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BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis underwent an MRI on his ailing back, but manager Bobby Valentine said Saturday morning that the results weren't available yet.

Youkilis was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday, retroactive to last Sunday because of a lower back strain. At the time Youkilis said he thought his back was getting better and that the training staff had figured out what was causing his discomfort. He also said he didn't think it was anything that would require an MRI.

But now the third baseman has had an MRI. On Friday Youkilis said he fully expected to be ready to play again when his time on the DL is up, on Monday, May 14.

Valentine didn't have much else to offer in his pregame media session.

He did confirm, though, that Daisuke Matsuzaka will be ready to make his next rehab start on Monday in Pawtucket. Dice-K, who is recovering from last May's elbow ligament replacement surgery, had been hampered by a sore neck for a few days.

Valentine also said that center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (subluxed right shoulder) is progressing in his rehab and that Cody Ross has a tender right knee from fouling a ball off the knee during Friday night's game.

BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who suffered a subluxation of his right (non-throwing shoulder) last Friday, had his MRI exams read by noted California orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum and will not need immediate surgery, manager Bobby Valentine said Tuesday.

"There was a consensus of opinion on both the damage and how to proceed," Valentine said of the consultation with Yocum.

"He had some hand manipulation for range of motion. They're trying to take it slowly to get it better. I don't know that there is anything on the horizon other than the normal treatment and see how he does day by day," Valentine said.

Reports have suggested that Ellsbury, who has been receiving treatment since suffering the injury, might be out anywhere from four to eight weeks. But Valentine did not put a timetable on Ellsbury's return.

Another injured Red Sox outfielder, Carl Crawford, participated in his first extended spring game on Tuesday.

Crawford, who had surgery on his left wrist in the offseason and suffered a strained left elbow a couple of weeks ago, had four at-bats, according to Valentine. The manager said Crawford walked once and attempted a stolen base, and got the bat on the ball in his other three at-bats.

"He felt good after the game," Valentine said.

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox issued the following statement in regards to outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury:

“Jacoby injured his right shoulder during yesterday’s game. An MRI was performed and showed findings consistent with a subluxed shoulder. We are in the process of gathering further information and determining the treatment plan. Jacoby will be placed on the 15-day disabled list prior to today’s game.”

Ellsbury was injured when Tampa Bay's Reid Brignac fell onto Ellsbury's shoulder on a play at second during Friday's home opener at Fenway Park.

CLICK HERE for more on Ellsbury.

It's difficult to pinpoint how much time Jacoby Ellsbury could miss after suffering a shoulder injury Friday.

A number of prominent players have had dislocated shoulders in recent years and missed varying amounts of time. New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter dislocated his left shoulder on Opening Day, 2003, in a violent collision with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby at third base, and missed 36 games. Jeter did not require surgery.

Days later that same season, slugger Ken Griffey Jr. dislocated his right shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield and missed 37 games. Griffey returned to the Cincinnati Reds lineup, but he was discovered to have a torn labrum and rotator cuff and underwent season-ending surgery that August.

Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy, while still in the minor leagues, dislocated his shoulder and tore his labrum in 2004 and sat out the season.

Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez, then with the Chicago Cubs, dislocated his left shoulder diving for a ground ball in 2009 and missed 58 games. He continued to have problems with the shoulder even after he returned to play.

Last June, San Francisco Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez dislocated his shoulder in June and underwent surgery when it was determined he had also damaged his labrum and the shoulder capsule.

So estimates of missing just six weeks may be the most optimistic scenario.

DETROIT -- Well, that didn’t take long.

Two games into the season, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is shaking up the Red Sox lineup, which has produced two runs so far, none in a 10-0 defeat by the Tigers on Saturday.

For the first time in nearly a year, Jacoby Ellsbury will start in a spot other than leadoff in the Sox batting order. Ellsbury, who batted ninth in a game last April 21, will bat second against Tigers right-hander Matt Scherzer on Sunday afternoon, with Dustin Pedroia dropping down to the 3-hole, Adrian Gonzalez hitting cleanup and David Ortiz fifth.

Nick Punto, Darnell McDonald and Kelly Shoppach all are making their first starts of the season.

“Getting some guys their first starts of the year and I think we’ll be able to score some runs with it,’’ Valentine said. “Hope so.’’

The Sox's new leadoff man? No, not the typical suspects, like Pedroia or Mike Aviles. It will be Punto, who in 44 previous games as a leadoff man (40 starts) is batting .169, by far his worst average at any spot in the batting order.

Last season, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa started Punto eight times at leadoff. He responded with three hits in his first two games, but went 1-for-22 in his last six starts at the top spot.

Valentine said he gives those numbers no weight.

“None,’’ he said. “I think he’s going to hit .260 in the leadoff spot, so he’s got a lot of hits coming. I don’t think it has anything to do with it.
Personally, I don’t think it has anything to do with it.’’

So what does Valentine like about Punto hitting leadoff?

“Just want to see what it looks like,’’ he said. “See if it gives us a little spark. He’s a sparky kind of player, battles everyone.’’

Meanwhile, Ellsbury has not batted in the 2-hole since June 14, 2009, when he hit behind Julio Lugo in an interleague game in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Ellsbury has batted second eight times in his big-league career, with six starts, and is batting .304 (7-for-23) in those games.

Perhaps an even bigger surprise is this: McDonald is getting a start against a right-hander, replacing Cody Ross in left field, and batting sixth. Last season McDonald batted just .189 (10-for-53) against right-handers with more strikeouts (13) than hits (10), and Terry Francona started him just three times against righties.

Valentine said during spring training he planned to employ a variety of lineups, and indeed looked at Ellsbury in the 2-hole in exhibition play. And McDonald was the team’s hottest hitter in spring training, batting .447 with a 1.327 OPS, playing against lefties and righties.

“Most of his at-bats in spring were against right-handers,’’ Valentine said. “I figured if he’s ever ready to start against a right-hander, it’s now.’’
He also has said he likes to get his bench players participating early. Shoppach, who got his first hit as a Red Sox (0-for-15 his first go-round) as a pinch hitter Saturday afternoon, will start behind the plate in place of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Kevin Youkilis, hitless in his first eight at-bats while striking out in four consecutive plate appearances over the first two games, is sitting in place of Punto.

“I haven’t had good at-bats, a couple, one I disagreed on a call, that’s just how it works,’’ Youkilis said on Saturday. “One hundred sixty-two games, you’re going to have two bad games. Hopefully these are the two bad ones, things start clicking well, and I start helping this team win.’’

Unlike Francona, who made a practice of telling players the night before whether they were starting the next day, players did not know until they arrived at the ballpark Sunday.

Here’s the lineup:

Nick Punto, 3B

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

Dustin Pedroia, 2B

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

David Ortiz, DH

Darnell McDonald, LF

Ryan Sweeney, RF

Mike Aviles, SS

Kelly Shoppach, C

Clay Buchholz -- RHP

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Takeaway from the Fort, where the Boston Red Sox were clubbed, 10-5, by the Philadelphia Phillies, in a split-squad game at JetBlue Park:

Alfredo Aceves was lit up for 10 hits, including 3 home runs, and 9 runs in 3 innings. He walked a batter, hit another, and threw a wild pitch. His pitches were up, he had trouble locating, and when he did throw a strike, it caught too much of the plate -- and Phillies' bats.

"He looked out of sorts from the get-go," said bench coach Tim Bogar, who managed this split squad of Sox players while Bobby Valentine was in Jupiter.

What does it mean? Well, neither Valentine nor pitching coach Bob McClure were here -- they were watching Felix Doubront, who was terrific in Jupiter -- so if they needed to make up their minds on Aceves, that wouldn't have happened.

Bogar called it a "hiccup," a rational notion given the superb way Aceves has pitched most of the spring, adding that "we haven't seen that since last August."

"A guy like Aceves, you should look at his track record,'' Bogar said. "He's shown us he can pitch.''

Aceves adopted a similar posture: "One outing is not going to tell you the value of a pitcher," he said.

Aceves walked leadoff batter Shane Victorino on four pitches to open the game. Juan Pierre swept a ground-rule double into the right-field corner, and after Aceves got away with a high slider to strike out Hunter Pence, he threw a wild pitch to Laynce Nix to score a run. John Mayberry Jr. lined a 400-foot single off the center-field fence for another run, Pete Orr and Freddy Galvis opened the second with back-to-back home runs, and Carlos Ruiz hit another home run to lead off the third.

"This is one of those days nothing went good," said Aceves, adding after his news conference, "I wasn't on the same page with myself."

Aceves wasn't alone. Dustin Pedroia dropped an easy throw at second, something that may not have happened since he played at Woodland High.

Darnell McDonald and Jacoby Ellsbury both made off-target throws to cutoff men, with shortstop Mike Aviles lunging to spear Ellsbury's throw, then losing a footrace to Juan Pierre to second base while Victorino strolled home from third. Michael Bowden relieved Aceves and gave up hits to three of the first four batters he faced, a run scoring.

Good news? Vicente Padilla made his first appearance since straining his hamstring, and looked dynamic in a scoreless inning of relief, his first since Valentine told him he was out of the mix--for now, anyway--for a starting job. Franklin Morales and closer Andrew Bailey also had a scoreless inning apiece.

Shortstop competition: Aviles had two hits, including a double, and is batting .293, while the rookie, Jose Iglesias, 0 for 3 in Jupiter, is now 1 for his last 13 and batting .174.

Check back later to read my thoughts on the rotation.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It’s photo day here at JetBlue Park at Fenway South.

Red Sox players put on the home whites and spend the morning saying “cheese” before regular workouts begin at 9:30.

It’s another full day of activities here. On Saturday, the team held its annual organizational meeting with ownership and management, so now the players can solely focus on baseball.

There will be live batting practice sessions again today and there’s a chance Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury will meet with the media later today.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury is back in the lineup Tuesday night after missing the last three games with a bruised back.

As soon as Ellsbury arrived in the visitor’s clubhouse early Tuesday afternoon at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Red Sox manager Terry Francona checked in with him.

“We’ve got him in the lineup, but we’re still kind of waiting on one thing that we test,” Francona said. “The doctor got waylaid, but we think [Ellsbury] is going to be OK. But if something ever did happen we would take him out of the lineup. He does feel good enough to play.”

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was not in the lineup Monday night for the third consecutive game due to a bruised back, but he's expected to return on Tuesday, according to manager Terry Francona.

Ellsbury was able to take early batting practice in the cage on Monday at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the session went well, Francona said.

"We're pushing for (Tuesday) and he's good with that," Francona said.

Ellsbury told Francona on Monday that he felt good enough to play in the first of four games against the Texas Rangers, but the manager thought it best to give it one more day for precautionary reasons.

"I thought if we did that, we'll be in good shape for tomorrow," Francona said.

Francona also admitted that Ellsbury hit Sunday in Kansas City.

"He hit (Sunday) but it wasn't really easy for him, but today he let loose a bit more and he did better," Francona said. "If he keeps improving the way he has, he'll play tomorrow. He'll be sore, but he'll play."

BOSTON -- The outing didn’t exactly get off to a crisp start for Jon Lester.

The left-hander labored in a 22-pitch first inning in which he was tagged for a pair of doubles and one run. He also labored at times in a scoreless 20-pitch second inning.

But it was in the second inning that Lester seemed to find his rhythm. Lester wound up allowing only three hits and the one run in his seven innings, earning his 12th win of the season in Boston’s 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park in the opening game of a day-night doubleheader Tuesday.

Lester, who snapped a two-game losing streak in raising his record to 12-6, outdueled the Rays’ James Shields, thanks to Jacoby Ellsbury’s three-run third-inning homer and airtight relief from Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon (28th save).

Lester’s game took a turn for the better in the second after he hit a batter and walked the next with one out. Elliot Johnson, the Rays’ number nine hitter, tried to drop down a bunt, but he popped it up and third baseman Kevin Youkilis reeled it in.

From that point on, Lester kept the Tampa Bay hitters from reaching base, retiring 17 of the final 18 batters he faced. Beginning with Johnson’s popout, Lester set down 12 in a row, the spell broken by Evan Longoria’s single with one out in the sixth. Lester then mowed down the final five batters he faced.

At one stretch, Lester struck out four batters in a row en route to eight whiffs. And while his pitch count rose to worrisome levels early (79 through four innings), Lester became more economical, throwing only 34 pitches over his last three innings for a final total of 113.

This was the 10th time in his last 11 starts that Lester has permitted three or fewer runs.

THE HOME-RUN GROOVE: The potential was there for Jacoby Ellsbury to hit home runs, but the Red Sox center fielder has truly blossomed in that department this season.

In Tuesday’s afternoon portion of the day-night doubleheader, Ellsbury crushed a three-run homer off one of the Rays’ aces, James Shields, giving Boston all three of its runs en route to a 3-1 victory.

It was the 21st homer of the year for Ellsbury, who had clubbed a total of only 20 in his first three big-league seasons. Ellsbury, the Sox’ leadoff man, is the second-leading home-run hitter on the club, behind only designated hitter David Ortiz, who has clouted 24 homers, and ahead of other more well known home-run hitters such as Adrian Gonzalez (18) and Kevin Youkilis (17).

The round-tripper also was Ellsbury’s fourth three-run shot of the year. Only Ortiz (five, including a grand slam) has more homers with at least two runners on base.

One of the keys to Ellsbury’s home-run prowess this year has been his discipline at the plate, learning which pitches he can drive well enough to hit out of the ballpark. Tuesday’s homer came on a thigh-high, down-the-middle pitch from Shields that Ellsbury pulled over the Rays’ bullpen in right.

EFFICIENT OFFENSE: The Red Sox had only three hits against Shields. But they all came in the third inning, producing their three runs. Josh Reddick and Mike Aviles singled in advance of Ellsbury’s homer.

BEHIND THE EIGHT-BALL EARLY: The Red Sox have had to battle back from early deficits a lot lately. Tuesday afternoon, Jon Lester limited the first-inning damage to one run, but that constituted the fifth time in the last six games that a Boston starter has coughed up at least one run in the opening inning.

BOSTON -- Jacoby Ellsbury had 16 home runs in Boston’s first 97 games. At that pace, he would finish with 27 home runs, tripling his previous career high of nine, hit in the 2008 season.

In parts of four previous seasons (two as an everyday player), Ellsbury has never hit double figures in home runs. We posed the following question to the guru of home runs, David Vincent, author of the Home Run Encyclopedia: What are the most home runs in a fifth season for a player who in his first four seasons never hit as many as 10 in a season?

The answer: 33, by Nelson Cruz, the Texas Rangers outfielder whose breakthrough year came in 2009. Cruz hit 22 in 2010, the same number he has this season. Cruz hit one more than Rockies third baseman Vinny Castilla (32) and six more than three players -- Mark Bellhorn, Jim Lemon and Torii Hunter -- who hit 27 in their fifth season.

The record for a Red Sox player who hit fewer than 10 home runs in his first four seasons? That would be 24, by catcher Rich Gedman.

Gedman, who broke into the big leagues in 1980, maxed out at five home runs in his first four seasons, all as a part-timer, before hitting 24. He hit 18 in ’85, 16 in ’86, then in the last six years of his career, as a part-timer, totaled 20.

BOSTON -- There were no bench-clearing brawls tonight between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles as a reaction to Friday’s melee, but the home crowd at Fenway Park witnessed a much-needed solid pitching performance by Sox starter John Lackey.

The veteran right-hander, who has been inconsistent for the majority of the season, worked 6 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed only three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to help the Red Sox to a 4-0 victory. He tossed 106 pitches, 69 for strikes. Lackey also drilled two Orioles' batters and on the second one, he was given a warning, along with both benches.

His fastball had good life. He was locating, and his breaking pitches kept the Orioles off balance all night.

Lackey received a standing ovation when he exited the field with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.

With the win he snaps a three-game losing skid and improves to 6-8, while dropping his ERA to 6.84. It was no doubt his best outing of the season, and with the All-Star break coming up, it was a good way for him to end the first half.

ELLSBURY’S EN FUEGO: And it doesn’t appear he’s about to cool down anytime soon. Boston’s leadoff hitter went 3-for-4, including a single, double and triple. Ellsbury, a first-time All-Star this season, is batting .314 with 11 homers, 48 RBI and 28 stolen bases. On this current homestand, he’s 12-for-26 with 5 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 2 walks and 2 stolen bases.

YOOOUK: Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, who was added to the American League All-Star roster on Friday, went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and a run scored on Saturday.

PEDEY PILING ON: Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia went 1-for-3, but his double in the bottom of the seventh inning extended his current hitting streak to 11 games.

UP NEXT: The Red Sox send rookie right-hander Kyle Weiland to the mound for his major-league debut on Sunday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. He will face the Orioles’ Mitch Atkins (0-0, 1.50 ERA).

Weiland, 24, the former University of Notre Dame standout, is in his fourth professional season in the Red Sox organization after he was selected in the third round of the 2008 draft.

He’s 8-6 with a 3.00 ERA this season at Triple-A Pawtucket. In his last 10 starts for the PawSox he’s 6-2 with a 2.33 ERA and has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 14 of his 17 starts.

“He’s throwing the ball really well,” Francona said Friday. “He’s missing a lot of bats. He’s come up with a cutter, along with his breaking ball and fastball, he’s having a lot of success.”
Weiland has recorded 99 strikeouts in 93 innings this season, while walking only 37.

“He throws hard. He’s got a live arm and always has,” Francona said. “We’re excited about this.”

BOSTON -- With the majority of the Red Sox starting rotation injured or struggling and the bullpen taxed, veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield worked seven strong innings, allowing three runs on nine hits with one walk and seven strikeouts to help Boston to a 6-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

Wakefield threw 106 pitches, 77 for strikes, to improve his record to 5-3 in 11 starts this season.

With the victory, the 44-year-old is two wins shy of becoming the 108th pitcher in major league history, and the 89th modern-day hurler (since 1900) to record 200 wins.

The Red Sox took two of three against the Blue Jays and have won eight of 14 series this season at Fenway Park.

ALL-STAR CALIBER: Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury continues to produce like an All-Star. The Sox center fielder went 3-for-5, including a home run, a pair of doubles, three RBIs, a stolen base and a run scored to help Boston to victory. He led off the bottom of the first with a home run, crushing a 1-0 offering from Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero. It was Ellsbury’s 10th round-tripper of the season and his third leadoff shot. Despite going 0-for-4 on Tuesday, he finished the three-game set against Toronto 7-for-14 with two runs scored, a triple, two doubles, a home run, five RBIs and two stolen bases.

RIGHT SIDE UP: With Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (stiff neck) getting his first night off this season, third baseman Kevin Youkilis found himself on the right side of the infield for the first time since Aug. 2, 2010. Youkilis, who missed Tuesday’s game due to headaches and tightness in his back after getting hit by a pitch on Monday, went 3-for-4 with a home run and a pair of doubles. Gonzalez had played all 85 games until Wednesday night’s breather.

DEFENSIVE GEM-LESS: No doubt Ellsbury had a heck of a night at the plate, but he also showcased his defensive skills, though that went for naught on a non-play in the top of the fifth. With one out and one runner on, the Blue Jays’ Eric Thames drove ball deep to left-center field. Ellsbury, in an all-out sprint, got to the base of the wall and made a leaping catch. It would have been the defensive gem of the game, but prior to Wakefield’s offering, Thames asked for time out and plate umpire Tim McClelland awarded it. Red Sox manager Terry Francona came out to argue, but Thames was given another shot and ended up striking out. Francona and McClelland spoke again between innings.

UP NEXT: With the Blue Jays leaving town and the Orioles arriving, the Red Sox will send left-hander Andrew Miller (2-0, 3.06 ERA) to the mound to face Baltimore’s righty Jake Arrieta (9-5, 4.74). Miller has made one career start against the O’s while he was with the Florida Marlins on June 23, 2009. The southpaw allowed one run through seven innings that game, but did not factor in the decision as the Marlins won in 12 innings.

BOSTON -- Jacoby Ellsbury was selected to his first All-Star Game on Sunday, and he’s certainly playing like he belongs among the major league elite. The Sox center fielder continued his successful 2011 campaign at the plate Monday afternoon, going 4-for-5 with a run, a triple, two RBIs and a stolen base in a 9-7 loss to the Blue Jays.

“I feel good [at the plate],” Ellsbury said after the game. “I try to come in each and every day and just be as consistent as possible, and I’ve been doing that thus far.”

The speedy leadoff hitter is batting at a .340 clip (50-for-147) over his last 35 games with five home runs, nine doubles and a triple.

Surprisingly, Monday’s triple was the first of the season for the speedy Ellsbury, who has two fewer triples on the season than the slow-footed Adrian Gonzalez.

Lack of triples aside, Ellsbury has been a machine in the leadoff spot for the Sox this year and has certainly earned his All-Star status.

“It’s a dream come true,” Ellsbury said of being selected by his fellow players to play in Phoenix. “I think it’s pretty neat being selected by your peers, [since] they’re the ones that see you play each and every day. To be selected by them is very special.”

After Monday’s hitting display, it seems apparent that his peers made a wise choice.

BOSTON -- With the interleague schedule a thing of the past for the 2011 season, the Boston Red Sox returned home to Fenway Park on the Fourth of July to begin a seven-game homestand leading in to the All-Star break.

After posting a 10-8 record against National League teams this summer, the Red Sox entered the final week before the break with a loss as the Toronto Blue Jays posted a 9-7 victory Monday afternoon.

Red Sox starter John Lackey dug too big of a hole early, allowing seven runs on nine hits in his shortest outing (2 1/3 innings) of the season, and Boston could not recover.

Trailing 7-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Red Sox began to chip away with four runs. Boston added three more in the bottom of the eighth to cut Toronto’s lead to 9-7.

The rally in the eighth began with Yamaico Navarro leading off with a single to left. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz snapped an 0-for-23 slump with an opposite-field ground-rule double to put runners on second and third.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided a two-run triple, then scored on a J.D. Drew sacrifice fly, but that’s as close as the Sox would come.

LACKLUSTER: Lackey continued his Jekyll and Hyde performances this season with another subpar outing. The veteran right-hander allowed seven runs on nine hits with no walks and two strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. It’s the fourth time in just 13 starts this season that he’s allowed seven or more runs. Lackey became the first Sox pitcher since Derek Lowe in 2004 to surrender seven or more runs four times in a season before the Fourth of July.

WHEELER DEALER: After Lackey’s dreadful outing, reliever Dan Wheeler was summoned from the bullpen in an attempt to salvage the game. The right-hander was perfect during his 2 2/3 innings of work, retiring all eight batters he faced.

DRILLED: Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning and was removed from the game. Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow drilled Youkilis in the back, just below his neck on his right side. He dropped to the ground and remained on his knees for a moment while team trainer Greg Barajas and manager Terry Francona tended to him. Youkilis walked off the field on his own and was replaced by Navarro. It was the ninth time this season Youkilis has been hit by a pitch.

WEB GEM: Navarro remained in the game at third base and turned in the defensive play of the game in the seventh. The Jays’ Jose Bautista turned on an Alfredo Aceves offering and hit a chopper down the third-base line. Navarro, ranging back and to his right, snared the ball on the outfield grass and made a quick and accurate throw across the diamond for the second out of the inning. However, two batters later, Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion hit a would-be inning-ending grounder to Navarro, but the ball went through his legs, allowing the Jays’ Adam Lind to score from first base for an 8-4 Toronto lead.

TRIPLE THREAT: Red Sox leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury is having an All-Star season. He’s hitting above .300, has 9 home runs, 42 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. The one thing the speedster was lacking was a triple. He finally collected one with a two-out, two-run three-bagger off Morrow in the bottom of the fifth. Ellsbury ended the day with four hits, two RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base.

UP NEXT: Game 2 of this three-game set against the Blue Jays will feature Jon Lester (10-4, 3.43 ERA) vs. the Jays’ Brett Cecil (1-3, 7.24) Tuesday night (7:10) at Fenway Park.