Lester stumbles as Jays shut out Sox

Jon Lester, amidst his most dominant outing of the season, allowed three runs with two outs in the seventh inning, as the Red Sox suffered a 5-0 loss to the Blue Jays. 

Lester had allowed just one hit through the first 6 2/3 innings and had retired eight straight batters when Yan Gomes singled up the middle. Pinch-runner Rajai Davis stole second and scored on a two-out single from Omar Vizquel, before Adeiny Hechavarria turned on a first-pitch fastball on the hands and deposited it in the second deck at the Rogers Centre for a two-run homer, the second of the shortstop's career, to put the Blue Jays up, 3-0. 

That margin was more than enough offense for the Blue Jays against a Red Sox offense that is achieving new standards for futility. The team was shut out for the seventh time this year, and the Sox now have 25 games in which they've scored one or no runs this year, the most such contests since the Sox had 28 games of one or no runs in 1993. 

The Sox managed just seven hits -- six singles and one Ryan Lavarnway double on a fly ball that Toronto right fielder Moises Sierra lost in the sun. 

Lester fell to 9-12 for the year, with his ERA nudging down from 4.99 to 4.95. Still, he turned in his fifth quality start in his last seven outings, permitting three runs in seven innings while striking out seven and walking one. In his last seven outings, he has a 3.69 ERA. 

Daniel Bard struggled out of the bullpen in the eighth, permitting a leadoff double down the left-field line, an RBI single to left by Colby Rasmus (on which left fielder Ryan Kalish committed an error to let Rasmus advance to second) and a four-pitch walk to Adam Lind that ended the game. Bard was charged with two runs when reliever Scott Atchison permitted an RBI single. 

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