BOSTON (AP) — For the second time in eight days, Steven Wright held the Toronto bats at bay.

But once again, he wound up with the loss when the Boston Red Sox gave him little run support.

Boston's Steven Wright delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning Sunday at Fenway Park in Boston. AP photo

Wright pitched six effective innings Sunday as Boston fell to the Blue Jays 5-3.

“Outstanding job,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said about the knuckleballer.

Wright (0-2) allowed two runs and six hits, struck out six and walked none.

“He threw a lot of strikes. He was able to change speeds effectively,” Farrell said. “And against that lineup, which as we know is very powerful, he was able to slow them down for six innings and clearly keep us in the ballgame.”

The previous Sunday, Wright gave up one earned run in 6 2/3 innings in a 3-0 loss at Toronto.

Aaron Sanchez allowed two hits in seven innings of one-run ball, and Jose Bautista drove in two runs with a solo homer and a double to lead the Blue Jays in their latest win.

Edwin Encarnacion added two singles and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who had lost two straight and were 1-4 against the Red Sox. Kevin Pillar had three singles and made two nice catches in center after being dropped from leadoff to eighth in the batting order.

Travis Shaw hit a two-run homer off closer Roberto Osuna for Boston, which had won three straight.

The teams meet in the finale of the four-game series on Monday in Boston’s annual Patriots’ Day game, which is scheduled for an 11:05 a.m. EDT start and coincides with the running of the Boston Marathon.

Sanchez (1-0) held Boston hitless until Marco Hernandez’s broken-bat single with two outs in the fifth, his first major league hit. Sanchez struck out seven and walked four.

After scoring just five run in the previous two days, the Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead in the first.

Bautista’s homer hit the foul pole in left field. The Blue Jays They followed with three straight singles, with Chris Colabello driving in a run.

Hernandez, making his major league debut, had his soft liner drop into left in the fifth when his bat shattered and went back into the new protective screen along the first-base line. He stole second, advanced on catcher Russel Martin’s throwing error and scored on Mookie Betts’ single.

Josh Donaldson’s RBI double off the Green Monster made it 3-1 in the seventh. Encarnacion had his RBI single in that inning.

GOOD DEBUT

Farrell was happy with Hernandez’s first game. He was 1 for 2 with a walk.

“I don’t think the moment or the day was something that he didn’t handle emotionally,” the manager said. “He gets a good read to get the stolen base. He advances on an error, scores. But I thought he took some good swings, controlled the count with the base on balls. A very good first day.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: Colabello was hit on the head by an 87 mph fastball from Wright. After being seated on the ground for a few minutes and checked out by a trainer, he got up and trotted to first. Wright walked down and the two briefly spoke, which appeared cordial.

Red Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off, and Hernandez played second and batted ninth. LF Chris Young also was inserted into the lineup to give Brock Holt a break.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (0-0, 3.00 ERA) hopes to keep his string of solid starts going Monday. He’s given up two runs or fewer in each of his initial two starts.

Red Sox: RHP Clay Buchholz (0-1, 10.00) has allowed five runs in each of his two starts.

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