bomb: Bautista snapped an 0-for-25 skid at the plate with a two-run homer in the second off Porcello. Toronto's slugger added a double and finished the day 2-for-3 with three RBIs. The slump was his longest hitless streak in a Blue Jays uniform, but he now finds himself four homers shy of tying Vernon Wells for second on the club's all-time list.
Video: BOS@TOR: Bautista breaks it open with two-run homer
"More important than anything is just contributing and helping the team," Bautista said. "Not necessarily getting a hit or hitting a home run. We're all here to win and I think everybody is pretty determined of wanting to make it to the playoffs. It's no different than any other year, we're just getting better results and it seems more attainable to all of us." More >
Porcello's rocky start: The right-hander gave up five runs in the first and a pair in the second as he was lifted from the game before the third frame. Porcello allowed two homers in the opening inning and a third in the second. All told, he was on the hook for seven earned runs on seven hits and a season-high three home runs.
"I'm just not making good pitches," Porcello said. More >
Smoak-a-motive: Smoak became the sixth player in Blue Jays' franchise history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. In the first, Smoak crushed a two-run shot to right off Porcello and in the third he added a solo shot with left-hander Robbie Ross Jr. on the mound. It marked the second time in Smoak's career that he homered from both sides of the plate and it was the third multi-homer game of his career.
Video: Must C Combo: Smoak homers from both sides of plate
"I was just trying to be on time," Smoak said. "It had been awhile since I had been in there. I got a changeup in the first at-bat and was able to hit it pretty well. The second at-bat, I was ready for the heater first pitch and I squared it up pretty good." More >
QUOTABLE
"I don't feel lost. I know what's going on. I'm throwing a lot of fat pitches." -- Porcello, on his recent rough stretch
"I'm feeling good, I can't tell you why I'm feeling good but … it's that time of the year, I'm having some good outings, making good pitches and when I'm not making good pitches I'm getting away with them." -- Buehrle, on his outing
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Before Smoak, the last Blue Jays player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game was Melky Cabrera in 2014. The only player to have done it more than once in a Toronto uniform was Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar.
UNDER REVIEW
The Red Sox asked for a review of a Kevin Pillar pickoff in the first with one away in a 5-0 game, and were successful in overturning the safe call. Porcello made a quick move to catch Pillar, which was determined after a 1-minute, 25-second review.
Video: BOS@TOR: Porcello picks off Pillar after a review
WHAT'S NEXT
Red Sox: Left-hander Wade Miley will look for his first career win over the Blue Jays in Thursday's 7:07 p.m. ET series finale. Miley is 0-2 in a pair of starts against Toronto. The last time he faced the Blue Jays, Miley allowed two homers and four earned runs over six innings.
Blue Jays: Rookie left-hander Matt Boyd will make the second start when Toronto closes out a four-game series against the Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Boyd was recently promoted from Triple-A Buffalo to take Aaron Sanchez's spot in the rotation. In his first outing against the Rangers, Boyd allowed four runs over 6 2/3 innings.
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