TORONTO — One day into Boston’s seven-game road trip, Josh Beckett is packing his bags and heading home.

The right-hander will return to Boston today to see a doctor about the sore right ankle that forced him out of Monday’s 1-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Beckett left in the fourth inning after feeling pain in his ankle on consecutive pitches to Blue Jays rookie Brett Lawrie, whose 11th inning homer provided the only run of the game.

“It’s always concerning,” Beckett said. “That’s my power leg.”

Beckett said he slipped and fell while warming up in the bullpen, but didn’t think that had anything to do with the pain that forced him out.

“I felt it on the second-to-last pitch and then it felt a little bit different on the last pitch I threw,” he said. “I didn’t feel it till those last two pitches.

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“It felt like it was locked up and then it popped in and out of the socket or something,” Beckett added.

Catcher Jason Varitek didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary until Beckett missed with a 1-2 fastball to Lawrie.

“He seemed to make a funny face and kind of came off the mound funny on that pitch,” said Varitek, who promptly called Manager Terry Francona and trainer Mike Reinold out of the dugout.

After a brief discussion, Beckett walked off the field without assistance and was replaced by right-hander Alfredo Aceves.

“It was getting stiff and it was getting sore so we got him out of there,” Francona said.

Beckett was able to stand and walk after the game, but said his ankle was still sore.

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“It’s bad timing, but who knows?” he said. “I could be back out there in six days. We’ll see.”

An All-Star for the third time this season, Beckett came in having won his past three starts. He allowed three hits in 32/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and one walk.

After 10 scoreless innings, Lawrie won it with a two-out drive to center off Dan Wheeler (2-2), his eighth homer since being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 4 and the first walkoff hit of his career.

Wheeler said he missed with his location on the decisive pitch.

“It was a fastball, just kind of flat,” Wheeler said. “It went right down the middle. It was supposed to be down and away but didn’t quite get there.”

Boston lost for the fifth time in seven games.

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Carlos Villanueva walked Kevin Youkilis to begin the seventh. After Carl Crawford flied out, Josh Reddick singled to right and both runners advanced on Varitek’s grounder. Scutaro ended the inning by grounding out to shortstop.

Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-out double off Casey Janssen in the eighth and David Ortiz was intentionally walked to bring up Youkilis, who struck out looking.

Toronto put a runner at third base three times in the first four innings.

Aceves left after walking Mike McCoy and hitting Eric Thames with one out in the eighth. Daniel Bard came on and got Jose Bautista to fly out, then struck out Adam Lind.

Jonathan Papelbon struck out Lind on three pitches to leave the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th.

 

NOTES: Red Sox LHP Erik Bedard (left knee) will be skipped in his next scheduled start, Friday at Tampa Bay. … Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks is likely to miss the rest of the season and playoffs due to lingering pain in his back. Francona said Jenks did not travel with the team to Toronto and is set to see a doctor Wednesday. Jenks last pitched July 7 against Baltimore. He was transferred to the 60-day DL Sept. 1 when Boston acquired outfielder Conor Jackson from Oakland. … The Red Sox recalled catcher Ryan Lavarnway and right-hander Kyle Weiland from Triple-A Pawtucket, and purchased the contract of infielder Nate Spears.

 


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