BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox, the defending World Series champions reduced to the role of spoiler, did just that to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. <\/p>\n
The last-place Red Sox tied the score with three runs in the eighth inning, fell behind by two in the 10th and then rallied for three in the bottom of the inning to pull out a wild 9-8 win. <\/p>\n
Boston left fielder Yoenis Cespedes got his fourth hit of the game, a long single with the bases loaded, to cap the 10th-inning rally againstCasey Janssen(3-3). <\/p>\n
To make things worse for the Jays, who had a five-game winning streak snapped, Toronto also lost left fielderMelky Cabrerafor the rest of the season with a fractured right pinky finger and other damage. He will have surgery next week. <\/p>\n
The Blue Jays came into the game 4 1\/2 games behind theDetroit Tigersfor the second wild card spot and built their 6-3 lead on the 30th homers of the season by right fielderJose Bautistaand first basemanEdwin Encarnacion. Both were two-run shots. <\/p>\n
After the Jays scored two in the top of the 10th, the first four Red Sox singled in the bottom half -- catcher Christian Vazquez loading the bases by popping a bunt over the heads of the charging infield. Third basemanWill Middlebrooks, playing because Brock Holt left with an illness, then snapped an 0-for-18 spell with a ground single. <\/p>\n
Second basemanDustin Pedroia, back after missing five games with a concussion, tied the score with a sacrifice fly. DHDavid Ortizhit a slow grounder to second basemanSteve Tolleson, whose backhand flip to second was wild, loading the bases for Cespedes. <\/p>\n
An RBI single by center fielder Mookie Betts and a two-run double by fellow rookieXander Bogaertstied the score in the eighth inning for Boston. <\/p>\n
Bautista ripped his homer off starter Allen Webster with the Jays down 3-2 -- his 31st career homer against the Red Sox, 19 of them in 45 games atFenway Park. He reached the 30-homer mark for the third time in his career and for the first time in four years. Encarnacion then reached 30 for the third time in the last four years. <\/p>\n
DHAdam Lindhad a two-run single for Toronto, while shortstop Bogaerts had three hits for the Red Sox. <\/p>\n
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Red Sox Rally In 8th And 10th To Beat Blue Jays<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox, the defending World Series champions reduced to the role of spoiler, did just that to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. The last-place Red Sox tied the score with three runs in the eighth inning, fell behind by two in the 10th and then rallied for three in the bottom of the inning to pull out a wild 9-8 win. Continue reading