David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez each drove in two runs and Clay Buchholz pitched eight strong innings Friday as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-2.

Buchholz (5-2) held the Blue Jays to six hits and two runs on solo homers by Yunel Escobar and David Cooper while striking out seven.

Toronto starter Henderson Alvarez (3-5) allowed eight hits, including a home run by Ortiz, one walk and four runs in 6 1-3 innings, despite taking a hard drive off his left leg in the fifth inning.

The win in the opener of a three-game series gave the Red Sox (27-25) their 15th win in their past 21 outings. It also ended the Blue Jays' (27-25) three-game winning, leaving the teams tied at the bottom of the American League East.

Ortiz led off the second with his 13th homer of the season in 10-pitch at-bat.

Boston took a 2-0 lead in the third on Daniel Nava's double, his first of three doubles in a four-hit game, and a single by Gonzalez.

The Blue Jays got one back with two out in the third on Escobar's third home run of the season.

There was a scary moment for Toronto in the fifth when Alvarez was hit on the left leg by a drive hit by Mike Aviles leading off the inning.

Alvarez threw his glove to the ground before hobbling around and going to the turf. But after being attended to by the Blue Jays' trainer, the second-year starter finished the inning with two ground balls to second, the first leading to a double play.

Another Toronto starter, Brandon Morrow, was hit by a batted ball on Wednesday and was forced from the game with a bruised right shin. He could not put weight on the foot as he left the game but could make his next start.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with none out in the sixth on a single by Nava, a double by Gonzalez and a walk to Ortiz. Jarrod Saltalamacchia's grounder to first forced Gonzalez at second, allowing Nava to score. Alvarez limited the damage by inducing a double play grounder from Will Middlebrooks.

The Red Sox took a 4-1 lead in the seventh after Ryan Sweeney's leadoff double.

Left-hander Luis Perez replaced Alvarez with one out. A groundout put Sweeney at third and he scored on a Scott Podsednik infield single.

Nava then doubled Podsednik home before scoring on a single by Gonzalez, who advanced to second on the throw. Ortiz singled Gonzalez home on a line drive to right to make it 7-1 but the Red Sox designated hitter was thrown out after making the turn to second.

Cooper, playing his seventh game since being called up from triple-A Las Vegas hit his first homer with two out in the seventh.