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BLUE JAYS 10, RED SOX 9

Blue Jays score twice in ninth to beat Red Sox

Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez walked off the field as Josh Donaldson and Devon Travis celebrated the Blue Jays’ winning run.Dan Hamilton/USA Today Sports

TORONTO — Hanley Ramirez has played 41 games at first base without being charged with an error, far exceeding the modest expectations most had for him before the season started.

Since the early days of spring training, Ramirez embraced his new position and played it remarkably well. He has been so reliable that the Red Sox have yet to use a late-inning defensive replacement.

But Saturday, Ramirez’s inexperience at first base changed the game, and it came at the worst possible moment.

The result was the most wrenching loss of the season for the Red Sox, a 10-9 setback that angered manager John Farrell because of all the mistakes that led up to it.

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“We were one strike away on a number of occasions,” he said. “It just didn’t happen.”

The Sox lost an 8-4 lead in the eighth inning, their trustworthy bullpen giving up four runs. David Ortiz — who else? — rescued the Red Sox with a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning.

Then it happened again. On his 28th birthday, closer Craig Kimbrel allowed two runs in the bottom of the inning. Twice, the Red Sox were a pitch away from winning and could not finish the game.

Kimbrel (0-2) got the first two outs of the inning and was ahead of Justin Smoak, 0 and 2, before leaving a curveball over the plate that was lined to center field.

Catcher Christian Vazquez thought Smoak would have swung over the pitch had it been lower.

“He bounces that breaking ball, game over,” the catcher said.

Pinch runner Ezequiel Carrera stole second and advanced to third when Vazquez’s throw went into center field. That was another mistake.

“I don’t know what happened,” Vazquez said. “If I throw to the base, he’s out.”

Kimbrel got ahead of Russell Martin, 0 and 2, and could not finish him. Martin worked the count to 2-2, fouled off a fastball, then lined a 96-mile-per-hour fastball into the gap in left for a game-tying double.

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With Devon Travis up, a wild pitch advanced Martin to third base.

“In some key spots, we gave up an extra 90 feet,” Farrell said.

Travis grounded an 0-and-2 curveball down the third base line, taking Travis Shaw into foul territory. His throw to first base was strong and on the base. But Ramirez could not come up with the ball and Martin scored.

Hanley Ramirez was unable to catch the ball and Devon Travis was safe at first on the final play of the game. Dan Hamilton/USA Today Sports

The throw was low, but did not bounce. No error was charged.

“Travis gives him a throw that we’ve seen Hanley catch that ball a number of times,” Farrell said. “If we have a chance to replay that, he probably makes that play routinely. It went off the glove. Unfortunate situation in a key moment.”

Ramirez admitted Travis distracted him by running inside the base line, something he had not encountered before.

“I saw him coming in the corner of my eye,” Ramirez said. “It was a tough play . . . Shaw had a great throw. I should have had it. Like I said, I hope I get that same play tomorrow.”

Said Shaw: “Travis gets down the line pretty good. It’s a long throw. I felt I did all that I could. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work. As soon as I let it go, I thought he was out. It just kind of skipped away.”

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Kimbrel had not allowed a run in his 10 previous appearances, opponents going 1 for 29 with 15 strikeouts. In all, he allowed four hits on Saturday and threw 39 pitches, the most of his career.

He had not pitched since last Sunday, however, and extra rest seemed to have an adverse effect on Kimbrel.

“I’m not going to say that. I wasn’t as sharp as I felt like I should have been,” he said. “My job is to go out there and pitch whether it’s one day off or 10 days off.”

The eighth inning was ugly, too, as the Sox gave away an 8-4 lead.

Tommy Layne started the inning to face lefthander Michael Saunders and hit him with a pitch. Smoak followed with a grounder into the shortstop hole. Xander Bogaerts made a terrific stop but could not get the out at second.

Junichi Tazawa was next out of the bullpen and allowed an RBI single by Martin. Travis followed with an RBI double. Martin then scored on a wild pitch. With Vazquez set up for a pitch inside to Jimmy Paredes, Tazawa threw the ball outside.

After Tazawa struck out Paredes, Farrell went to Kimbrel hoping for a five-out save.

Kimbrel struck out Kevin Pillar, but Jose Bautista poked a single into right field to tie it.

Before the final two innings, it had been a satisfying game for the Sox.

Rick Porcello went 6⅔ innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. The offense, as usual, was potent. Ramirez was 2 for 4 with three RBIs. Bogaerts extended his hitting streak to 21 games by going 3 for 5 with a home run.

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Shaw had a two-run homer in the sixth inning and Dustin Pedroia drove in two runs with a pair of doubles as the Sox came back from an early 3-0 deficit .

“We never quit, it’s been that way all season,” Ramirez said.

The Red Sox have lost three straight for the first time since April 17-19. In the first two games of an important seven-game road trip against division foes, their pitchers have allowed 17 runs.

David Price starts Sunday needing to be a stopper.

“How many losses have we had? They’re all the same. Turn the page and play tomorrow,” Pedroia said. “That was a good game. We did a lot of good things. We don’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have a good team. We’re going to show up tomorrow and play.”

Box score: Blue Jays 10, Red Sox 9


Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.