Dempster wins second straight, Red Sox beat Jays

Boston Red Sox Will Middlebrooks (right) scores as Toronto Blue Jays catcher J P Arencibia misses the ball thrown to home plate in the second inning of their American League game in Toronto on Thursday. (Reuters)

Agencies/New York

Ryan Dempster won his second straight outing and the Boston Red Sox took advantage of a season-high 10 walks to beat the struggling Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Thursday.

Dempster, from British Columbia, is 6-0 in 10 starts in Canada, the first nine in Montreal. ‘’I’m looking for more expansion teams in Canada,’’ he joked. ‘’That’s kind of the goal. Maybe Vancouver will get a team, or Winnipeg or something, so I can hopefully keep that going.’’

Dempster is the first Canadian-born Red Sox starter to win in Canada since Rheal Cormier beat the Blue Jays in Toronto in 1995.

‘’It was fun to get out there and pitch in the Rogers Centre,’’ Dempster said. ‘’I grew up watching the Blue Jays in the SkyDome so it was a lot of fun.’’

Dempster (2-2) allowed one run and four hits in six innings. The right-hander, who walked three and struck out four, retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced. That streak began with a double play grounder to escape a bases-loaded jam after three walks in the third.

‘’I was able to make a couple of big pitches, especially with the bases loaded, and get out of my own mess I made,’’ he said.