BOSTON — Jose Bautista, Colby Rasmus and J.P. Arencibia hit two-run homers Monday night to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-6 victory over Boston despite two home runs by David Ortiz that tied him for the most multihomer games in Red Sox history.
It was the fourth win in six games for Toronto, which overcame three errors and blew an early four-run lead.
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Ortiz hit a two-run homer and a solo shot, his 37th multihomer game for the Red Sox, tying Ted Williams for the club record. He has 398 career homers, tied with Dale Murphy for 51st all-time.
Henderson Alvarez (4-6) pitched five innings, then left with right elbow soreness. He allowed five runs — three earned — and six hits as he snapped a four-game losing streak. The Blue Jays had lost his last seven starts.
Casey Janssen worked the ninth for his eighth save.
Boston’s Felix Doubront (8-4) gave up seven runs — five earned — and 11 hits in six innings.
Boston lost for just the third time in its last 12 in a game delayed by rain for 1 hour, 56 minutes.
With the score tied 5-5 in the sixth, Ben Francisco had a two-out double off the wall in center field over Ryan Kalish’s leap, and Arencibia homered over the Green Monster seats.
Bautista’s homer, his 24th, off reliever Matt Albers made it 9-5 in the seventh. The Blue Jays had a runner on first with two outs when heavy rain accompanied by lightning and thunder delayed the game.
The Blue Jays took advantage of third baseman Will Middlebrooks’ fielding error to score two unearned runs in a four-run first. Brett Lawrie opened the game with a single before Rasmus hit a homer that hooked around the right-field foul pole, his 14th, to make it 2-0. Bautista reached on the error and scored on Edwin Encarnacion’s double. Rajai Davis hustled down the line for a run-scoring fielder’s choice.
Boston cut it to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning on Ortiz’s homer that snapped an 0-for-11 stretch. His second homer came in the eighth.
Rasmus singled home Francisco in the second inning to make it 5-2.
In the third, the Blue Jays committed two errors — one by shortstop Yunel Escobar and the other by second baseman Kelly Johnson — which led to two runs. Johnson booted Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s two-out grounder, allowing Dustin Pedroia to score from third, before Adrian Gonzalez followed with an RBI single.
Kalish’s RBI single tied it in the fourth.
BRENT LILLIBRIDGE’S first day with the Boston Red Sox had him flashing back to his first day in the big leagues.
Lillibridge, acquired from the Chicago White Sox along with right-hander Zach Stewart for Kevin Youkilis and cash on Sunday, stood at his new locker Monday and expressed some nervous energy that he hadn’t felt in five years.
The utility player was looking forward to a new start while getting to know his new surroundings and teammates.
“I got here pretty early. All the early guys greeted me,” he said. “I got here at 1:30 and went straight to the ballpark. I didn’t sleep too well last night. I kind of felt like I was getting called up again for the first time.”
Lillibridge, 28, hit .175 with two RBI and seven stolen bases in 48 games with the White Sox. He played both the outfield and infield for Chicago.
JOSH BECKETT threw a bullpen session and may be ready to make his next start later this week, according to Manager Bobby Valentine.
Beckett, placed on the disabled list June 16 (retroactive to June 12), has been sidelined by right shoulder inflammation. He’s eligible to be activated Thursday, but Valentine said it’s unlikely Beckett would start the opener of a seven-game West Coast swing.
Instead, the right-hander may be in line to start Friday in Seattle. “I don’t think it will be Thursday, and that’s only because of the trip out there. Why have that as another compounding situation we have to deal with?” Valentine said.
“Maybe the next day if everything is going well, but we’ll see. He’s planning on pitching sometime soon. I don’t know what day.”
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