Martinez gives Sox series over Jays

In the race for American League East dominance, the Blue Jays are lagging behind.

After an off-season spent hearing about the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, there is a quiet confidence in Toronto’s clubhouse that they can play ball with the big boys.

Aopening-series split with the Yankees set the Blue Jays on the right path. But they dropped a pair of series to their main rivals — New York and Boston — in the last week, going 2-5. The final loss came Thursday night, with J.D. Martinez’s three-run homer turning out to be the difference on Boston’s 5-4 decision.

Toronto, which dropped from second to third in the East while losing the last two games to the Red Sox, is now 6-8 against AL East opponents this season.

Right-hander Marco Estrada’s mediocre start to the year continued Thursday, as he allowed five runs and eight hits over five innings, his third straight outing giving up at least four runs without pitching into the sixth.

Red Sox starter Chris Sale didn’t look quite himself either, giving up a run in each of the first three innings, including a pair of homers. But the lefty worked until the seventh, allowing just one walk to the final 11 hitters he faced.

Sale loaded the bases with one out in the first, walking Teoscar Hernandez, allowing a single by Justin Smoak and hitting Yangervis Solarte. A sacrifice fly by Kevin Pillar scored Hernandez, but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. flew out to strand a pair of runners.

Devon Travis’s first home run of the year, a two-out solo shot to left field, doubled the Blue Jays’ lead in the second. The Red Sox pulled one back through a pair of doubles from shortstop Brock Holt and left fielder Andrew Benintendi in the top of the third, but Smoak’s first home run since April 1, a solo shot in the bottom of the inning, reinstated Toronto’s two-run lead. Boston cut it to 3-2 in the fourth, when second baseman Eduardo Nunez hit a one-out RBI double to score first baseman Mitch Moreland.

Estrada gave up a pair of twoout singles to Benintendi and designated hitter Hanley Ramirez the next inning, before allowing a decisive three-run home run to Martinez. Estrada, who reached career strikeout No. 1,000 on the night, ended the inning having thrown 92 pitches. Aaron Loup replaced him in the sixth.

Toronto made it a one-run game in the seventh when pinch-hitter Kendrys Morales scored Travis, who had tripled off reliever Carson Smith. But the Blue Jays weren’t able to muster any late-inning offence, despite four shutout innings from Loup, Seung Hwan Oh and Danny Barnes in relief.