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TORONTO -- Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli hit the longest home run of his career Wednesday night, a 472-foot drive to dead center field, then followed that three innings later with another tape-measure job, 467 feet into the third deck, with two runners aboard.

But Napoli, the property of the Blue Jays for a grand total of four days in 2011, and the five home runs the Sox hit collectively Wednesday night were only a sideshow to the main event: another seven scoreless innings from Clay Buchholz, who became the major leagues’ first six-game winner and remained unbeaten in six starts after a 10-1 pummeling of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Buchholz gave up a one-out single in the third to Jays shortstop Munenori Kawasaki, who had fouled off two bunt attempts before lining a full-count curveball to center field. In the seventh, after a walk to Adam Lind, he gave up a one-out single to Melky Cabrera, who embarrassed himself and his manager, John Gibbons, by trying to stretch the hit into a double, down by eight runs. He was cut down easily by right-fielder Daniel Nava.

That was the extent of the Blue Jays offense, who advanced only one runner as far as second base all night against Buchholz, Lind taking third on Cabrera’s hit.

Buchholz set down 10 straight Jays after issuing a leadoff walk to Jose Bautista in the fourth. He struck out eight, walked three, and threw an efficient 101 pitches.

His ERA after six starts is 1.01. He has not allowed more than two earned runs yet in any start, and this was the third time in six starts he has held the opposition scoreless. In his last eight starts against the Blue Jays here, dating back to July 17, 2009, he has allowed two runs or fewer.

The last Sox pitcher to go 6-0 with a lower ERA after six starts was Roger Clemens, who was 6-0 with an 0.73 ERA in 1991.

Pick your poison: Put yourself in the shoes of a Toronto hitter -- say, Brett Lawrie -- and experience what it was like to face Buchholz Wednesday night. On Lawrie's first at-bat, Buchholz threw him back-to-back fastballs, came back with a changeup, then got Lawrie to roll over on a cutter for a groundout to second.

On Lawrie's second at-bat, in the third inning, Buchholz went cutter, 4-seamer, cutter, curve, 4-seamer, 2-seamer -- the last pitch Lawrie taking for a called third strike.

Lawrie came to bat for a third time in the sixth. Buchholz started him with back-to-back curveballs, followed that with a four-seamer, a two-seamer, a changeup and then another two-seamer, which Lawrie grounded to second.

Three entirely different pitch sequences, leaving Lawrie no idea what he might be seeing on a given count. Now, multiply that by nine, and you’ll understand what it was like to be a Blue Jay Wednesday night.

Keep the lid on: The Sox have had seven games in which they’ve hit two or more home runs in the 27 games they’ve played. Three of those games have come in the 16 games they’ve played at Fenway Park. Four of those games have come in the five they’ve played here under a closed roof, including three Tuesday night and five Wednesday. Stephen Drew hit his first of the year with a man on in the second, and Napoli and Daniel Nava went back-to-back in the fourth. For both Nava and Napoli, that was No. 5 this season.

All three of those home runs came off Jays starter Mark Buehrle, whose re-entry into the American League has been a horror show. Buehrle, who came to the Jays in the big trade with the Marlins, already has given up 9 home runs in 35 innings, and has a 6.75 ERA.

Napoli hit the first home run into the second deck in dead center field, then devalued Canadian currency even more when he crushed a 3-and-0 pitch from reliever Esmil Rogers into the third deck in left center, with two runners aboard, in the seventh.

Napoli -- who also flied to the track in center in the second inning, walked in the sixth and hit a ground-rule double in the ninth -- rebounded nicely from a 4-K game the night before.

The Sox have hit 31 home runs this season. Sixteen have come here, including the six they hit here on April 7. Their last home run of the night Wednesday came from Mike Carp, who pinch-hit for David Ortiz and homered into the right-field seats, giving him home runs in consecutive at-bats. Carp homered in his last at-bat Tuesday night.

Spreading the wealth: Every Sox player in the lineup reached base safely, with Jonny Gomes, who walked twice, the only Sox player without a hit. The only inning in which the Sox went down in order was the fifth.

TORONTO -- Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino will not play in the remainder of the Toronto series, which will make it seven games since he last played, but manager John Farrell said he is optimistic Victorino will be in the lineup when the Sox play the Rangers in Texas on Friday night.

Victorino did some hitting against soft toss Wednesday and is scheduled to take regular batting practice Thursday, Farrell said. If that goes well, the expectation is that he will return to the lineup.

Victorino told reporters that an MRI taken of the affected region of his lower back showed some inflammation in the disk but that it “feels a lot better day to day."

The possibility remains, of course, that the Sox could place Victorino on the disabled list and date it to April 25, the first day he missed.

“It’s getting to the point where a decision has to be made," Victorino said. “My goal is to play the first game in Texas."

TORONTO -- Good afternoon from Rogers Centre, where the sports section of Wednesday’s Toronto Globe and Mail devoted its first four pages to the hockey playoffs and its fifth page to the UEFA Champions League playoffs in soccer. Then it shared the news of the Blue Jays’ 9-7 win over the Red Sox on page 6. We all have our priorities, don’t we?

The Sox, who ended April with the best record in the majors (18-8), have lost back-to-back games only twice this season and on Wednesday night have unbeaten Clay Buchholz (5-0) bidding to make it six wins in six starts. There are few better places for him to do so than here, judging by the track record. Buchholz has a 1.67 ERA in nine starts in the Rogers Centre, the lowest ERA of any pitcher with at least 55 innings in this building.

Buchholz has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his past seven starts in Toronto, dating to July 17, 2009, and collectively the Jays are batting just .214 against him. Edwin Encarnacion, who hit two home runs for the Jays in their win Tuesday night, is just 1-for-15 against Buchholz, while catcher J.P. Arencibia is hitless in 11 at-bats and third baseman Brett Lawrie is 1-for-10.

How good has Buchholz been? Read Tony Lee’s rundown, but Buchholz is only the third Sox pitcher since the dead ball era (pre-1920) to hold opponents to two runs or fewer over at least seven innings in each of his first five starts of a season. The others are Roger Clemens in 1991 and Boo Ferriss in 1945; they both did it in their first seven. The last big leaguer to do so was Livan Hernandez for the Giants in 2002. Hernandez did not transform his great start into a great season; he wound up 12-16 with a 4.38 ERA, his 16 losses leading the National League.

Whoa, Papi: The other Sox player on a historic run these days is David Ortiz, who drove in four runs Tuesday night with his third home run and a three-run double, and has 15 RBIs in his first nine games. Ortiz is also batting .500 (18-for-36), which makes him just the third player to hit .500 with at least 15 RBIs in his first nine games. The other two are Hall of Famers: Dave Winfield (17-for-34, 16 RBIs in 1988 for the Yankees) and Willie Mays (17-for-34, 17 RBIs in 1964 for the Giants).

And Ortiz has feasted on the Jays’ starter, left-hander Mark Buehrle, batting .361 (22-for-61), with three home runs and 13 RBIs.

Pinch me: Don’t know how to check this, but there can’t be too many hitters who have yielded to pinch hitters under the same circumstances as Mike Carp. In Cleveland on April 17, Carp had two doubles and a triple in his first three plate appearances but was lifted against a lefty for a pinch hitter, Jonny Gomes, who struck out. Then Tuesday night, in his second plate appearance, Carp launched his first home run of the season, but when his turn came around again, a lefty was on the mound and Gomes pinch hit again. This time, Gomes hit a home run, his first.

Carp, who was basically the last player to make the team out of camp, has gotten off to a great start, batting .458 (11-for-24) with a home run and six RBIs. Among big leaguers with at least 25 plate appearances so far, Carp leads the majors in slugging percentage (.958) and OPS (1.458). But with Buehrle on the hill, he’ll start the night on the bench.

Call his shot? Dustin Pedroia is tearing it up of late, batting .462 (12-for-26) over his past seven games, but now has gone 160 at-bats since his last home run, the longest homerless streak on the club. Pedroia last went deep Sept. 11 off Hiroki Kuroda of the Yankees.

Step lightly: It goes into the books as a caught stealing, Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow catching Jacoby Ellsbury off second base with two on, two out and Mike Napoli at the plate, the Sox down a run in the fourth inning. Manager John Farrell did not let the moment pass without a comment.

“At the time, overaggressiveness on our part," Farrell said when asked about it. “We felt like we had Morrow coming to the end of the night. Unfortunately [Ellsbury] got picked off second. Not a real good heads-up play given the game situation.”

Clay Buchholz has the type of mild-mannered, soft-spoken personality that can, when things aren’t going well on the mound, come across as timidity or nervousness, even if that’s not the case. When all is well in his game, that same personality can seem to ooze with measured confidence.

After perhaps the best April in franchise history for a starting pitcher, that confidence is off the charts. And that’s what makes the 2013 version of Clay Buchholz so notable. The numbers are amazing, but the demeanor is one of a guy who not only has a mastery of what he is doing on the mound but has no fear of that next back strain or hamstring pull or of unleashing that one curveball that just won’t do the trick.

Buchholz has always possessed a varied arsenal, utilizing as many as six different pitches. This season, virtually all have been effective, and all have been released without any sense of apprehension. That certainty can make all the difference.

“When you get called up, usually you’re going off yourself. You don’t know the leagues. You’re going off what you do well, and this and that,” said catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has caught Buchholz 29 times since joining the team in 2010.

“But the more time you get, the more you know the league, you see how your stuff plays. Clay’s done a great job with not just [saying], ‘Hey this guy’s a really good breaking ball hitter so I’m not going to throw a breaking ball.’ He’ll still throw it. He’ll just make sure he knows that if he makes that pitch he’s gonna make it a good one. He’s done a great job.”

When Buchholz steps to the mound Wednesday in Toronto, where he happens to dominate, he will be aiming to become the first six-game winner in the majors. With a handful of zeroes his ERA will again flirt with sub-1.00 territory. Pitchers across baseball have been posting some pretty impressive numbers this year, but it is no small accomplishment for someone like Buchholz to have such precise command early on.

Buchholz had an 8.69 ERA at the end of April 2012 before posting a 5.60 mark in May, getting hot in June but then hitting the disabled list. In 2011, he was 1-3 with a 5.33 ERA entering May.

“Last couple of years I’ve been a slow starter, so it feels good to be out there and have a little bit of confidence early on, and that helps a lot,” he said after seven strong innings against Houston on Thursday. “Guys are playing well behind me. Things are going right.”

Things have gone right before for Buchholz, but they’ve also gone wrong. A lot of young pitching careers start out like that before a norm is established. Some guys struggle to find the right role, whether it be a starter or a reliever. Injuries early on are not uncommon. Many of those that hit the ground running can burn out by the time they are Buchholz’s age, 28. Buchholz’s ride has been as volatile as any. Throwing a no-hitter in his second career start, spending the bulk of the next year and some of the one after that in the minors, producing a 2010 breakout that saw him nearly win the ERA crown, and then back-to-back seasons in which injuries and ineffectiveness forced his ERA to soar more than a run each year. Then came this -- as smooth a beginning as the franchise has ever seen from a starting pitcher.

The pessimist might see that as just another stretch of the roller coaster. The demeanor, the confidence and the ability to adjust suggests that Buchholz has simply hit that stride.

Single runs allowed early in the win over the Astros forced one such adjustment, this time with Buchholz’s variety of fastball, as he chose to stick mostly with his four-seamer after issues with the sinker.

“Probably not,” he said when asked if he would’ve made that adjustment in years past. “That was one thing that I worked really hard on, was having both fastballs and being able to locate them and pitch off that. It’s a little different not having a two-seam to throw whenever I want. It was tough to get to that point at certain spots, but I was able to find a way to get through a couple of innings.”

The “John Farrell effect” was largely thought to be something that would impact Jon Lester more than anyone. While the lefty was off to an excellent start before back-to-back subpar outings, it is Buchholz who may author the biggest turnaround. Farrell, the pitching coaching in Boston as both hurlers came of age, has recognized the difference in Buchholz now compared to when he tutored him through 2010.

“In a word, more mature,” Farrell said. “And that shows up in a number of different ways. Inside the game, more importantly, where he’s able to slow the game down where maybe things in the past sped up a little bit. But because of that control of that emotional spike that every pitcher will experience, he still reads swings very accurately, and those are the things that allow him to make the next pitch selection to be most effective.
“It’s the maturity and he knowing more of himself as a pitcher, that’s really the biggest difference.”

A slightly deeper look within the numbers emphasizes that point. Buchholz was never a bad pitcher in tight situations, but he was known to focus a bit too much on runners and, at times, was knocked around while in the stretch. However, opponents are 2-for-30 (.067) with seven strikeouts and five GIDPs with a man on first this year. They are 6-for-58 (.103) against Buchholz with runners on. And the righty has held opposing hitters to a .165 (13-for-79) average with 24 strikeouts and no homers in medium- to high-leverage situations.

Again, a small sample size, but everything is trending well. As Buchholz said, things are going right.

Not that the position of one’s locker means everything, but every so often you can read a little into the way in which the Red Sox station their players in the clubhouse. Position players line one wall and pitchers and catchers the other, and within those settings are small idiosyncrasies.

Buchholz, for years, had a locker along the main pitching wall, somewhat behind a pillar and hard to find, betwixt Lester (and Jason Varitek) and lockers for the ever-shuffling relief corps. It was a very ordinary setting.

When the 2013 clubhouse was unveiled, Buchholz had moved to a prominent corner suite once held by Daisuke Matsuzaka and near Josh Beckett’s old stomping grounds, a spot tucked away and central at the same time. A spot where a veteran coming into his own can have his alone time, that he so richly deserves, while still being very present.

In front of the locker, the custom-made lounger with the inscription “Buck” on it speaks to someone who at least had the expectation he would be carrying a bigger load. Thus far, he has.

In a column posted on ESPNBoston.com, Gordon Edes writes about the Red Sox's red-hot month of April.

Here's an excerpt:

Despite a 9-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night, the Sox finished the month of April with the best record in the majors, 18-8.

The last two times they had the best record in April was in 2007 and 2004. Seasons, you may recall, that ended with duck boats parading through the streets of Boston.

No one is printing World Series tickets just yet, but so far the Sox have emerged as one of the season's big surprises, leading a division, the American League East, in which many of the wise guys had placed them at or near the bottom.

CLICK HERE to read the full column.

In the video below, the "Baseball Tonight" gang discusses April's top storylines, including Boston's hot start.

TORONTO -- As written, the Official Rules of Baseball can occasionally be difficult to decipher, the language convoluted and the logic difficult to follow.

This was not one of those times. The rule is 5.09. The relevant subsection is (b). It states:

"The ball becomes dead and runners advance one base, or return to their bases, without liability to be put out when (b) the plate umpire interferes with the catcher's throw attempting to prevent a stolen base or retire a runner on a pick-off play; runners may not advance."

What does all that have to do with Boston's 9-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays here Tuesday night? Plenty, as it turns out.

Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said that when he cocked his arm to make a bases-loaded throw to first base in the third inning, his elbow struck the mask of plate umpire Clint Fagan. The ball sailed well beyond the reach of Sox first baseman Mike Napoli, two runs scored on the play, and eventually so did a third.

The play did not decide the game. The Sox eventually wiped out that 4-0 deficit and took a 7-6 lead before falling 9-7 to the Blue Jays. But Saltalamacchia admitted afterward that had he known the rule, he wouldn't have let the play go unchallenged.

"My elbow hit the umpire's mask, which I've done in the past, but no one has ever said anything, so I didn't make a stink about it because I didn't really know the ruling on it," Saltalamacchia said. "Now I know, once it hits his mask it's got to be a dead ball.

"It definitely hit, but [that is] part of the game, apparently."

Saltalamacchia said he discussed the play with Fagan after manager John Farrell had gone out to discuss the play in between innings with the umpire. Farrell said he didn't realize immediately what had happened.

"Not immediately at the time," Farrell said. "It was a bang-bang play, a quick reaction play on his part, and then after thinking the direction of the ball, Salty's a little more accurate than that. And that's when, after the inning, I asked [Fagan] what he had on the play, and he said he thought his elbow hit him after [Saltalamacchia] threw the ball and he was recoiling. He didn't see it the way we saw it."

Farrell relayed to Saltalamacchia the umpire's version, that the Sox catcher had hit the mask on his follow through.

"Kind of impossible," Saltalamacchia said. "I tried to tell him that. He said, "Well, I thought you did.' I told him that when my arm is going back I felt it hit you. At that point, I was already getting ready to go forward, and I couldn't hold up."

Saltalamacchia said the same thing has happened in "spring training, big league games. Mainly it's the backpick to first. You jump up real quick. He's trying to see the pitch all the way in, and [the arm] hits his mask. Usually, I'm able to kind of stop. But at that point, I was trying to get the backpick and get an out for Jonny [Lester]."

The umpire didn't say anything immediately after the play, Saltalamacchia said; not that he was obliged to.

"I didn't hear anybody say anything. Like I said, if I had to do it all over again, I definitely would have made a stink about it and got us at least a try at it."

Making it even more aggravating for the Sox catcher, he thought the play had a chance to work, too. Jose Bautista, who was on first base, had taken a big lead.

"He was getting off pretty good," Saltalamacchia said. "He didn't start heading back until I was ready to throw it. So I think we probably had a good shot at him."

TORONTO -- How many bleeping cities can one man claim to have?

David Ortiz tried Tuesday night to add Toronto to his list, hitting his third home run in nine games and clearing the bases with a three-run double that gave the Sox their only lead of the night.

But the Blue Jays, who have had as wretched a month as the Red Sox have had a great one, rallied for a 9-7 win that kept the Sox from setting a club record for wins in April.

Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run home run off Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa in the seventh, his second deep drive of the night, and the Jays tacked on another run in the eighth on a single, sacrifice bunt and single off Joel Hanrahan, who was making his first appearance since coming off the disabled list.

The Sox finish April with an 18-8 record, while the Blue Jays are now 10-17. Ortiz lined out to center for the final out against Jays closer Casey Janssen.

Papi-meter: With his third home run and three-run double in the seventh, Ortiz raised his RBI total to 15 in just nine games. He has hit safely in all nine, and 21 straight dating back to last season.

K-cups: Mike Napoli came into the game within four of Manny Ramirez's club record for RBIs in April, 31. Instead, the Sox first baseman struck out four times. This was the second four-K game of Napoli's career; the first time came on June 11, 2010, when he was with the Angels.

Napoli finished the month with 40 strikeouts, the second player to reach that number in April. Chris Carter of Houston was the first.

Knock, knock: You can watch a ballgame from your hotel room here, and on rare occasions, you might even get room service. In the fifth inning, Edwin Encarnacion hit one off Jon Lester into the fifth deck of the Rogers Centre, just inside the left-field foul pole and about 20 rows shy of a hotel room overlooking the field. That's the same place Manny Ramirez hit one for the Sox in another lifetime (2001). ESPN's home run tracker estimated the Encarnacion home run at 427 feet. Manny's, incidentally, was measured at 491 feet.

Lester lacking: After shutting out the Jays for seven innings here three weeks ago, Jon Lester fared much worse on his second go-round, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks in six innings. A walk and Jose Bautista's double in the first scored Toronto's first run, and Lester loaded the bases on a single, walk and hit batsman in the third. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia tried to bail him out but instead threw the ball into right field for a two-run error on an errant pickoff attempt. J.P. Arencibia's double made it 4-0. Lester, who was looking to run his record to 5-0, instead wound up with a no-decision.

Speed kills: At least in this instance. Jacoby Ellsbury reached base four times Tuesday night (two walks, two singles), but in the fifth, with two on and Mike Napoli at the plate, Ellsbury was picked off at second base by Jays starter Brandon Morrow.

Omens, anyone? Even with the loss, the Sox finished the month with the majors' best record for April, the 11th time they've done so. The past two times, 2004 and 2007, the Sox won the World Series.

Fenway Park's head groundskeeper Dave Mellor is recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the result of 37 surgeries, the incidents that caused them and the pain that resulted. PTSD cost him a lot of sleep and anguish, and took him a long time to figure out. But once he did, in 2010, he underwent therapy and began to heal.

Now he is on a mission to spread the word to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings and their families. He suspects that many -- especially the amputees -- will suffer some degree of PTSD, the symptoms of which include nightmares, flashbacks, depression, excessive drinking and mood disorder. If any suffer, he hopes they can deal with it more quickly than he did.

"I want people to know that there's hope, that they're not alone, that there's a bright future for them," he said. "PTSD affects not only the patient but the family, and that there's support for that, too.

ESPN's Steve Maranz visited with Mellor and captures his story in words and on video. Check out the story by clicking HERE and the E:60 video by clicking HERE.

TORONTO -- With outfielder Shane Victorino missing a fifth straight game Tuesday because of back tightness, the Red Sox are fast approaching a decision on how much longer they can continue to play short-handed.

Manager John Farrell indicated that if Victorino is not ready to play by the end of this three-game set, the Sox would likely to have to make a move.

Victorino hit off a tee Tuesday, the first swings he's taken since his back flared up and forced him out of last Wednesday's game against Oakland, and he did some other exercising in the gym.

"While he is unavailable tonight," Farrell said, "improvement continued to be made."

But it sounded unlikely that he'll be ready to play Wednesday, and if he is a no-go Thursday, the Sox may be forced to place him on the DL.

"We stated before it would be great to get him to the point where he is ready to go, then give him one more day to ensure that," Farrell said. "While he's making progress, we've got to be cautious. It flared up twice in an eight-day period."

TORONTO -- There will indeed be a role reversal in the Red Sox bullpen for the foreseeable future. Joel Hanrahan, who began the season as the Sox closer, came off the 15-day disabled list and was told by manager John Farrell Tuesday afternoon that he will be setting up for Andrew Bailey. Farrell also met with Bailey and delivered the same message.

“It’s definitely not a surprise,’’ Hanrahan said. “There’s not a whole lot of guys who get hurt, miss a couple of weeks and get thrown back in that role. Whatever happens is going to happen.’’

Grist for controversy? Hanrahan would not go down that road. Instead, he said, he was taking his cue from the way Bailey acted when the Sox traded for Hanrahan last December and announced that there would be no competition in spring training for the closer’s job: Hanrahan was the closer, Bailey the setup man.

Bailey publicly accepted that outcome, and after Tuesday’s switch, Hanrahan did the same.

“I just want to be one of the 25 guys helping us to win,’’ Hanrahan said. “The way we’re playing right now, I’m not trying to stir any controversy. There could have been some of that in December. The way Andrew handled that at that time, that’s kind of the approach I want to take and go out there and do my part.’’

Hanrahan said he accepted Farrell’s explanation for the switch.

“Obviously I’ve been out of the game for 15 days, and [Farrell] says he’s going to kind of work me back in,’’ Hanrahan said. “Bailey’s been doing a heck of a job. I told him that I’m comfortable with whatever you want to do. The way the team’s playing right now, I just want to fit in and do my part to help. I’m just excited to be back.’’

Asked if Farrell told him the role reversal was temporary, Hanrahan said: “We didn’t get that far down the road. Obviously we’re just trying to work back in and see where it plays out. Whatever their decision is, is going to be their decision, and I’m just trying to help out.’’

Hanrahan saved a total of 76 games in the last two seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates and as a player in his last year of salary arbitration, he signed a one-year deal for $7.04 million with the Red Sox, with the chance to earn an additional $60,000 in performance bonuses based on games finished.

Losing the closer’s role could potentially hurt Hanrahan’s earning power significantly this winter, when he is eligible for free agency, but he insisted Tuesday that was secondary.

“That’s something that will play itself out by the end of the year,’’ he said. “If I go out and get people out in the eighth inning, I feel like I’ve got a good enough track record somebody will look at that and say, ‘You know what? He had an injury, something happened, he came back throwing the ball well, and that’s all that really matters.’

“If I throw the ball really well, that situation will play itself out. That’s stuff I can’t worry about now. My goal right now is to get us some hardware.’’

Hanrahan hasn’t pitched since April 13, when he was lifted after walking the only two batters he faced against Tampa Bay. In his previous outing, a loss against the Orioles, he walked two and gave up two home runs. Hanrahan revealed he had been pitching with a strained hamstring in his right, or pushoff, leg, an injury that occurred in his second outing of the season against the Yankees on April 3, when he registered the first of three consecutive saves.

But after the Rays game, the decision was made to place him on the DL, the injury having an obvious impact on his mechanics, according to Farrell. Hanrahan returns after making two rehab appearances for Pawtucket this weekend, and says that he’s healthy.

“I feel good,’’ he said. “I feel ready to go. I made a couple of rehab appearances, didn’t feel anything in the second game, and I didn’t think about it. Hopefully it will be a nonissue and I’ll be ready to get back and help.’’

Hanrahan said he has no doubt the injury contributed to his ineffectiveness.

“I definitely think the hammy affected that,’’ he said. “When you talk about your back leg, you put a lot of weight on that back leg to start your delivery, and then you’re pushing off with that leg. It didn’t affect my velocity, but it did affect the way I finished pitches and how I went through my delivery. I feel good with it now. I’m just ready to go.’’

Pitching the eighth instead of the ninth will not require a major adjustment on his part, he said.

“My job is to go out there and put up a zero,’’ he said. “It doesn’t matter what inning it is, your job is to go out there and get three people out and throw up a zero. You can see how it started out the year with Bailey. He was a closer a long time, took that eighth inning role and was doing really well, and he’s continued that with the ninth.’’

Bailey has a win, five saves, a 1.46 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. Only four relievers have more strikeouts in the majors this season.

“I knew what my job going into the season would be,’’ he said, “[but] things change, man, a lot of times. Whether it’s an injury or whatever, sometimes those roles change.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence pitching in that [closer’s] role, I’ve done it before, so for me, the preparation, nothing changes. As a unit down there, we’re great. We’ve got 25 guys on the same page. Ultimately that’s what you want.

“Having [Hanrahan] back and healthy, the way Koji [Uehara] and Taz [Junichi Tazawa] are pitching, to add another guy who throws 100 is not a bad thing. Just keep focused, keep doing what we’re doing, all on the same page.’’

Bailey said Farrell did not indicate to him how long this arrangement would last.

“I’m accustomed to that role and I know what it takes to get the job done,’’ he said. “For me I’m comfortable out there. Obviously, everybody wants to close. It’s not really a big deal. I’ve done it before and hopefully I’ll get the chance tonight.’’

TORONTO -- The Red Sox on Tuesday activated right-hander Joel Hanrahan from the disabled list, but are sticking with Andrew Bailey in the closer's role for the time being.

While incumbent closer Hanrahan was sidelined for 15 days with a right hamstring strain, Bailey excelled as his replacement, going five for six in save chances. For the season, he has 20 strikeouts and a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 innings.

Farrell broke the news to Hanrahan before Tuesday's game in Toronto.

"Obviously I've been out of the ballgame for 15 days and he says he's going to kind of work me back in," Hanrahan said. "Bailey's been doing a heck of a job. I told him that I'm comfortable with whatever you want to do. The way the team's playing right now, I just want to fit in and do my part to help. I'm just excited to be back."

The Red Sox have activated right-hander Joel Hanrahan (right hamstring strain) from the 15-day disabled list.

He will be available for tonight's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, but it's unknown whether he'll be used as the closer moving forward.

Manager John Farrell had declared Hanrahan was his closer unequivocally after he was acquired in a trade from the Pirates last winter, but with Andrew Bailey racking up a win and five saves while striking out 20 in 12 1/3 innings, Farrell could be leaning toward the hot hand.

In an interview with MLB Network Radio today, Farrell wouldn't confirm whether Bailey would in fact keep his job as Sox closer, but seemed to indicate he was leaning that way.

"[Hanrahan is] active today ... Before announcing what his role is, when he comes to the ballpark we'll have a chance to sit down. I did talk to him after his final appearance in Pawtucket, mostly and specifically on just physically feeling fine so we can go ahead and make the roster move. The one thing Joel is, he's honest with himself, and he understands what's going on here. And the fact is if he's healthy he's going to make us a better team. But until I have a chance to sit down and talk with him directly and say 'Hey, I think this is maybe the way we should go for the short-term,' we'll probably wait until we meet in person here this afternoon."

Hanrahan, 31, is 0-1 with three saves, an 11.57 ERA (6 ER/4.2 IP), and four strikeouts over six relief outings for the Red Sox this season.

To make room for him on the 25-man roster, right-hander Daniel Bard was optioned to Double-A Portland after Sunday’s win against Houston.

Bard, 27, made two relief appearances for Boston after his April 24 recall, allowing one run on one hit and two walks with one strikeout in 1.0 inning of work.

TORONTO -- Greetings from a still-darkened Rogers Centre, where only a few lights have been turned on, the most illumination coming from the yellowish glows of the hotel rooms above the outfield. It’s a beautiful day here, but for now, anyway, the roof remains closed.

Haven’t asked anyone in an official capacity, but with the Maple Leafs in Boston to open the National Hockey League playoffs Wednesday against the Bruins, attendance is expected to be on the light side this week here, where the Sox are aiming for a franchise-record 19th win in April.

The ball will be in the hands of Jon Lester, who threw seven scoreless innings here against the Jays on April 7, allowing just five hits and not walking a batter in a 13-0 win highlighted by Will Middlebrooks' three home runs. The Sox took two of three in that series from the Jays, who will have slugger Jose Bautista for this go-round but are missing Jose Reyes, out an expected three months with a severely sprained ankle.

The Sox have won all five of Lester’s starts, and have scored six or more runs in four of them. The other was a 2-1 win over the Rays, one of three teams that the Sox combined to go 10-0 against this month. The Sox won three from the Rays, three from the Indians and four from the Astros, who promptly went to the Bronx and whipped the Yankees, 9-1, Monday night.

The Sox won six series this month, their only series losses coming when they dropped two of three to the Orioles and two of three to the Royals.

Daniel Rathman of Baseball Prospectus notes that Bautista's return sets up what should be an interesting matchup against Lester, the pitcher he has faced more than any other in his career (52 plate appearances). For the most part, Lester has gotten the better of Bautista, holding him to a .222 average (10 for 45), but among those 10 hits are four home runs and two doubles. Bautista is batting just .192 so far, but has three home runs in his last five games.

Bautista ranks second all-time in home runs off Lester, and has the most of any right-handed hitter off the Sox lefty. Carlos Pena has seven home runs off Lester.

Lester has faced 128 batters this season and allowed one home run, to Chris Young of the Athletics in his last start, April 24 at Fenway Park.

* The Sox made it official just a short time ago, announcing they have activated Joel Hanrahan from the disabled list. We’ll find out in a couple of hours (we think) who will be closing for the Sox tonight, when we meet with Sox manager John Farrell. The Sox manager had declared Hanrahan was his closer unequivocally after he was acquired in a trade from the Pirates last winter, but with Bailey racking up a win and five saves while striking out 20 in 12 1/3 innings, Farrell could be leaning toward the hot hand.

* I sent a message on Twitter to Ashley Papelbon, the wife of the former Sox closer, asking if Pap had any problem with Bailey using “Shipping Up to Boston” as his entrance music. She graciously tweeted back, “@GordonEdes Jp's only thoughts on Boston/Bailey are 1) his daughter is the CUTEST thing we've ever laid eyes on & 2) Bostonians are safe.’’

* And in the time it took me to write this, the lights have come on in the Rog.

The weekly power rankings are out, and the 18-7 Red Sox are holding steady at No. 3, behind the Texas Rangers (16-9) and the Atlanta Braves (15-9).

Worth noting: The Yankees are back at No. 12, the Rays are down at No. 16, the Dodgers (How's it going Adrian and Josh?) are at No. 18, and the Blue Jays (who the Sox visit on Tuesday) have dropped to No. 24.

Check out the rankings by clicking HERE.

BOSTON -- Greetings from the Edes cave, where we start the day with a few notes, quotes and gloats on the state of the Sox, the team with the best record in baseball (18-7) as they prepare to embark on a six-game trip to Toronto and Texas:

* David Ortiz missed all of spring training and played just six games on a rehab assignment for Pawtucket, batting .222 (4 for 18), which makes his performance since returning to the Sox beyond rational explanation. Here is how Ortiz compared with his big-league peers over the same span since returning to the Sox lineup on April 20.

-- Only Nate McLouth of the Orioles had a higher batting average, .517 to .516.

-- He had 16 hits, a number matched only by Manny Machado of the Orioles.

-- His .871 slugging percentage was the highest in the American League.

-- Only Nelson Cruz of the Rangers, with 13 RBIs, had more than Ortiz, who tied with Ryan Howard of the Phillies with 11.

-- Only Josh Donaldson of the Athletics (7) and Sox teammate Mike Napoli (6) had more doubles than Ortiz (5).

-- Only McLouth (.611) and Donaldson (.576) had a higher on-base average in the AL than Ortiz (.529).

* Hope has not yet expired in Toronto, but it is definitely on the critical list. The Blue Jays, after an extreme roster makeover this winter, were a popular choice to win the American League East, but instead are eight games under .500, have a 9-17 record that is better only than Houston in the AL, and are already 9 ½ games behind the Sox in the division.

The Jays were just swept four straight by the Yankees in New York, and at the moment the month ranks as the second worst April in franchise history. They are returning home after a 1-6 trip against the Orioles and Yankees in which they scored just 23 runs, barely more than three runs a game. They’ve scored three runs or fewer in 15 of their 26 games.

The team took a huge hit when Jose Reyes, who was counted upon to be a transformative force at the top of their lineup, severely sprained his left ankle and is expected to miss at least three months. The two pitchers who came with Reyes from Miami, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson, both have ERAs over 6, and the oft-injured Johnson already has missed a start and underwent an MRI because of tightness in his right triceps. The team’s other big acquisition, R.A. Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner, has 2 wins and a 4.50 ERA in his first six starts, and he is expected to undergo an MRI this week to determine the cause of tightness in his upper neck and back.

It’s not just the newcomers who are struggling. Slugger Jose Bautista has 7 home runs but is batting .192 overall with 11 RBIs. And closer Sergio Santos is on the DL with a strained triceps.

On the Sox first visit to Toronto, crowds of 40,000-plus booed Boston manager John Farrell mercilessly, their ill humor made worse when the Sox took two out of three. That was on a weekend. This will be a midweek series, which will mean smaller crowds, and it will be interesting to see if Farrell will be on the receiving end of even more bile, or whether Jays fans will revert to their default mode, apathy.

“It’s going to get better and I still expect us to be a contending team,” Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters Sunday.

His optimism isn’t shared by many at this stage.

* When the Sox returned home from Cleveland April 18, they held a 2 ½ game lead over the Yankees in the division. Even after winning 7 out 10 on this homestand, the lead remains the same. Other than the Jays, who went 2-8 over that span, Boston’s other division rivals -- the Yankees, Orioles and Rays -- also went 7-3.

The Yankees, of course, have defied all the prophets who forecast doom because of their rash of injuries and advancing age. They’ve won with pickups like Travis Hafner, who has a 1.118 OPS, Vernon Wells (.911 OPS) and Lyle Overbay, a late-spring discard by the Sox, and with the likes of Ben Francisco serving as DH. Eight of the last nine Yankee wins have been by either one or two runs, and now they get their crack at the woeful Astros, who left Boston for three games in the Bronx.

* Jacoby Ellsbury has already set career highs for April in hits (30), steals (11) , and total bases (45), and his 18 runs are within two of his career high with one game left in the month. He has just one home run (1), which lends support to those who argue that his 32 home runs in 2011 were an anomaly, but let’s withhold judgment on that. He had four home runs in April 2011, so it’s possible the power stroke can still come.

* Dustin Pedroia is ending the month on a definite upswing, posting a .361/.477.472/.949 line on the homestand, with four doubles in the last five games. And after a decidedly un-Pedroialike 15 K’s in a span of 11 games, Pedroia whiffed just once during the 10-game homestand.

* The Sox have lost back-to-back games twice all season. In their last 32 games of 2012, they won back-to-back games only twice.

* The Sox are 4-2 in one-run games this season, and 6-2 in blowouts (games decided by five runs or more).

* Mike Napoli returns this weekend to Texas, where he played two seasons and was an integral part of the Rangers team that went to the World Series in 2011. He expects a far different reception than the one Rangers fans accorded former star Josh Hamilton, who was booed without letup when he returned with the Angels. “I don’t think they’ll boo me," he said with a grin.

Napoli leads the majors with 13 doubles and 18 extra-base hits.

* Ortiz told two news outlets Sunday that he and his wife, Tiffany, are filing for divorce. The couple has three children.