Rookie left-hander Marc Rzepczynski allowed a run over six innings to register his first major-league win while Adam Lind hit his 20th home run of the season as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 6-2 on Saturday.
Before a Rogers Centre gathering of 36,956, Rzepczynski (1-1) allowed only a second-inning run as he gave up four hits and four walks while striking out four. Rzepczynski, making his third start since being called up from triple-A early this month, has a 2.50 earned-run average and was starting Saturday for left-hander Brian Tallet, who has been returned to the bullpen.
Boston got a home run from Jed Lowrie, who was playing his first game since going on the disabled list in April with a wrist injury, in the seventh against Jesse Carlson.
Boston right-hander Brad Penny (6-4) took the loss, allowing eight hits and six runs over five innings to boost ERA to 5.02. He has not won since June 17.
The Blue Jays (45-47) are 11 games behind Boston (55-35), which leads the American League East.
Rocco Baldelli's second-inning single drove in Jason Bay of Trail, B.C., who had doubled to give Boston a 1-0 lead in the second.
Toronto tied it in the bottom of the second on Kevin Millar's double-play grounder. It came after the Blue Jays loaded the bases with none out on two singles and a walk.
The Blue Jays took a 4-1 lead in the fourth on Alex Rios' run-scoring single with one out, then Jose Bautista hitting a two-run double with two out.
Lind's homer with one out in the fifth gave the Blue Jays a 6-1 lead. Lind also boosted his club-leading RBI total to 61, one more than Aaron Hill.
Carlson replaced Rzepczynski for the seventh and Lowrie hit the left-hander's first pitch for his first homer of the season. Second baseman Hill and third baseman Scott Rolen both made fine defensive plays to spare Carlson further damage before he was replaced by Jeremy Accardo.
NOTES: Blue Jays centre-fielder Vernon Wells did not start for the second game in a row because of a stomach ailment . . . Outfielder David Dellucci suffered a bruise to his foot when it was hit by the ball during his seventh-inning at-bat Friday. He came out of the game during the eighth inning and John McDonald took over in left field, the first time he has played the outfield in his professional career. Dellucci is listed as day to day . . . The Red Sox recalled shortstop Jed Lowrie from triple-A Pawtucket and returned Friday's game-winning starter Clay Buchholz there on option. Lowrie had been on the disabled list since April 13 with a sprained left wrist and had ulnar styloid excision and arthroscopic ligament repair on the wrist April 21 . . . Red Sox centre-fielder Jacoby Ellsbury also did not start for the second game in a row because of illness . . . The three-game series ends Sunday with Boston to start left-hander Jon Lester (8-6, 3.87 ERA) against Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.86 ERA).
