Red Sox blast Blue Jays

BOSTON — David Ortiz hit his 498th career home run, a threerun shot to cap a four-run third inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat AL East-leading Toronto 10-4 on Wednesday night, sending the Blue Jays to just their second series loss since late July.

Mookie Betts had a solo homer and drove in three runs, and Ryan Hanigan had three hits and three RBIs for Boston, which posted its ninth win in 13 games by taking two of three from Toronto.

Despite the loss, the Blue Jays maintained a 11⁄ game lead over New York, which lost 5-3 to Baltimore. Toronto heads to Yankee Stadium for a four-game series, beginning tonight.

The Blue Jays are 28-9 since July 30, going 9-2-1 in 12 series.

Joe Kelly (10-6) won his eighth consecutive start, the longest stretch by a Boston pitcher since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez won nine straight in 1999.

Ortiz drove a 2-0 fastball from Drew Hutchison (13-4) into the bleachers in centre field. It was his 32nd of the season, and 59th in his career against the Blue Jays, most by any opponent. He’s looking to become the 27th player all-time with 500 homers.

Kelly gave up one run and six hits in 52⁄ innings.

Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion had an RBI single and reached base for a club-record 39th straight game, surpassing Carlos Delgado’s 38 in 1998. Chris Colabello hit a three-run homer.

Hutchison was tagged for six runs and six hits in 3 1-3 innings for his second straight rough out- ing. He gave up six runs in five innings in a loss at Baltimore last Friday.

Betts and Hanigan had RBI doubles in the fourth. Hanigan’s two-run double keyed a four-run fifth.

Betts had an overturned replay review for his homer. NEW YORK — CC Sabathia left the mound with a two-run lead and the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth inning, muttering to himself after hitting Chris Davis with a pitch.

Sabathia’s knee held up, but the New York Yankees’ margin did not.

A strong start by the former ace in his return from the disabled list was undone by Stephen Drew’s fielding misplays, and Steve Pearce hit a tiebreaking, eighth-inning home run off Adam Warren to lift the Baltimore Orioles over the Yankees 5-3 Wednesday night.

“We gave them the first three runs they got. That was really the difference,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

Baltimore had lost 15 of 18 and faded from post-season contention before winning the final two in the three-game series.

“It’s tough for me to swallow. Yeah, it’s frustrating,” Drew said.

Wearing a new, tighter brace that better holds the ligaments in place in his surgically repaired right knee, Sabathia made his first start since Aug. 23 when he cut an outing short because of knee pain.

His fastball mostly at 90-91 mph and peaking at 93 mph, Sabathia gave up four hits and three walks and just one of the three runs off him was earned.