Leon drives in three as Red Sox top Jays, 8-3

Rick Porcello tossed 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball with five strikeouts and Sandy Leon had three RBIs as the host Boston Red Sox doubled down to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 in the second of a three-game series Tuesday night.

Porcello (7-2) allowed two earned runs on five hits and two walks to pad his staff lead in wins. Mitch Moreland, J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi and Leon all hit RBI doubles for Boston, which won the opener 8-3 on Memorial Day.

Leon also knocked a two-run homer (2nd of season), Xander Bogaerts had a solo blast (8) and Jackie Bradley Jr. added an RBI for the Red Sox.

Justin Smoak hit a solo shot (8) and Curtis Granderson drove in a run for Toronto, which lost for the 12th time in 16 games. The Blue Jays are 2-6 against American League East rival Boston this season.

Toronto starter Marco Estrada (2-6) gave up four runs on seven hits and struck out one in 3 2/3 innings.

Boston star Mookie Betts (left side tightness) missed his third straight game. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on the team’s flagship radio station that Betts might not return until Thursday in Houston.

Moreland and Martinez each slapped their RBI doubles in the first inning and Benintendi hit his in the second as the Red Sox led 3-0.

Smoak put the Blue Jays on the board with his fourth-inning homer, but Bradley got the run back with an RBI single in the Red Sox’s fourth. Leon’s double in the sixth made it 5-1.

Granderson’s RBI infield single produced two runs as a missed catch by Porcello covering first base allowed a second run to score, making it 5-3. Bogaerts’ blast was in the seventh and Leon’s came in the eighth.

With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth, Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel recorded the final two outs for his 17th save.

Blue Jays right-hander Sam Gaviglio (2-0, 2.30 ERA) opposes Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1, 4.02) in Wednesday’s finale.

–Field Level Media

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