Wilyer Abreu had two hits with an RBI double and the visiting Boston Red Sox took advantage of 10 walks to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Monday night.
Boston right-hander Tanner Houck (9-10) pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk in the opener of the three-game series.
The Red Sox (79-78) have won three in a row and the Blue Jays (73-84) have lost four straight. Boston leads the season series 7-4.
Toronto right-hander Chris Bassitt (10-14) gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits and seven walks while striking out two in 4 1/3 innings.
Boston scored an unearned run in the second inning. Abreu led off with a walk and advanced to second when Connor Wong reached first on first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s error. He took third on Nick Sogard’s fielder’s choice grounder to second and scored on Vaughn Grissom’s sacrifice fly to left.
The Red Sox added a run in the third. Triston Casas and Tyler O’Neill walked with two outs and Abreu stroked an RBI double to right.
The lead reached 3-0 in the fourth. Sogard doubled, took third on a balk and scored on Ceddanne Rafaela’s groundout to Bassitt.
Zach Pop replaced Bassitt in the fifth after Casas walked and took third on Abreu’s single. Wong walked before the inning ended on Sogard’s double-play grounder.
The Blue Jays had their first base runner when Addison Barger walked with two outs in the fifth. Ernie Clement followed with a single to left before Jonatan Clase flied out to left.
Greg Weissert replaced Houck and pitched around two singles in the sixth with the help of a double play.
Boston scored once in the eighth against Dillon Tate, as Wong, who had walked and stole second, came around to score on a fielder’s choice grounder by Rafaela.
Chris Martin, Boston’s fifth pitcher of the day, allowed a leadoff single to Nathan Lukes in the ninth, then Lukes scored on Spencer Horwitz’s one-out single.
Boston put right-hander Kenley Jansen (shoulder) on the injured list Monday and recalled right-hander Chase Shugart from Triple-A Worcester.
