TORONTO (AP) — Garrett Crochet pitched eight shutout innings, Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narváez homered, and the Boston Red Sox beat the slumping Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 on Wednesday night.
Trevor Story had three hits as Boston won for the fourth time in five games and inched closer to securing an American League wild card.
Crochet (18-5) struck out six, walked none and allowed three hits to win his fifth straight decision.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa homered off Payton Tolle in the ninth for Toronto.
The slumping Blue Jays lost for the sixth time in seven games. They’ve scored one run or fewer in all six of those defeats.
The Blue Jays began the day with the AL’s best record and a one-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East.
Torontos slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was ejected by plate umpire Gabe Morales for arguing after he struck out looking in the seventh. Hitting coach David Popkins was tossed for arguing from the dugout.
Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer allowed four runs and 10 hits in five innings, including three runs on five consecutive hits in the first.
Scherzer (5-5) is winless in five starts. .
Yoshida’s leadoff homer in the fifth was his third of 2025.
Narváez made it 7-0 with a three-run drive off Jose Berríos in the eighth, his 15th.
Wilyer Abreu ended the game by throwing out slow-footed Alejandro Kirk at first base on a sharp one-hopper to right field.
Crochet leads the majors with 255 strikeouts.
Boston RHP Brayan Bello (11-8, 3.34 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale. Toronto pushed back Shane Bieber to Friday and hadn’t announced a replacement.
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