Devers, Red Sox rally to topple Blue Jays in series opener
Toronto outfielder Teoscar Hernandez's 11th home run moves him into tie for AL lead
Rafael Devers hit a three-run triple to highlight Boston's six-run outburst in the sixth inning as the Red Sox rallied to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-7 on Tuesday night.
Xander Bogaerts had three hits, and Mitch Moreland and Jackie Bradley Jr. each had two RBIs for Boston (10-20), which has won four of its last six.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Danny Jansen, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each had two-run hits for Toronto (14-14), which lost for the third time in four games. Teoscar Hernandez hit his 11th homer for the Blue Jays.
💣 <a href="https://twitter.com/TeoscarH?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeoscarH</a> moves into a tie for the AL homer lead! <a href="https://t.co/hXHcOB0Hvc">pic.twitter.com/hXHcOB0Hvc</a>
—@BlueJaysPhillips Valdez (1-0) worked 1 2/3 innings and picked up his first major league win. Matt Barnes recorded his second save despite allowing a home run to Hernandez. Boston's bullpen, which entered the game with the MLB's third-worst batting average allowed (.274), held Toronto to five hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Blue Jays starter Chase Anderson scattered seven hits over five innings, but led off the sixth with a walk to Moreland. He was replaced by Wilmer Font (1-3), who allowed three hits and hit a batter in the loss.
Toronto scored four runs in the first inning against Boston starter Kyle Hart on a double by Gurriel Jr. and a single by Jansen. Guerrero Jr. added a single in the fourth inning to put Toronto up 6-3.
Hart, in his first time through the Toronto order, allowed hits to five of nine batters. He escaped trouble in the second inning despite loading the bases with one out. He got Guerrero Jr. to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Randal Grichuk, who left Monday's game in Tampa Bay with back stiffness, went 2-for-5 as Toronto's designated hitter. Travis Bergen made his major league debut for Toronto, striking out three over 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Red Sox last played in Buffalo when they faced the minor-league Bisons in an exhibition game on July 6, 1917. Boston defeated their hosts 9-7 during a stopover en route to a series in Cleveland.
