BOSTON — Jed Lowrie homered to lead off the 11th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night.
The victory came after an embarrassing, season-worst 16-2 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday.
Boston catcher Victor Martinez drove in three runs to go along with a solid defensive play on a jarring collision. He held onto a relay throw as Lyle Overbay knocked him over for the final out of the fourth.
Former Blue Jay Marco Scutaro had a double, two singles and scored a pair of runs.
Overbay had a game-tying, two-run homer for Toronto after going 4-for-5 with a career-best seven RBIs in Friday's win.
Jonathan Papelbon (5-5) pitched a perfect inning for the win.
Lowrie, who dropped an easy pop up to extend John Buck's at-bat before he fanned in the top of the inning, homered into the Red Sox bullpen off Casey Janssen (4-2).
Mike Lowell reached second to open the eighth when his short pop down the left-field line ticked off shortstop Yunel Escobar's glove, bounced onto the track and into the stands for a ground-rule error, but Boston failed to score.
Toronto had tied it 4-4 in the sixth against starter Daisuke Matsuzaka when John Buck had a sacrifice fly and Overbay hit a two-run homer into the right-field bleachers after being pitched around his first two at-bats with an intentional walk and a walk with first open. But, this time, with a runner on second and first open again, Overbay belted the second pitch over the Blue Jays' bullpen.
Martinez's two-run single gave Boston a 2-0 lead against starter Ricky Romero.
The Blue Jays closed to 2-1 in the fourth on John McDonald's RBI double, but Overbay was cut down on the hit when he barreled over Martinez, who caught second baseman Yamaico Navarro's throw from shallow center field. Martinez got up, smiled and playfully retagged Overbay on the chest.
Martinez and Adrian Beltre each had RBI singles in the fifth.
Romero pitched seven innings, giving up four runs, nine hits, striking out eight and walking one. He entered with a 1-4 record and career-worst 8.51 ERA against the Red Sox.
Matsuzaka gave up six hits and four runs – three of each coming in the sixth – in eight innings, walking three and fanning eight.
Toronto manager Cito Gaston talked before the game about how Matsuzaka's hesitation windeup "really messes with your timing." The right-hander seemed to have the Blue Jays hitters off-balance a lot early, holding them to three hits and number of weak swings in the first five innings.
NOTES
Red Sox C Jason Varitek, sidelined since July 1 with a broken right foot, took early BP. Manager Terry Francona said the team had a conference call to discuss the injury "(the doctor) doesn't feel Jason can hurt the foot even if he feels some discomfort, but he's not ready to play yet." … LHP Hideki Okajima, on the 15-day DL with a strained right hamstring since August 6, threw one scoreless inning of relief in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Pawtucket, allowing one single. … Toronto 3B Edwin Encarnacion, who missed Friday's game with a sore left wrist, took BP and Gaston said he may play Sunday. … Navarro made his first start at second. … Boston C Jarrod Saltalamacchia is expected to remain in Massachusetts General Hospital until Monday to treat an infection in his right lower leg.