Payton Tolle pitches 8-inning gem as Red Sox end 5-game skid with 7-0 win over Blue Jays

TORONTO (AP) — Standout rookie Payton Tolle allowed two hits over eight innings, Caleb Durbin hit a grand slam and the Boston Red Sox ended their five-game skid with a 7-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. Tolle (8-6) struck out four, threw 91 pitches and retired his last 17 batters while matching the longest outing of his career. Greg Weissert worked the ninth. Boston's skid matched its worst of the season, but the Red Sox remain comfortably in position for an AL wild-card playoff berth. They also lost five straight after losing their season opener. Boston had won nine straight before dropping two at home to the Athletics and the first three of the series at Toronto. The Red Sox led 1-0 before Durbin broke the game open in the eighth, hitting a 1-0 sweeper from Chase Lee into the Blue Jays' bullpen in left. Durbin also had an RBI single in the ninth on his 3-for-5 day. Willson Contreras had an RBI single in the first inning against Max Scherzer (1-5), who surpassed 3,000 career innings. The 42-year-old worked five innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out four. Scherzer and Justin Verlander are the only active players in the majors to pitch 3,000 innings. Up next Red Sox: LHP Jake Bennett (7-5, 3.17 ERA) gets the start for the series opener against the Pirates on Friday. Blue Jays: RHP Shane Bieber (3-2, 4.58 ERA) takes the mound for game one versus the Yankees on Friday. ___ See AP’s full MLB coverage here