Red Sox ride Chavis slam to win over Jays

Michael Chavis crushed a first-inning grand slam, and Andrew Benintendi had two hits and three RBIs as the host Boston Red Sox held off the Toronto Blue Jays 10-8 Monday night. Xander Bogaerts had three hits, and Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, and Brock Holt added two apiece as the Red Sox snapped a two-game skid in the opener of a four-game series. Rick Porcello (7-7) earned the win, allowing four runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out two over six innings.

Billy McKinney hit a two-run home run for the Blue Jays, who lost for the sixth time in their past eight games. Toronto trailed 10-4 entering the eighth inning before making things interesting. After the Blue Jays scored twice against Ryan Brasier, Freddy Galvis drove in two more -- also charged to Brasier -- with a single off Matt Barnes to get within two. But Barnes got Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to fly out to end the threat.

Brandon Workman pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save. The Red Sox struck quickly as a double and a pair of walks loaded the bases against rookie starter Trent Thornton in the first. A Benintendi single drove in a run before Chavis unloaded on a 3-2 pitch for the first slam of his career and a 5-0 lead. The blast was the rookie's 16th of the season.

Thornton (3-7) was pulled the next inning, having given up five runs on five hits and three walks while getting just four outs. Despite the early deficit, Toronto quickly made it a game again. McKinney, recalled from Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the day, hit his two-run shot in the second, and Randal Grichuk and Justin Smoak drove in runs in the third to make it 5-4.

But the Red Sox hung another five runs in the bottom of the third -- all with two outs -- to up their lead to 10-4. A Devers two-run single and a Benintendi two-run double highlighted the rally.