Rafael Devers goes deep twice, drives in six runs as Red Sox beat Jays 10-6

Jul 2, 2019 | 7:44 PM

TORONTO — Rafael Devers hit two home runs and had six RBIs as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 10-6 on Tuesday.

Christian Vazquez also went deep for the Red Sox (45-40), who won the opener of the three-game series at Rogers Centre.

David Price (6-2) picked up the win. The former Blue Jay struck out seven batters in his quality start. He allowed just two runs on four hits while walking four batters over six innings.

Danny Jansen hit his fifth home run of the season in the sixth inning for the Blue Jays (32-54).

Trent Thornton (2-6) struggled on the mound. He gave up seven runs on 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings. He stuck out one batter and walked one.

It took just three pitches for the Red Sox to put up the opening runs of the game.

After Mookie Betts hit a single on an 0-1 pitch, Devers hit the first of his two homers on the night to centre field on the first pitch he faced, which gave Boston a 2-0 lead. Vazquez would hit an RBI double for a 3-0 lead, and Jackie Bradley Jr. capped the four-run inning with an RBI single.

In the second inning, Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI ground out for a 5-0 lead.

Later in the frame, Danny Jansen would drive in a run on a ground-rule double for Toronto’s first run.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a chance to tie the game with one swing when he came up with the bases loaded and two out, but he would fly out to centre field to end the inning.

In the third, Devers hit a two-out, two-run single for a 7-1 lead. The hit also knocked Thornton out of the game.

Freddy Galvis hit an RBI single to make it 7-2 in the sixth inning.

In the seventh frame, Christian Vazquez hit a solo homer to left field before Jansen responded with a solo home run of his own to left field in the bottom of the inning.

Devers hit his second homer of the night, a two-run shot over the left-field wall to make it 10-3 Red Sox in the top of the eighth.

In the ninth, Guerrero hit a two-run double to cut Boston’s lead to 10-5. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed that up with a sacrifice fly.

David Alter, The Canadian Press