Red Sox beat up Jays ’pen

TORONTO — September can’t come soon enough for the Blue Jays bullpen.

Toronto relievers surrendered four earned runs on five hits Monday night, including a tworun homer to Christian Vazquez, as the Boston Red Sox edged the Blue Jays 6-5.

Manager John Gibbons said his ’pen has been taxed and will benefit from next month’s call-ups.

“I know they’ve been working hard. Sooner or later it catches up with you,” said Gibbons. “[With] Danny Barnes it was coming out good, he left the ball up and Vazquez hits the home run. [Ryan] Tepera walked the guy on four straight, you usually don’t see that too often.”

Vazquez hit a two-run homer in the seventh as the Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak. Eduardo Nunez also homered for Boston (74-57) and Xander Bogaerts and Mitch Moreland had an RBI apiece as the Red Sox extended their division lead to 3 1⁄2 games over the New York Yankees.

Justin Smoak’s two-run home run in the ninth off closer Craig Kimbrel pulled the Blue Jays (61-70) to within one but the comeback stopped there.

Orioles 7, Mariners 6

BALTIMORE — Adam Jones hit a milestone home run, Welington Castillo had three hits and two RBIs and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 7-6 for their fifth straight victory.

Chris Davis doubled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning for the resurgent Orioles, who climbed over .500 (66-65) for the first time since June 11. Baltimore jumped past Seattle (66-66) to within 1 1⁄2 games of idle Minnesota for the final AL wild-card spot.

Jones’ solo home run in the fifth inning gave him 25 for an Orioles-record seventh consecutive season.