clarinews@clarinet.com (09/21/89)
TORONTO (UPI) -- Dwight Evans homered and drove in three runs and Wade Boggs and Jody Reed each contributed two RBI Wednesday night to help the Boston Red Sox hand the Toronto Blue Jays a costly 10-3 loss. The AL East-leading Blue Jays, who took a two-game lead over Baltimore into the night, lost for the fifth time in their last nine games. Toronto goes on the road for six games against Milwaukee and Detroit before returning home for a season-ending three-game set with Baltimore. Roger Clemens 16-10, worked eight innings and yielded nine hits en route to his fourth win in his last five decisions. He struck out five, walked two and hit a batter. The Red Sox shelled Jimmy Key, 12-14, for six runs and 10 hits in three innings. Key had a five-game winning streak end. Boston took a 3-0 leaD in the second. With one out, Kevin Romine doubled and scored on Luis Rivera's two-out triple. Rick Cerone followed with an RBI double and scored on a bloop single by Boggs. Toronto closed to 3-2 in its half of the second on Tony Fernandez's sacrifice fly and Kelly Gruber's RBI single. Boston stretched its lead to 4-2 in the third on Evans' 19th homer of the season. The Red Sox took a 6-2 lead and chased Key in the fourth. Cerone led off with his second double and scored on a single by Boggs. Boggs advanced to second when left fielder George Bell bobbled the ball for an error, and Jody Reed greeted reliever Mauro Gozzo with a run-scoring single. Bell departed in the fifth because of tenderness in his right elbow. He'll have the elbow X-rayed Thursday in Toronto. Toronto made it 6-3 in the fourth on Nelson Liriano's RBI single. The Red Sox extended their lead to 9-3 with three runs in the fifth. Pitcher Frank Wills entered the game with the bases loaded and walked Reed to force in a run, and surrendered a two-run single to Evans. The Red Sox scored in the ninth when Rivera crossed the plate on a wild pitch by Jose Nunez. Cerone left the game after the fourth inning with a sore left hamstring muscle.