Game over: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4: The Red Sox stole one here, With one out Brandon Snyder, playing third base, singled. After Jacoby Ellsbury walked, Shane Victorino who had made a spectacular catch in the top of the inning before Koji Uehara blew the save, hit a ball hard to first which could have been an inning-ending double-play grounder, but Josh Thole flubbed it, scoring the winning run.

The game was played in 3:10 before 37,425. The Red Sox took three out of four and quieted Toronto which had come into the series winning 12 out of 14.

Top 9th: Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 4: Koji Uehara's nice streak ran out. After Shane Victorino made an outstanding sliding catch toward the right field railing to rob Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista hit one against the Sports Authority sign to tie the game. It was his 19th and third homer in the last two days. It was a fastball which Uehara mislocated over he plate. Edwin Encarnacion followed with a single, but Uehara escaped further damage.

Bottom 8th: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 3: Dustin McGowan, a tremendous story in perseverance from injuries, pitched well again. Nava singled with two outs.

Top 8th: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 3: A single by Izturis, otherwise nothing doing for the Jays.

Bottom 7th: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 3 - Dustin McGowan pitches a solid 1-2-3 inning for the Jays.

Top 7th: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 3 - Jose Reyes led off the inning with a homer just into the Monster seats in left field off Breslow. Alex Wilson replaced Breslow. he allowed a single to center by Bautista. After Edwin Encarnacion popped out to second base, Andrew Miller replaced Wilson. He struck out Thole and Davis in two more awful at-bats by Jays hitters.

Bottom 6th: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2 - Iglesias singled with two outs. But that was all.

Top 6th: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2 - An absolutely pathetic inning by the Blue Jays. Bases loaded, nobody out. No runs. Dempster walked Thole, allowed singles to Davis and Rasmus. The Blue Jays popped out into two infield fly rules during the inning. That's hard to do. He got Arencibia to pop out to shortstop. Craig Breslow came on and got the next two batters - one on a pop out to shortstop. Awful.

Bottom 5th: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2 - Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single to center, and avoided a double-play when he took off on the pitch to Shane Victorinto, who grounded out to third base with Ellsbury advancing to second. After Dustin Pedroia struck out, Jonny Gomes doubled off the wall scoring Ellsbury.

Top 5th: Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 2 - A Jose Bautista single was erased when Encarnacion hit into yet another 6-4-3 double-play.

Bottom 4th: Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 2 - The bottom of the Red Sox order goes down.

Top 4th: Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 2 - Dempster ran into a little trouble as Edwin Encarnacion and Rajai Davis sandwiched singles around an out by Josh Thole. Rasmus singled in Encarnacion. Davis stole third. Arencibia drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Izturis grounded to Nava, who had a little trouble getting the ball out of his glove. He managed to knock down the lead runner, but the slight problem getting the ball out enabled Izturis to avoid the double-play and score the second run. Kawasaki tolled out to second for the final out.

Bottom 3rd: Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 0 - Sox go down in order.

Top 3rd: Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 0 - with two outs, Dempster allowed a single to Munenori Kawasaki, playing his first game at second base, and walked Reyes. But he retired Bautista on a tapper back to the mound.

Bottom 2nd: Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 0 - Red Sox rally against Buehrle who can't seem to locate. Napoli and Nava start the inning with singles and Ryan Lavarnway gets one run home with a ground-rule double to right on a ball down the line which kicked into the stands. After Iglesias struck out, Brandon Snyder hit a double high atop the centerfield wall to score two runs. Ellsbury was hit with a pitch, but Buehrle managed to retire the next two batters.

Top 2nd: Red Sox 0, Blue Jays 0 - Dempster has retired the first six batters.

Bottom 1st: Red Sox 0, Blue Jays 0 - Fast-working Mark Buehrle got two quick outs, walked Dustin Pedroia but got today's cleanup hitter, Jonny Gomes to tap back to him for the final out. Buehrle has pitched better and better this season. In his last seven starts he has a 2,72 ERA.

Top 1st: Red Sox 0, Blue Jays 0 - Ryan Dempster has a 1-2-3 inning. He starts the game striking out Jose Reyes with a split-fingered pitch.

By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff

David Ortiz has a day off today against Toronto's Mark Buehrle even though he's a .358 career hitter against the lefty with three homers and 13 RBIs in 67 at-bats.

John Farrell said the two discussed the day off in anticipation of the Monday off-day which would give Ortiz two full days to rest what appears to be general soreness of his body.

"With tomorrow being an off-day as well a chance for both he and Salty to get consecutive days down, we thought it was a good time. [Ortiz] has gone about 23 straight for us which probably exceeds what we thought when he first came back in terms of consecutive games we’d be able to get from him this early in his return," Farrell said.

Farrell said he's gotten so much more out of Ortiz (.317/16/57) than he had anticipated.

"Not just in terms of the daily activities, but the way he’s run the bases. There’s been no hesitation. Couple of triples and stolen bases, things that we didn’t anticipate when he came back. He’s responded to that stress and obviously the presence in the middle of our lineup speaks for itself," Farrell said.

Tough to keep him out against Buehrle?

"The way he’s feeling and the need for an off day, overrides that. As we talked about this as week progressed and knowing we had off-day coming, this one was the one he was hopeful for because of the way he’s felt the last couple of days. It’s just general soreness and it's not the Achilles or the heels specifically. Generally, he needs a day," Farrell explained.

In other news:

• Stephen Drew (right hamstring) is still considered day-to-day. The Sox said on Saturday they did not believe Drew would require a stint on the disabled list.

"Just range of motion activity, no running as of yet, but that’s the latest," Farrell said. "There’s no projected time right now."

• Closer Koji Uehara is back in the mix after being used three straight games. He had yesterday off. Uehara has held opponents scoreless in his last nine games. Farrell said he would have gone with Craig Breslow if the Sox needed a closer Saturday, but that never developed in the loss.

"Not to say [Andrew] Bailey wasn’t going to be in the mix. But we went into the situation that matchups was going to determine that," Farrell said.

• Farrell said he felt comfortable with Brandon Snyder at third base today. "Yeah just looking at the tough pitcher we’re going up against today, this might be a better fit. He has [taken ground balls at third] and he has played third base at Triple-A."

• Clay Buchholz was throwing from 75 feet today after starting a throwing program on Saturday.

"He's fine. Today he’ll go through his 75-foot distance and begin a little more structured program going forward," Farrell said.

• Pawtucket second baseman Brock Holt will be able to play again on Monday after being out with an oblique injury. Don't be surprised if Holt is called up as the utility infielder fairly soon.

• Jon Lester seems fine after his hip scare. "He's scheduled for a bullpen today in line for start Wednesday. No lingering affects on the hip," Farrell said.

Lester will continue to use his new windup where his hands are belt high rather than up near his face where he starts his delivery.

Here are the lineups:

RED SOX (49-34)
Ellsbury CF
Victorino RF
Pedroia 2B
Gomes LF
Napoli DH
Nava 1B
Lavarnway C
Iglesias SS
Snyder 3B
Pitching: Ryan Dempster (5-8, 4.15).

BLUE JAYS (40-40)
Reyes SS
Bautista RF
Encarnacion DH
Lind 1B
Davis LF
Rasmus CF
Arencibia C
Izturis 3B
Kawasaki 2B
Pitching: Mark Buehrle (4-5, 4.72).

Game time: 1:35 p.m.

TV/Radio: NESN / WEEI-FM.

Red Sox vs. Buehrle: Ortiz 25-71, Pedroia 9-27, Gomes 6-18, Ellsbury 5-17, Napoli 3-16, Victorino 5-14, Drew 1-5, Nava 1-3, Saltalamachia 0-3.

Blue Jays vs. Dempster: Bonifacio 5-20, Encarnacion 3-17, Bautista 4-15, Rasmus 2-14, Reyes 4-12, Arencibia 1-6, DeRosa 0-6, Lind 1-5, Thole 1-5, Johnson 0-4, Kawasaki 1-3, Davis 0-1, Izturis 0-1.

Stat of the Day: With a win, the Red Sox would be the first American League team to 50 victories, something they haven’t accomplished since 2009.

Notes:The Red Sox wrap up their four-game series with the Jays today with a chance to win their major-league best 17th series this season … The Sox are 8-2 in their last 10 home games … Ryan Dempster is making his third start against Blue Jays this season. He is 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in 11 innings against them … Dempster has given up 17 home runs this season. Fifteen of them have been solo shots … He will face Mark Buehrle who is 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA in two starts against the Sox this season … After going 2 for 5 yesterday, Jacoby Ellsbury has a 10-game hit streak, his third double-digit streak this season. He’s hitting .400 with 5 doubles and 7 RBIs in his past 10 games ... Dustin Pedroia is riding a six-game hit streak that’s seen him bat .560 (14-for-25) with 2 doubles, a triple, homer, 6 RBI. He’s had multiple hits in 5 of those 6 games … Shane Victorino has hit in all 5 games of the homestand, going 9 for 22 (.409) with four doubles and 4 RBI.

Song of the Day: ”Struttin' on Sunday” by Aaron Neville.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that righthander Josh Beckett will undergo season-ending surgery next month.

Beckett will have a rib removed to relieve pressure on a compressed nerve that caused him to lose the feeling in his right hand. The surgery is similar to one Jarrod Saltalamacchia had in 2009.

Beckett, the 33-year-old former Red Sox pitcher, was 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA in eight starts for the Dodgers this season at a cost of $15.75 million. He is under contract for the same amount in 2013.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

Since the earliest days of spring training, Red Sox manager John Farrell and his coaches have promoted the idea of putting pressure on the opposition by running the bases aggressively.

It is a strategy that has paid off. The Red Sox have the best record in the American League, along with the most runs, doubles, triples, and stolen bases.

Saturday's 6-2 loss against Toronto was one of the rare games this season that approach was more frustrating that fruitful.

Let's look at two key decisions during the game:

Decision 1: Toronto 2, Red Sox 0. Bottom of the 6th inning: Shane Victorino doubled to start the inning. When Dustin Pedroia hit a low line drive to right field, Victorino paused to make sure the ball was not caught by the second baseman.

With no outs and David Ortiz coming up, third base coach Brian Butterfield sent Victorino to the plate. Jose Bautista, who has one of the best outfield arms in the game, threw him out by two and a half steps.

Victorino’s only recourse was to plow into catcher J.P. Arencibia, but he held onto the ball.

“You’d like to have that one back. The fewer of those, the better. It’s the nature of the beast,” Butterfield said.

Ortiz singled but Blue Jays starter Esmil Rogers struck out Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava.

Farrell says: “We look to put pressure on the defense. In that situation Bautista’s ranging to his right, comes up and throws about a 260-foot strike. … I’ll live and die with every decision [Butterfield] makes at third base. He’s an outstanding third base coach."

The argument for: The Sox have been aggressive all season, Victorino has good speed, and they hadn't scored all day.

The argument against: Ortiz would have been at the plate with runners at first and third and no outs. You like your chances of scoring a run.

Decision 2: Toronto 2, Red Sox 0. Bottom of the 7th inning: Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled and went to third when Jose Iglesias bunted for a single and the Blue Jays threw the ball away.

With runners on the corners and no outs, Farrell called for a safety squeeze bunt.

Jonathan Diaz, a career minor leaguer who made major league debut on Saturday, bunted the ball back to 42-year-old pitcher Darren Oliver and Saltalamacchia was thrown out at the plate on a close play.

Farrell says: “Looking to force Darren Oliver to move off the mound and he makes a do-or-die play. Barehands it, throws it sidearm. Fortunately throws a strike for them."

The argument for: Oliver isn't especially spry. A better bunt scores the run easily.

The argument against: Salty is running. You're asking a player in his third major league plate appearance to execute a play. The Sox would have been better served to have Jonny Gomes or Mike Carp at the plate.

Oliver has struggled against lefthanders this season, so Carp could have been the choice.

A few notes:

• Napoli struck out four times, leaving three runners on. He is 13 of 57 (.228) in his last 15 games with one extra-base hit and seven RBIs. Napoli’s last home run was June 1.

The Sox were convinced Napoli would hit well at Fenway. But his road OPS (.818) is better than it is at home (.755).

“I’m not feeling the best at the plate. You go through that,” Napoli said. “I’m getting deep in counts but I’m not getting it done.”

• Junichi Tazawa has allowed six runs on eight hits — four of them home runs — in six appearances and 5.1 innings against Toronto this season. The Sox need some relief help or he's going to get worn down.

• After two days off to rest his sore right shoulder, Clay Buchholz played catch. The Sox are hopeful it’s the start of a program that will get him back on the mound within a few weeks. Buchholz has not pitched in a game since June 8 because of a sore trapezius muscle and inflammation in the bursa sac. Rookie Allen Webster will stay in the rotation.

• The Red Sox finally announced the signing of their second-round draft pick, junior college righthander Teddy Stankiewicz. Baseball America reported on June 10 that Stankiewicz agreed to a $1.1 million bonus. The player reported to Rookie League Lowell four days later and started working out.

• The Red Sox had scouts in Tijuana on Friday to watch righthander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, a Cuban defector who will soon be a free agent. Because Gonzalez is 26, his contract will not come under the international spending limits. There is speculation that Gonzalez will receive at least $30 million.

Game over: Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 2: The Red Sox bowed to the Jays in 3:05 before a sellout of 37,437. Jose Bautista was a force with two homers and also threw a Red Sox runner out at the plate. Boston trailed most of the game until they tied it 2-2 on Shane Victorino's two-run single, but Bautista's two-run homer in the 8th sealed it for the Jays who added two more in the 9th on some sloppy infield play by the Red Sox.

Top 9th: Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 2 - Jose Reyes knocked in Arencibia with the fifth run after Arencibia reached on an infield nit to first and error by Napoli whe n he let the ball get by him. Arencibia went to second. Jose Bautista's hot grounder went through Jonathan Diaz's legs enabling the second run to score.

Bottom 8th: Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 2 - A shutdown inning for Steve Delabar, who struck out Napoli, Nava and Saltalamacchia.

Top 8th: Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 2 - Jose Bautista hit his second homer of the game with Jose Reyes (single) aboard to give the Jays the lead again. The hits came off Junichi Tazawa.

The Jays missed a chance for more. Adam Lind tripled to the triangle with one out, but pinch-hitter Emilio Bonifacio couldn't lay down a bunt to execute the suicide squeeze and grounded out to first where Napoli was able to hold the runner and make the play. Rajai Davis then hit a foul pop to Saltalamacchia.

Bottom 7th: Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 2 - Rogers was out after six shutout innings and left Darren Oliver came on. Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled off the wall and moved to third when Iglesias bunted for a base hit and Izturis threw the ball passed first for an error. Diaz then attempted a bunt, but Oliver fielded it and knocked down Salty at the plate, again Arencibia with a nice block and tag.

Ellsbury greeted new pitcher Steve Delabar with a single to left to load the bases with one out. Shane Victorino then singled to left scoring two to tie the game. Sox had a chance for more, but Pedroia flew out to right and Ortiz struck out stranding two runners.

Top 7th: Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 0 - Rajai Davis was issued a walk and stole second, but the Jays couldn't get him in. Doubront exited after the first out and Alex Wilson took care of the rest. Doubront went 6-1/3 innings, allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeout outs.

Bottom 6th: Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 0 - Shane Victorino doubled to right and was thrown out at the plate by Bautista after Dustin Pedroia's single. Victorino and JP Arencibia collided, but the catcher held on to the ball after he blocked the plate to record the out. Ortiz continued with a single up the middle. Napoli ran the count to 3-2 before Rogers struck him out. With runners at first and second and two outs, Nava struck out on a slider.

Top 6th: Blue Jays 2, Red Sox 0 - Jose Bautista launched his 17th homer and 200th of his career to lead off the inning.

Bottom 5th: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - Colby Rasmus has looked shaky on a couple of balls to center in this series, but not in his flying outstretched catch of Jonathan Diaz' liner to center which saved a run. Jarrod Saltalamacchia had singled and moved to second on a wild pitch.

Top 5th: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - A Colby Rasmus (6-for-15 vs. Doubront) single and then Doubront got the next three batters.

Bottom 4th: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - The Red Sox just had one of those kick themselves moments, too. Pedroia lead off with a double off the wall. There he stood. Ortiz hit a check-swing grounder to third, Napoli struck out and Nava tapped back to the pitcher.

Top 4th: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - Mark DeRosa knocked into a double-play after an Adam Lind infield single. Jarrod Saltalamacchia caught Rajai Davis stealing later in the inning.

Bottom 3rd: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - With two outs, Jacoby Ellsbury reached on an infield single to second base. But Shane Victorino tapped back to the pitcher.

Top 3rd: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - Jays go down in order.

Bottom 2nd: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - A two-out walk by Daniel Nava was the extent of Boston's offense.

Top 2nd: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - One of those kick myself later moments for the Jays. Rajai Davis doubled off the wall in left center. he stole third base without a throw, Doubront then struck out Colby Rasmus and J.P. Arencibia and gor Maicer Izturis to ground out to short.

Bottom 1st: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - Esmil Rogers has been surprisingly good for the Jays in six starts. He's indirectly connected to John Farrell. The Red Sox traded Mike Aviles for Farrell and the Jays sent Aviles to Cleveland for Rogers. He retired the side in order in the first inning.

Top 1st: Blue Jays 1, Red Sox 0 - With one out, Jose Bautista drew a walk from Felix Doubront. He got a huge jump and stole second base, but Edwin Encarnacion hit a ball back to the mound which trapped Bautista between second and third.

He was eventually tagged out on a rundown as Encarnacion went to second base. with two outs, Adam Lind stroked a single between the 5-6 hole to score the first run of the game.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

Red Sox chairman Tom Werner was a baseball fan before he became an executive. And that side of him enjoys watching the team this season.

"Everybody is very pleased about the fact the team has really come together. It's a fun team to watch," Werner told the Globe this afternoon. "Last night the ballpark was sold out, today's it's sold out, tomorrow it's sold out. There's a real feeling that people are excited about the team and that's gratifying.

"That's the feeling, that it's gratifying. Last year was incredibly painful and this year is just the opposite."

Werner and principal owner John Henry will be in Anaheim next week for the three-game series against the Angels.

"We enjoy watching this team play. It's exciting. Everybody seems to be contributing. It's exciting to see Jonny Gomes get that hit last night. I get a particular kick out of seeing players like Daniel Nava. I couldn't be more pleased with David [Ortiz] and how he came back healthy. He's running well, too. [Dustin] Pedroia's playing great. It's all good.

"They've been very competitive. I have no illusions about the second half. We've played beautifully the first half and we're only three and a half games in front. It's a very tough division. We have to keep playing well."

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

The bat racks at Fenway Park are as utilitarian as they come. They're basically metal grates, rusty in some cases, wedged into a corner of the dugout.

Here's an iPhone shot of Dustin Pedroia's spot. He has his batting gloves and three game-worthy bats ready to go for today's game. The bats may look dirty but Pedroia spends time every day preparing them until they're just sticky enough for his satisfaction.

The big, shiny photographs of Fenway Park are great. But the dirty little corners have their own charm, too.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

The Red Sox made two roster moves this morning. They purchased the contract of 28-year-old infielder Jonathan Diaz from Triple A Pawtucket and designated righthander Clayton Mortensen for assignment.

The Sox do not feel that Stephen Drew (right hamstring) will need to go on the disabled list. Because Will Middlebrooks has not been in Pawtucket for 10 days, he was not eligible to return.

The Sox didn't want to bring up 20-year-old Xander Bogaerts for what may only be a few days.

Mortensen had a 5.34 earned run average over 24 appearances and has not pitched as well this season as he did last. He also was a victim of an inflexible 40-man roster.

The Red Sox have five catchers on their 40-man roster and Daniel Bard, who has not pitched in a minor league game since May 15.

The 5-foot-9 Diaz has no major league experience. He was drafted by the Blue Jays 2006 out of North Carolina State and spent seven seasons in their organization, reaching Triple A. He signed with the Red Sox as a minor league free agent.

Diaz is familiar with the defensive system because of his experience with John Farrell, Brian Butterfield and Torey Lovullo during his time in Toronto. Diaz is career .228 hitter in the minors with only 47 games of experience at third base, 12 this season.

Diaz also can play shortstop, something the Red Sox valued.

Good afternoon. Here are the lineups:

RED SOX (49-33)
Ellsbury CF
Victorino RF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Napoli 1B
Nava LF
Saltalamacchia C
Iglesias SS
Diaz 3B
Pitching: LHP Felix Doubront (4-3, 4.33).

BLUE JAYS (39-40)
Reyes SS
Bautista RF
Encarnacion DH
Lind 1B
DeRosa 3B
David LF
Rasmus CF
Arencibia C
Izturis 2B
Pitching: RHP Esmil Rogers (3-3, 3.46).

Game time: 4:05 p.m.

TV/Radio: NESN / WEEI.

Red Sox vs. Rogers: Drew 3-6, Gomes 1-2, Napoli 2-4, Pedroia 2-4, Nava 0-1, Ortiz 0-0 (BB), Salty 0-1.

Blue Jays vs. Doubront: Encarnacion 5-12, Rasmus 5-13, Bautista 2-12, Davis 2-12, Arencibia 2-10, Reyes 6-9, Lind 0-6, Bonifacio 1-3, Izturis 1-2, DeRosa 1-1.

Stat of the Day: The Sox have 11 triples this month, their most in a month since they had 15 in June of 2003.

Notes: The Sox have won four straight and are 7-4 against the Blue Jays. ... The Jays have lost four of five. ... The Sox have won eight of their last nine at home. ... Doubront is 2-2, 5.40 in 10 career appearances against Toronto. He faced them on April 5 in Toronto and allowed three runs over five innings. ... Rogers has faced the Red Sox four times in relief this season, allowing six runs on six hits over 2.1 innings. ... New Sox closer Koji Uehara has pitched three days in a row and could be unavailable tonight. ... Ellsbury has hit safely in nine games at 16 of 41 (.390) with five doubles and seven RBIs. ... Nava is 7 of 15 with four RBIs in his last four games. ... Pedroia is 14 of his last 30 with seven RBIs. ... The Sox have scored 30 runs on 54 hits over 32 innings in the first four games of their homestand. They are 24 of 55 with runners in scoring position and have 17 extra-base hits.

Song of the Day: "Groovy Times" by The Clash.

Jonny Gomes had the big hit and Fenway was abuzz as the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays, 7-5.

The struggles continued for Andrew Bailey as he allowed a game-tying home run in the seventh inning. Julian Benbow has the story.

The notebook has five Red Sox players helping out some Little League kids.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

If you were at Fenway tonight or watching on television, did you notice the crowd and the level of excitement in the last few innings?

The Sox aren’t just a first-place team, they’re a fun one. The passion was evident at the park after a 7-5 victory against the Blue Jays.

“I was a fan at one time, big baseball fan still,” said Gomes, who drove in the winning run in the seventh inning. “I wasn’t here last year and the year before. But I definitely understood maybe how the fans think. But I think this is a different ball club and with that being said, it’s a pretty exciting ball club.

“We’ve got power; we’ve got defense; we’ve got some prospects; we’re putting a pretty good show on in between the lines.”

Jarrod Saltalamacchia drew a bases-loaded walk after Gomes singled. Andrew Miller was the winner with new closer Koji Uehara getting his third save in as many nights. He has not allowed a run in his last 8 2/3 innings, putting two runners on base and striking out 13.

Uehera, the game’s most excitable 38-year-old, came off the mound after the final out like he wanted to high-five all 36,383 of the fans.

And why not? The 49-33 Sox are 16 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2011 season. They have the best record in the American League and have won eight of their last nine at Fenway.

“It’s great,” Uehera said. “It really is."

By Julian Benbow, Globe staff

Everything seemed fine to Andrew Bailey when he took the mound in the seventh inning of the Red Sox 7-5 win over the Blue Jays.

"I feel like my [velocity] was getting better, that life was there," he said. "I felt like it was coming out of my hand better. Just been working on some different things, but when I get out there it's just all about being aggressive in the zone and challenging guys."

But seeing Edwin Encarnacion launch his 94 mile-per-hour fastball to the centerfield bleachers let him know it wasn't. It was the seventh homer he's allowed this season and the fifth he's allowed in his past five appearances. He's allowed runs in each of his past five games, the longest streak in his career, and in his past six outings, his ERA (16.62) is a bulging from the seams.

The cruel twist is that the homer to Encarnacion was a result of the same aggressiveness that helped him strike out Jose Reyes and Jose Bautista to start the inning.

"We got the first two guys and just tried to challenge the third guy," he said. "I'm not going to get away from my success over my career. I'm not going change anything. Still got to be aggressive, man. You've still got to throw strikes to get people out and now it's just when they're hitting me, they're hitting me hard."

It was only his second time taking the mound since being demoted June 21.

"This is a very frustrating time, but I know that I still have confidence but I'm not going to change things out there," Bailey said. "Obviously, I have to execute pitches a little bit better, but that's really ally I have to change and I'll get out of this for sure."

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

Stephen Drew hit the ball so well in the fourth inning tonight that he was sure it would be high off the wall. When the wind knocked it down, he had to speed up to get to second base.

That's when his right hamstring grabbed.

“It tightened up real bad,” Drew said.

The Sox will wait until Saturday to decide whether a roster move is needed. Third baseman Jose Iglesias can replace Drew at shortstop. But that would leave Brandon Snyder as the only third baseman on the roster. He has one major league start at that position.

Drew hopes the injury will only keep him out for a few days.

“Hamstrings are funny. But I’m staying positive,” he said. “Maybe one or two games and go from there.”

Drew missed the first seven games of the season recovering from a concussion. He has missed only two games since because of injury, those coming May 18-19 when he strained his lower back. He is fifth on the team in games played with 66.

Final, Red Sox 7 ,Blue Jays 5: Although he said he'd check to see how Koji Uehara was feeling before sending him out to shut the door for a third straight day, John Farrell always seemed pretty confident that Uehara could do it without any issues -- and he did.

He caught Maicer Izturis staring at a fastball. Then after Emilio Bonifacio put up a fight that lasted eight pitches, he got him to chase a splitter, down and away. To close it, he got Jose Reyes to bounce out to Jose Iglesias at short.

That makes in nine straight scoreless appearances for Uehara.

With the win, the Sox are 16 games over .500 for the first time since 2011.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

Jon Lester, who came out of his start Thursday with a sore right hip, is expected to make his next start on schedule, according to Sox manager John Farrell. That would be on Wednesday against San Diego.

The Sox are off Monday, so Lester would get an extra day of rest.

"He came in and checked in as he would after any other start," Farrell said. "He feels improved, so we're considering today similar to any other Day 1 following a start. He does get the advantage of an extra day of rest this next time, through. We fully expect him to be on the mound against San Diego next week."

Lester had allowed two runs on three hits through seven innings Thursday, his best performance in weeks. After giving up two singles in the eighth inning, he slipped on the mound and jammed his hip.

Lester felt better shortly after the game was over. The lefthander mentioned having hip pain in the past. But Farrell doesn't feel it's a major problem.

"Based on all the maintenance work he currently does and the strength exams he goes through, range of motion is good," the manager said. "There's nothing that is glaring, There are times when, if the stride direction is a little across his body, he'll pinch it. I can't say that there's the need for some kind of intervention to correct something that's damaged. That's not the case.

"The one thing I want to be clear here is that we're not dealing with a damage situation. He has something that will rear its head every now and then and we'll move on."

Also:

• RHP Clay Buchholz, who was shut down for a few days to rest his sore shoulder, will start playing catch again Saturday or Sunday.

"He's feeling improved," Farrell said. "This is a prescribed time period to not throw. Everything is pointing towards this weekend to initiate that."

• Farrell did not rule out using closer Koji Uehara for a third consecutive night. If Uehara is not available, the Sox will go with the best matchup in the ninth inning. There is no designated backup closer.

• LHP Franklin Morales, on the disabled list with a strained pectoral muscle, played catch this afternoon with head athletic trainer Rick Jameyson. He won't be back any time soon but the Sox wanted to get his arm moving again.

• RHP Daniel Bard, who has not pitched for Double A Portland since May 15, has recovered from what the Red Sox said was an abdominal strain. He could pitch in a game soon.

Good afternoon. Here are the lineups:

RED SOX (48-33)
Ellsbury CF
Victorino RF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Napoli 1B
Nava LF
Saltalamacchia C
Drew SS
Iglesias 3B
Pitching: RHP Allen Webster (0-2, 11.25).

BLUE JAYS (39-39)
Reyes SS
Bautista RF
Encarnacion DH
Lind 1B
Rasmus CF
Davis LF
Arencibia C
Izturis 3B
Bonifacio 2B
Pitching: RHP Josh Johnson (1-2, 4.60).

Game time: 7:10 p.m.

TV/radio: NESN / WEEI.

Red Sox vs. Johnson: Victorino 14-41, Drew 3-11, Gomes 2-8, Pedroia 2-5, Ortiz 1-6, Saltalamacchia 0-6, Ellsbury 1-3, Napoli 1-4, Nava 1-4, Iglesias 0-0 (HBP).

Blue Jays vs. Webster: No history.

Stat of the Day: Saltalamacchia has 19 doubles in 218 at-bats. He had 17 doubles in 405 at-bats all last season. His career high is 23.

Notes: The Sox have won three straight and the Jays have lost three of four ... The Sox start the day with a 3.5-game lead in the division and have matched their season high of 15 games over .500 ... The Sox are 6-4 against the Jays this season and 21-14 against the AL East ... Webster is making his fourth start. The rookie has had issues in the first inning (3 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 3 BB) in his starts. He does have 12 strikeouts in 12 innings ... Johnson is 1-0, 3.15 in three career starts against the Sox, including one on April 5 during which he allowed four runs (three earned) in six innings ... The Sox have won seven of their last eight at Fenway and 13 of the last 17.

Hot Sox: Victorino is 14 of 37 in his last nine games with six extra-base hits and nine RBIs ... Nava is 5 of his last 12 with four RBIs ... Pedroia is 11 of his last 25 with seven RBIs ... Drew is 8 of his last 25 with four extra-base hits and six runs ... Uehara has thrown 7.2 scoreless innings in his last eight appearances, allowing two runners to reach base and striking out 11.

Song of the Day: "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon.

By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff

Jon Lester left tonight's 7-4 Red Sox win over the Blue Jays in the eighth inning after allowing hits to Rajai Davis and Maicer Izturis.. He went 3-and-0 to Emilio Bonifacio before Jarrod Saltalamacchia called the trainer and John Farrell out.

Lester left the game limping a tad. The diagnosis after the game was a "jammed (right) hip."

Lester said he was fine afterward, but the tell-tale sign would be if there was any sorenesss in the hip when he woke up this morning. As of now, Lester said he was making is next start and wasn’t worried about the hip and he said the doctors were also not worried.

“I slipped a little bit,” Lester said. “The doctors call it a jammed hip; kind of a zinging sensation down my leg. It’s something I’ve had before. It happens when you slip or overslide. This was a little different - in the part of the game we’re in there’s no point in messing around with it at that juncture.

“I feel fine now,“ he added. “Walking off the field it kind of stayed with me a little bit. After the doctor looked at it, I started to feel normal. Hopefully that will carry over tomorrow and I won’t have to worry about it.”

Lester threw 94 pitches and allowed four runs and five hits over seven innings. The Red Sox scored seven runs in the second inning.

Game over: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 4: The Red Sox scored all seven runs in the second inning against Chien-Ming Wang, but held on to beat the Blue Jays in the first of a four-game series against the Jays. Koji Uehara earned his second consecutive save with two strikeouts. Jon Lester improved to 8-4, but left the game in the eighth with an injury. The game was played in 2:34 before 34,750 at Fenway.

Bottom 8th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 4 - Salty doubled with two outs, but Steve Delabar struck out Stephen Drew.

Top 8th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 4 - Jon Lester came out of the game with an injury after allowing a pair of hits to Davis and Izturis and going 3-0 to Bonifacio. Junichi Tazawa has come on. We'll keep you posted.

Tazawa inherited a 3-0 to Banifacio and walked him. Bases loaded, nobody out, the Jays didn't capitalize as well as they could have. Reyes' sacrifice fly to center scored a run as did Jose Bautista's grounder to short. Encarnacion drove a liner to left on which Nava made a nice leaping catch to save a double and another run.

Bottom 7th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 2 - Since their seven-run outburst in the second inning, the Red Sox have been shut down by the superb Blue Jays bullpen. Victorino doubled and Pedroia walked with two outs, but Ortiz struck out.

Top 7th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 2 - Lester dealing. Retired the side.

Bottom 6th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0 - Thirteen straight Sox go down. Nice job by lefty Juan Perez.

Top 6th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 2 - The top of the Jays order - Reyes, Bautista and Encarnacion go down in order in a good rebound inning by Lester.

Bottom 5th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 2 - Ten straight Red Sox have gone down.

Top 5th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 2 - Lester gave up his first hit of the night to Melky Cabrera with one out. Rajai Davis singled with two outs and Maicer Izturis doubled in pair of runs. Lester has a big lead but his two-out woes continue.

Bottom 4th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0 - Two consecutive 1-2-3 innings for the Sox offense.

Top 4th: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0 - Bautista walks with one out but Edwin Encarnacion knocks into a double-play, his second of the game.

Bottom 3rd: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0 - Sox go down in order. Salty sends one deep to center which Rajai Davis awkwardly catches.

Top 3rd: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0 - Jon Lester has retired the last eight batters. Looking more like his old self.

Bottom 2nd: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0 - What a turn of events here. Wang fell apart. He walked Ortiz and Carp. Nava singled off the wall scoring the first run. With runners on first and third, Saltalamacchia singled up the middle scoring Carp. Stephen Drew sent a fly ball to right field which Jose Bautista butchered but it was ruled a double. Two runs scored.

Jose Iglesias reached on an infield hit to short which scored another run. Ellbsury singled to center driving in the fifth run. Following a double-play grounder by Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia homered just over the lip of the Monster. That was the end of Wang. He pitched 1-2/3 innings, allowed sx hits, seven runs and two walks.

Top 2nd: Red Sox 0, Blue Jays 0 - Lester has a strong inning, retiring DeRosa, Cabrera and Arencibia (strikeout).

Bottom 1st: Red Sox 0, Blue Jays 0 - Chien Ming Wang threw three ground ball outs. The former Yankee sinkerballer, throws his fastball at 88 mph, but he's incorporated a splitter to reinvent himself.

Top 1st: Red Sox 0, Blue Jays 0 - Jon Lester walked leadoff hitter Jose Reyes, but Jose Bautista flew out to short left field and Edwin Encarnacion knocked into a double-play to end the first inning.

By Julian Benbow, Globe Staff

With lingering soreness in his right shoulder, Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz will be shut down for two to three days, manager John Farrell said.

An MRI taken Wednesday showed inflammation in the bursa sac area, according to Farrell, but no structural issues.

“I think that's the most encouraging thing at this point,” Farrell said.

Farrell hopes to have Buchholz start a throwing program this weekend. The shoulder pain caused Buchholz to cut short a bullpen session Wednesday after about 18 pitches.

“He had two good work days with more intense throwing,” Farrell said. “So there's small amounts of improvement, but yet we've got to take a little bit of a step back here before we pick it back up again.”

Buchholz, who is 9-0 with a 1.71 ERA, has said he doesn’t want to pitch until he feels completely comfortable.

“He's a fierce competitor and wants to be on the mound, and as well as he's been pitching this year, I think everybody in our organization wants him on the mound,” Farrell said.

“The start-and-stop and the hanging on to the incremental improvements that were taking place, then he was feeling like he was getting closer and then a step back -- there's some frustration there.

"But I think coming out of yesterday, there's a lot more peace of mind knowing there's nothing structurally going on here and it looks to be something that will be dealt with in a very near term.”

The last time Buchholz took the mound was June 8 against the Angels, when he injured the shoulder fielding a comebacker.

With the All-Star Game 15 days away, Farrell hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Buchholz returning to the mound before the break.

“I don't know that we're ready to say that yet,” Farrell said. “But when he puts the ball back in his hands, and how he feels and how we move through that first phase or two of the throwing program, then we'll have to backtrack how many days it's been since the last outing.

"We have a template that we will use with number of days down and the prescribed number of days going forward to get back into the game. Whether that means one rehab start, whether that means two, that's to be determined.”