BOSTON — Clay Buchholz had his third straight solid start Saturday night and the Boston Red Sox beat Toronto 4-3, damaging the Blue Jays’ fading playoff hopes.

Buchholz (7-8) gave up two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings to help Boston get its second straight win against Toronto. He struck out five and walked two.

Edward Mujica, Boston’s fourth reliever, got the final two outs for his fourth save.

Colby Rasmus had a pinch two-run homer in the seventh for the Blue Jays, who began the day five games behind Seattle for the AL’s second wild card.

The Red Sox scored single runs in the first four innings off J.A. Happ (9-9) after the Blue Jays jumped ahead 1-0 on Dioner Navarro’s RBI double.

Dustin Pedroia’s run-scoring grounder tied it in the first and Boston moved ahead on Will Middlebrooks’ RBI single in the second. Yoenis Cespedes had an RBI double in the third and Christian Vazquez added an RBI double in the fourth.

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Buchholz left with a 4-1 lead in the seventh before Craig Breslow gave up Rasmus’ homer that hooked around the right-field foul pole.

In his last start, Buchholz shut out Tampa Bay with a three-hitter Sunday. On Aug. 25 in Toronto, he held Toronto scoreless over eight innings before leaving with the bases loaded in the ninth. The bullpen allowed all three runners to score before Boston pulled out a 4-3 victory in extra innings.

Mookie Betts made a running catch, going to his knees to snag a bloop in short center to save a run, ending the eighth.

Buchholz gave up two hits in the first two innings, then retired 11 straight batters before Jose Bautista’s leadoff double in the sixth. After walking the next batter, Buchholz helped himself by grabbing Adam Lind’s grounder to the mound and firing to second, starting a 1-6-3 double play. Navarro then lined out to center.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: Kevin Pillar started in left field a day after Melky Cabrera was lost for the season with a fractured right pinkie finger. Cabrera, a big part of the lineup, was second in the majors with 171 hits when he was injured, batting .301 with 19 homers and 73 RBI.

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Red Sox: Infielder/outfielder and leadoff hitter Brock Holt, who left Friday’s win early with dizziness, was out of the lineup, but Manager John Farrell said he was available to play. Farrell said he decided to get an extra right-handed batter in the lineup against left-handed starter Happ. First baseman Mike Napoli left because of an illness after the second inning.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (11-12, 3.94 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday in the series finale. He has won two of his last three starts.

Red Sox: Rubby De La Rosa (4-5, 3.89) is slated to get the start. He’s winless in his last four starts.

NICE DELIVERY

The three children of Kevin Houston, a Navy SEAL from Cape Cod who was killed in Afghanistan in early August, delivered the game ball to the pitcher’s mound before the start. They received a standing ovation.


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