Teoscar Hernandez slugged two of the Blue Jays’ eight home runs and had a career-high six RBIs, Robbie Ray struck out 10 over six innings of three-run ball and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays routed the Boston Red Sox 18-4 on Sunday afternoon.
Hernandez (3-for-6) had three-run blasts in the first and fourth. Bo Bichette (4-for-5) launched a three-run bomb and scored five times, Rowdy Tellez added a two-run shot and Vladimir Guerrero Jr (3-for-5) homered for the third straight game, hitting a two-run shot for his majors-leading 21st homer.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr (3-for-5), Marcus Semien and Cavan Biggio each added solo shots in the Blue Jays’ 20-hit attack.
Toronto posted four-run innings in the first, fourth and fifth en route to its biggest offensive output of the season.
Ray (4-2), who gave up four hits and walked three, has totalled 23 strikeouts over 12 1/3 innings over his last two starts.
The Blue Jays have won back-to-back games and three of their last five.
Boston had not allowed more than two home runs in a game this season before the Blue Jays hit five in their 7-2 win Saturday. Red Sox pitchers surrendered five or more homers in back-to-back games for the first time in franchise history, per NBC Sports Boston.
The eight home runs allowed by Red Sox pitching were the most in the 109-year history of Fenway Park, according to NESN.
The Blue Jays tied a franchise record with consecutive five-homer games, according to Sportsnet.
Xander Bogaerts and Bobby Dalbec each hit solo homers and Enrique Hernandez had a two-run double for Boston. Red Sox starter Martin Perez (4-4) gave up four runs in the first and five overall, allowing six hits and walking one in 1 1/3 innings.
Ryan Weber pitched 5 2/3 innings in relief of Perez and coughed up 11 runs on 13 hits and four home runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. Per NBC Sports Boston, Weber’s 11 earned runs matched a franchise high for a reliever and were the most allowed by a Boston bullpen arm since Hank Johnson (11) in 1934.
Meanhwile Zach Davies threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Chicago Cubs defeated the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Davies (4-3) held the Cardinals to two hits and two walks while striking out six. Craig Kimbrel struck out three around one walk in closing out the ninth to earn his 18th save.
The Cubs extended their winning streak to five games and remained tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League Central lead. The reeling Cardinals lost for the 11th time in 13 games and fell into fourth place, six games off the pace. Carlos Martinez (3-7) suffered the hard-luck loss after allowing just two unearned runs on four hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out six.
After struggling in his previous two starts - allowing 15 runs in 4 2/3 innings - Martinez settled in to retire the first six batters he faced.
Eric Sogard broke through against him with a leadoff double in the third. He moved to third on Sergio Alcantara’s groundout.
One out later, Joc Pederson hit a potential inning-ending grounder, but Paul DeJong’s error allowed Sogard to score. Singles by Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo pushed the Cubs’ advantage to 2-0.
Davies retired the first 13 batters he faced and cruised into the sixth inning - when the Cardinals finally got a runner into scoring position. Matt Carpenter drew a leadoff walk and later moved to second on Martinez’s bunt. But Davies coaxed an inning-ending groundout from Tommy Edman.
Dylan Carlson led off the seventh inning with a ground-rule double. Tyler O’Neill drew a two-out walk to put the tying run on base and end Davies’ night. Reliever Ryan Tepera entered and got Yadier Molina to ground out to end the threat. Alcantara drew a two-out walk for the Cubs in the seventh and Jake Marisnick reached on Carpenter’s error.
But Pederson flied out to strand the runners. Edmundo Sosa reached second base on Patrick Wisdom’s two-out error in the eighth inning, but Edman flew out to end the inning.
Teoscar Hernandez of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting his second home run of the day in the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston. (Getty Images/AFP)
