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BOSTON (AP) – Thanks to a mistake in Toronto, the Boston Red Sox have taken another step towards the title of AL East.
J.D. Martinez made his 41st home run and the Red Sox scored the starting point on an eighth-round error, completing the Blue Jays three times with a 4-3 win on Thursday night.
After the Blue Jays rallied twice to tie in third place, Xander Bogaerts doubled in the bottom half and stole the third. He came home when Toronto second baseman Yangervis Solarte dropped a window in the right field.
"It was a huge situation," said Bogaerts. "I've made mistakes to make us lose, so I know very well how he feels. But it's good that we are on the safe side.
Rafael Devers also played heavily for the Major League leader Red Sox (101-46), who beat the New York Yankees by 10½ and reduced their magic number to six for a third division title.
Boston is the only major team to have already reached a playoff spot.
Brandon Workman (5-0) faced off a batter, ending the eighth round of Toronto with just three shots and winning. Craig Kimbrel earned his 40th save.
Danny Barnes (3-3) lost to the Blue Jays, who lost 3-1 in eighth place.
"We started again after the coach did a good job," said manager John Gibbons.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. conceded eighth in Toronto and the Blue Jays added another run after Justin Smoak walked with two outs and Kendrys Morales followed with a single. Joe Kelly hit Randal Grichuk with a shot to charge the bases, then forced Kevin Pillar to force the draw.
"He knows tonight was not a good night for him," said Alex Cora, head of the Red Sox, about Kelly.
Devers hit a solo run with two outs in sixth against Mark Leiter Jr., putting Boston tied for 3-1.
Martinez went very far in the second, tying Khris Davis of Oakland to the head of the major league in the circuits.
Sam Gaviglio threw 3-1 innings for Toronto, allowing two earned runs and six hits.
ON THE RUN
Bogaerts said he wanted to be aggressive after his double in the eighth and that he made a big jump while Barnes was turning to Blake Swihart.
"I was just trying to come in third and make things a bit easier," said Bogaerts. "Trying to bring a guy home with a draw is better than trying to get a guy in second."
Bogaerts was halfway through the baseline and had an unobstructed view as Solarte tried to go under the ball before bouncing off his glove.
"You have to do this game. It's not always easy when the infield is in place," Gibbons said.
SOLID STARTING
Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez recovered from a 6-3 loss to Houston last Friday.
Rodriguez eliminated seven players in six innings this time, eliminating the last nine batters he faced. He eliminated two players in the sixth end before the Red Sox gave way to their center in the seventh. He allowed one point on five hits and did not score a goal.
This is only his third start since he was extended on the list of disabled people with a sprained right ankle.
Cora said he was not about to push Rodriguez.
"It was more about taking care of him," explained the manager. "I felt that six was good. The way he pitched the ball in the sixth inning was good enough for me. "
ROOM OF TRAINERS
Red Sox: 3B Eduardo Nunez started fourth with right knee pain after hitting a double. Nunez, who stumbled and stumbled on the first goal when he missed the choice of a defensive player in the second, was replaced by Devers.
FOLLOWING
Blue Jays: Marco Estrada (7-11, 5.32 ERA) starts Friday for Toronto in the first of three games at Yankee Stadium.
Red Sox: RHP Hector Velazquez (7-2, 3.29) gets the ball when Boston opens a three-game home series against the New York Mets.
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