BOSTON (AP) - The Toronto Blue Jays brought a five-game losing streak to Boston. Now it's the Red Sox who are struggling.
Vernon Wells went 4-for-5, scoring four runs and driving in three, and Roy Halladay struck out 10 in eight innings Tuesday night as the Toronto Blue Jays took advantage of four Boston errors to beat the Red Sox 10-3 and finish a two-game sweep.
"It's never an easy place to play, but we always seem to play well here," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "We came in here limping and we've been kind of dry for a while. Nothing was given to us.
We played a pretty darn good ballgame."
Halladay (3-0) allowed three runs on five hits, reaching double figures in strikeouts for the sixth time in his career, and the first since 2005.
In his last outing, Halladay allowed just two earned runs in 7 1-3 innings but didn't get a decision as the Blue Jays lost their second straight to the Red Sox.
Toronto followed that by getting swept in three games by the Baltimore Orioles.
"It was a good time to start playing well," Wells said after hitting his fourth homer of the season and matching career highs for hits and runs. "Hopefully we can continue doing that.
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Toronto left Boston for a two-game series against the Yankees, who have lost five straight. The Red Sox swept the Yankees over the weekend behind their top three starters - Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
But that left Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez to face the Blue Jays; the pitchers weren't helped by defence that committed six errors in the two games.
"We are scuffling," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "I don't feel like I have to give a Knute Rockne speech or throw in the towel."
Tavarez (0-2) gave up six runs on seven hits and a walk in 4 2-3 innings, striking out two before Kyle Snyder came in and gave up four unearned runs while getting just four outs.
Mike Lowell homered for the Red Sox, his third homer in his last three games.
Wells homered in the first and singled to load the bases in Toronto's three-run third. Frank Thomas hit a bases-loaded double and Lyle Overbay followed with a grounder that first baseman Eric Hinske's fumbled for Boston's first error.
Wells singled and scored in the fifth when Overbay bounced one off the Green Monster scoreboard that left fielder Manny Ramirez barehanded before throwing it off-line and into the grass for another error.
Jason Phillips singled to start the sixth, then Royce Clayton hit a grounder up the middle that Julio Lugo fielded standing on second base for the force out.
Lugo tried to make the relay to first, but between waiting for the ball and a hard slide by Phillips, his throw was late and in the ground.
It got past Hinske at first, but bounced off the dugout railing and back into play - saving Boston from yet another error.
No matter.
John McDonald singled and, one out later, Adam Lind hit a low fly ball to center that Wily Mo Pena dropped for a run-scoring error.
He also overthrew the cutoff man to allow the runners to move up, and Wells singled them both in.
Wells stole second and took third when Jason Varitek's throw went into centre for the game's fourth error.
Notes: The attendance of 37,161 was the largest crowd at Fenway Park since World War II.
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RHP John Thomson (right shoulder) made his first rehab start for single-A Dunedin, allowing four runs on eight hits walking one and striking out six over four innings. He'll pitch again Saturday. .
.. Varitek, who hit the fourth of Boston's four consecutive homers Sunday night, donated the bat he used to the Hall of Fame.
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Lugo had two singles after going 0-for-5 on Monday to extend a 2-for-23 slump. ..
. It's the 12th four-hit game of Wells' career and the third time he has scored four runs.
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