TORONTO (Interstat) — Charles McAdoo’s fifth-inning home run broke a scoreless tie and Andrés Giménez’s sixth-inning single added an insurance run as the Toronto Blue Jays held on for a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday at Rogers Centre.

The game was a tight pitcher’s duel from the start, with both starters working through early traffic without damage. Boston put two runners on base in the first inning on walks by Nick Sogard and Wilyer Abreu, but Willson Contreras struck out and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to end the threat. Toronto’s Jameson Taillon allowed only one hit over four scoreless innings, striking out three, and Boston’s Sonny Gray matched him through four, allowing two hits while striking out two.

Toronto broke through against Gray in the fifth. McAdoo, the third baseman, drove a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall for his second home run of the season, giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. Gray recovered to retire Josh Smith on a ground ball that was erased on a force out, then got a groundout from Brandon Valenzuela and a lineout from Nathan Lukes to end the inning.

The Blue Jays doubled their lead in the sixth. George Springer led off with a single to center. Jesús Sánchez flew out to left, but Giménez lined a sharp single to right, scoring Springer from first. Giménez advanced to second on the throw. McAdoo walked, and Giménez stole third before Gray struck out Josh Smith, but the damage was done and Toronto led 2-0.

Boston answered in the seventh against reliever Simeon Woods Richardson. Anthony Seigler singled to center with one out, and Connor Wong followed with a sharp line-drive single to left, sending Seigler to second. Nick Sogard hit a ground ball to first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who threw to shortstop Andrés Giménez at second for the force out, with Seigler advancing to third. Ceddanne Rafaela then hit a fly ball to center field that was deep enough to be a sacrifice, but the play turned into a sacrifice double play. Center fielder Brett Bateman caught the ball and threw to second baseman Josh Smith, who relayed to first baseman Guerrero, doubling off Sogard. Seigler scored on the play, cutting Toronto’s lead to 2-1, but the inning ended without further damage.

Boston threatened again in the ninth. Jarren Duran doubled to right with one out, his 12th double of the season. Anthony Seigler laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Duran to third. Andruw Monasterio struck out swinging, and Nick Sogard grounded out to first, ending the game.

Gray took the loss for Boston, falling to 14-3. He pitched six innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out four and walking one. It was a rare defeat for Gray, who had won his previous three decisions. His only blemish was the fifth-inning home run and the sixth-inning run, but he kept the Red Sox within striking distance.

Woods Richardson earned the win for Toronto, improving to 2-7. The right-hander came on in relief of Taillon and pitched three innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out two. Louis Varland worked the ninth to earn his 25th save, allowing one hit and striking out one. Tyler Rogers pitched a scoreless eighth for Toronto, and Jovani Morán tossed two scoreless innings for Boston, allowing one hit and striking out one.

Taillon was the top performer for Toronto. His four-inning start was effective, though he did not factor into the decision. He allowed just one hit and walked two while striking out three. It was a strong rebound for Taillon, who had allowed three earned runs in four innings against Houston in his previous start.

The Red Sox had six hits as a team, with Rafaela collecting two of them. Rafaela finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, accounting for Boston’s lone run. Seigler also had two hits, singling in the seventh and scoring the run. Sogard reached base twice on a walk and a single. Boston’s other hits came from Wong and Duran, who doubled in the ninth.

Toronto had seven hits, led by Springer’s single and Giménez’s two-run game. McAdoo had the key hit, the home run that put Toronto ahead. Valenzuela added a double and a single, and Bateman had a single. Guerrero singled in the fourth, and Smith singled in the fifth.

The game began with Boston putting two runners on in the first inning, but Taillon worked out of the jam. Toronto’s best early chance came in the third when Valenzuela doubled to center, but he was left stranded. The Red Sox also had opportunities in the fifth, when Sogard and Rafaela singled with two outs, but Abreu grounded out to end the inning.

Defensive plays also shaped the game. In the seventh, the sacrifice double play by Rafaela was the pivotal moment, as Boston scored one run but lost a baserunner and the potential tying run. The Blue Jays turned the double play on a perfectly executed relay from Bateman to Smith to Guerrero. Toronto also received strong defensive support in the early innings, with McAdoo handling several chances at third base.

The attendance was announced at 42,511, and the game lasted 2 hours, 48 minutes.

Boston fell to 64-54 on the season, while Toronto improved to 57-63. The Red Sox have now lost two straight after dropping a one-run game to the Athletics on Sunday. Toronto snapped a two-game losing streak and won for just the second time in five games.

The teams will meet again Tuesday at Rogers Centre, the first of a three-game series between the American League East rivals. Boston took two of three from Toronto at Fenway Park in late July, but the Blue Jays had won three straight against the Red Sox in Toronto before Monday’s contest.

The win was Toronto’s fifth in six games at home against Boston this season, and it evened the season series at four wins apiece. The two teams have split the first eight meetings, with the Red Sox winning two of three at home in July and the Blue Jays taking three of four in Toronto in June.

For Boston, the loss was a missed opportunity to gain ground in the playoff race. The Red Sox remain in contention, but this was the second consecutive game in which they scored three runs or fewer. Their offense managed only six hits and struck out seven times, and they went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

Toronto’s bullpen was effective after Taillon departed. Woods Richardson worked around scattered hits and turned the game over to Rogers, who retired the side in order in the eighth. Varland faced trouble in the ninth after Duran’s double but closed out the game with a strikeout and a groundout.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Boston Red Sox 8, Toronto Blue Jays 7. Interstatl’s ELO system had projected Boston with a 53.90 percent probability to win. Boston had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 3 went over the over/under line of 8.