TORONTO (Interstat) — The Toronto Blue Jays scored five runs in the eighth inning to break a tie game and defeated the Boston Red Sox 6-4 on Wednesday at Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays won their second straight in the series after Boston had taken two of three from Toronto in late July. Toronto improved to 59-65, while Boston fell to 66-56.

The game was a pitchers’ duel early. Boston starter Ranger Suarez allowed a run in the second inning but otherwise kept Toronto in check. Toronto opened the scoring when Kazuma Okamoto doubled to left and came home on Ernie Clement’s two-out single to center. Suarez worked five innings and gave up six hits and one earned run, walking none and striking out two.

Toronto starter Jose Soriano was effective through six innings. The right-hander allowed only one run on four hits and struck out four, but he left with the game tied. Boston tied it in the fifth when Willson Contreras hit a solo home run to left-center field, his 24th of the season. The Red Sox had a chance to add more in that inning when Caleb Durbin singled, but Jarren Duran lined out sharply to right and Andruw Monasterio flew out to center to end the threat.

Toronto nearly retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Charles McAdoo singled and Brett Bateman reached on a bunt single, putting runners on first and second with one out. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then lined out to Wilyer Abreu in right field, and Abreu threw to first base to double off Bateman, ending the inning.

Boston threatened again in the sixth. Nick Sogard singled, but Masataka Yoshida struck out. Ceddanne Rafaela hit into a force out, erasing Sogard. Adley Rutschman walked to put two on with two outs, but Contreras grounded out to third. The game remained tied at 1.

The decisive eighth inning started with Guerrero’s ground-ball single to center. Alejandro Kirk followed with a line-drive single to right, moving Guerrero to second. Okamoto then lined a single to left field, scoring Guerrero and giving Toronto a 2-1 lead. After a pinch runner entered for Kirk, the Blue Jays loaded the bases when Tyron Guerrero intentionally walked Andres Gimenez. Clement then drew a walk, forcing in another run. George Springer hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Okamoto and making it 4-1. Myles Straw followed with a double down the left-field line, scoring both Gimenez and Clement to push the lead to 6-1. McAdoo singled later in the inning, but the rally ended when Bateman bunted into a popout and Guerrero flew out to right.

Boston refused to go quietly in the ninth. Contreras walked, and Wilyer Abreu doubled to left field, putting runners on second and third. Caleb Durbin singled to center, plating Contreras and trimming the deficit to 6-2. Jarren Duran doubled to right field, scoring Abreu and moving Durbin to third. Andruw Monasterio then hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Durbin and making it 6-4. Louis Varland retired Nick Sogard on a groundout to second to end the game and record his 26th save.

Tyler Rogers earned the win, pitching a scoreless eighth inning and allowing one hit. He improved to 2-2. Tyron Guerrero took the loss for Boston, dropping to 1-2 after he surrendered four runs in the eighth.

Straw paced Toronto with two hits and two RBIs. Okamoto went 2-for-3 with an RBI. For Boston, Contreras was 1-for-3 with the home run, and Durbin had two hits. The Blue Jays collected 12 hits to Boston’s eight.

The game lasted 2 hours, 41 minutes and was played before a crowd of 42,888.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Boston 6, Toronto 5, and the ELO system had given Boston a 52.40 percent probability of winning. Boston had been listed as a 1.5-run favorite. The combined total of 10 runs went under the 7.5 over/under line.