Xander Bogaerts’ 26-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-3 day.
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The Sox were still in striking distance until Devon Travis blasted a 3-and-2 fastball from Koji Uehara off the AAA sign over the Monster for a two-run homer that gave the Jays a 5-1 lead.
Price was shaky with his command in the first inning, and it quickly got him into trouble. Price missed his location badly, and Encarnacion crushed it to centerfield.
Michael Saunders then followed by slapping a single.
The next streak to track: David Ortiz at a modest 11 games. The fourth inning was a different story when a throwing error by Travis Shaw put Devon Travis at second base with no outs. He was stranded at third, however, when Dickey gathered up a one-hopper by Travis Shaw, looked in Ortiz’s direction to check him at third, then threw out the runner at first. But Price gave up three runs on eight hits and four walks, allowing a base runner in all seven of his innings. Ortiz finally put an end to the drought with a hard double to begin the bottom of the sixth. He has played exclusively left field since his return.
In the seventh, Betts managed to crack Boston’s second hit, a double, which ended Dickey’s night. Newly acquired Toronto reliever Jason Grilli came on to face Pedroia, who grounded out.
Joe Biagini struggled mightily in his eighth, with Boston getting one run back, but no further damage was done as Roberto Osuna was summoned for a rather adventurous two-hit, four-out save.
Ortiz added double No. 501 in the eighth after Bogaerts walked.
The Red Sox scored to make it 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth as Stroman couldn’t hold Boston off the board as the team started to fight back.
Last week, Bogaerts’ teammate, Jackie Bradley Jr., saw his 29-game hitting streak snapped against the Colorado Rockies.
Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Christian Vazquez in the top of the ninth, but struck out. His 2 for 2 night extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
The Blue Jays thought they got out of the sixth inning without allowing the Sox to add more, but an out call at home plate was overturned and made the game 6-4 as it was ruled that Blake Swihart got in before Martin’s tag. With Marcus Stroman set to face Steven Wright in the pitching matchup, the over/under sits at 9.5 runs.
The Jays didn’t know what to expect from the Red Sox, who had just returned from an utterly futile series in Baltimore, their chokehold on the American League East lead very almost pried from their sweat-slicked hands, finger by finger, in under a week.
The Fenway Park crowd booed when Xander Bogaerts walked on four pitches in the eighth inning, figuring it would be his last chance to extend the longest active hitting streak in baseball.
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