Hernández belted a pair of three-run homers over the Green Monster in Jays’ rout

BOSTON —
Teoscar Hernández belted a pair of three-run homers over the Green Monster — two of Toronto’s eight longballs — and Marcus Semien extended his road hitting streak to 26 games as the Blue Jays pounded the Boston Red Sox 18-4 on Sunday.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Cavan Biggio, Rowdy Tellez and Semien also went deep for the Blue Jays, a day after they belted five homers in a 7-2 victory. Guerrero’s was his major league-leading 21st.

“It’s unbelievable,” Hernández said. “I’m hoping it can be like that every day so we can have fun and laugh the whole game.”

Bichette had four of Toronto’s season-high 20 hits, and Guerrero, Hernández and Gurriel each had three. The Jays also reached a season high for runs.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” winning pitcher Robbie Ray said, when asked what he’d do if he was facing Toronto’s lineup. “Maybe try to make them hit the ball right at somebody. The way that we were swinging it today was really impressive.”

Xander Bogaerts and Bobby Dalbec homered for Boston, which captured the series opener before Toronto’s power surge.

Semien’s club-record streak is the majors’ longest since Dexter Fowler hit safely in 27 straight road games for the Cubs from September 2015 to May 2016.

Toronto hit five homers in two straight games for the third time in team history, also in 2020 and 2017.

Ray (4-2) struck out 10 over six innings, giving up three runs, four hits and three walks.

The Blue Jays grabbed a 4-0 lead in the first against Martín Pérez on Hernández’s three-run homer and a solo shot from Gurriel.

Semien’s drive into the batters’ eye in center made it 5-0 in the second, prompting loud boos from the Fenway Park crowd. Those quickly turned to mock cheers when Red Sox manager Alex Cora came out to pull Pérez after the next batter, Bichette, singled.

“We need to do a better job, that’s the bottom line,” Cora said. “It’s been a horrible week for us pitching-wise.”

The Red Sox have given up 53 runs in their last six games.

Pérez (4-4) retired only four batters, getting tagged for five runs on six hits. In his last two starts, he’s allowed 11 runs in 3 1/3 innings, ballooning his ERA from 3.09 to 4.52.

“I’m not locating the ball where I want to,” he said. “The last two they have been hitting good against me, that’s part of the game.”

Toronto broke it open with four runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth, making it 13-1. Hernández hit his second three-run shot, a drive estimated at 440 feet that left Fenway in the fourth, after Guerrero’s RBI single.

In the fifth, Bichette’s three-run shot also left the park.

AIMING THERE

In the last two games, Toronto has hit nine homers over the fabled left-field wall.

“It’s really fun, when you hit a fly ball that’s a regular fly ball in other parks, here it (can be) a base hit, maybe a double,” Hernández said. “Some fly balls that don’t go for base hits in other parks are a single. I like to play here.”

EATING IT

RHP Ryan Weber, recalled from Triple-A Worcester before the game, went 5 2/3 innings, allowing 11 runs on 11 hits and striking out seven.

YOUR TURN

Boston utility player Marwin Gonzalez worked a perfect eighth, bringing cheers from the crowd with most of his pitches in the mid-40s mph range.

Second baseman Christian Arroyo pitched the ninth, giving up two unearned runs on Tellez’s homer.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: Placed Saturday’s winning pitcher, Steven Matz, on the COVID-19-related injured list. “He’s still going through additional testing,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “The guys that were around him that are vaccinated came back negative, and that’s good news.”

Red Sox: Bogaerts was in the lineup after missing the last two games with a sore left knee. … 3B Rafael Devers got the day off, with 1B Dalbec moving across the diamond.

UP NEXT

Toronto RHP Alek Manoah (1-0, 3.14 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale Monday night against Boston righty Nathan Eovaldi (7-3, 4.11). Eovaldi is coming off his first loss since April 24.

Ken Powtak, The Canadian Press