TORONTO – The Boston Red Sox have one off day this month. It’s coming at a good time.
John McDonald homered, Rajai Davis had four hits and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Red Sox 9-3 to sweep a two-game series Wednesday night.
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With a three-game series in Yankee Stadium due to start Friday, the Red Sox could use a little time to clear their heads. They’ll have a day in New York to do just that.
“Go and enjoy yourself, have fun and live life a little bit because we’ve only got one off day this whole month,” infielder Kevin Youkilis said. “You might as well live it up.”
The Blue Jays pounded John Lackey (2-5), who lost his third straight start and matched a season high by allowing nine runs. He gave up nine hits, walked a season-high five and struck out one.
“Keep working hard, man,” Lackey said. “It’s got to turn sometime.”
Lackey is 1-3 with a 7.03 ERA in four road starts.
“He didn’t really have the putaway breaking ball,” Boston Manager Terry Francona said. “He left it over the middle a few times.”
Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz hit solo homers for Boston.
After starting the season 0-6, the Red Sox took 2 of 3 from the Yankees at Fenway Park in early April. This is their first visit to the Bronx this season.
“It’s going to be a good series,” catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. “We’re all going to be hyped up. We know we’re playing against a good team so we’re going to do the best we can.”
Davis went 4 for 4 with two RBI. He also swiped two bases and scored twice. McDonald was 2 for 3 with three RBI and scored twice.
Davis is 8 for 20 in his past five games, boosting his average to .240. His four hits against the Red Sox tied a career high.
“It’s just good to see him with the confidence he has currently, the way he’s swinging the bat,” Manager John Farrell said. “He’s hitting fastballs and breaking balls alike.”
Jesse Litsch (4-2) won his second straight, allowing three runs and six hits in 52/3 innings. Casey Janssen pitched 11/3 innings, Jon Rauch worked the eighth and Frank Francisco finished for Toronto.
Youkilis hit a two-out RBI single in the first but the Blue Jays responded with two in the third. Corey Patterson had a run-scoring single and Aaron Hill drove in a run with a groundout.
Toronto added two in the fourth. After McDonald hit his second homer, Davis singled, stole second and third, and scored on Yunel Escobar’s sacrifice fly.
“We’ve been a station to station club for a long time,” McDonald said. “We hope to see more of that from (Davis).”
Escobar returned to the lineup after leaving Tuesday’s game when he was hit on the left ankle by a pitch from Jon Lester.
Boston pulled within one on homers by Gonzalez and Ortiz in the sixth. It was Gonzalez’s seventh of the season and third in two days, with all three hit to the opposite field. One out later, Ortiz chased Litsch with a drive to right.
Toronto blew it open with a five-run seventh, doing all its damage with two outs. David Cooper drew a bases-loaded walk, McDonald chased Lackey with a two-run double to left and Davis capped it with a two-run single off Tim Wakefield.
“Everything went wrong that could go wrong,” Lackey said. “Pretty much the story of the whole damn year.”
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