Music: {allcanada} Romero, Davis lead Blue Jays past Red Sox

TORONTO – Last summer, after another bad night at Fenway Park, a despondent Ricky Romero was at a loss to explain his struggles against the Boston Red Sox.

They had just pounded him for six runs on nine hits and three walks in 4.1 innings that July 6, the second beating of the season they had laid upon him, and his career record against them sat at a frightful 2-6 with a bloated earned-run average of 8.08.

"I don't know if they see the ball well off me, if I tip something … I'm about as lost I can be against this team," Romero said afterwards. "I've done everything, I've tried everything. It's just getting back on my own side against these guys and making quality pitches. I'll be fine."

In his three starts versus the Red Sox since then he certainly has been, the best of the lot coming Wednesday afternoon to help Toronto Blue Jays take two of three from their AL East rivals with a 3-1 victory before 25,285 at the Rogers Centre.

Romero was simply overpowering in outduelling fellow ace lefty Jon Lester, allowing just a run on three hits and three walks over 8.1 innings to beat his old nemesis a third straight time. His run of misfortune against the Red Sox turned last Sept. 8 when he held them to three runs over 6.2 innings in a 7-4 win, and then defeated them again six days later at Fenway in a 5-4 decision.

The difference?

"Consistency, throwing strikes," answered Romero. "I said it when I had that good game against them here late in the year, you throw strikes, you make them swing the bat and they're going to have to beat you by swinging the bat.

"I felt at times against them I tried to do a little too much and walks killed me. I looked at video from the last two starts I had against them last year, strike one, pounded the zone, and I had a good rhythm going against them."

Romero's primary troubles this time out came during the third inning, when Cody Ross and Mike Aviles opened the inning with base hits. J.P. Arencibia helped him in a big way by fielding Kelly Shoppach's sacrifice bunt attempt and firing to third to get Ross, a play magnified in importance when Jacoby Ellsbury followed with an RBI single that opened the scoring.

But Romero settled in from there, striking out Dustin Pedroia and getting Adrian Gonzalez on a grounder to second to avoid further damage, and begin a stretch of 17 straight batters retired.

Leadoff walks to Ellsbury and Pedroia in the ninth ended that run, and after a Gonzalez fly ball to deep centre advanced the runners and a brief chat on the mound with manager John Farrell, Romero made way for Sergio Santos, who struck out Kevin Youkilis and got David Ortiz on a grounder to short to end it.

"I probably pre-empted Ricky from trying to talk me out of it," Farrell said of their talk. "(But) he had for sure done his job."

The save for Santos was his first of the season after blowing consecutive chances Saturday and Monday, allowing him to return home to California for the birth of his third child Thursday with a clear mind.

"Obviously there was quite a bit on my mind just because of everything that's happened," said Santos. "So it was nice to block all that out and get out there and throw some effective pitches."

Lester was nearly as strong as Romero, his only blip coming in the bottom of the third when he wasn't quite as effective in his damage control, thanks largely to the Blue Jays' speed on the bases.

Eric Thames capped a strong at-bat with a leadoff single and after an Arencibia strikeout, advanced to second on a good read on a ball in the dirt, and scored easily on a Rajai Davis triple. Yunel Escobar made it 2-1 with a fly ball to right field that allowed the speedy Davis to easily trot in.

Lester didn't allow another base-runner until the eighth when he issued a two-out walk to Davis, who promptly stole second after beating a pickoff, and scored on Escobar's solid single up the middle.

"That's what John wanted to focus on this year," said Thames, "not just being a team that can club home runs and stuff but a team that can manufacture runs and put people across that plate."

They scratched out just enough for Romero, who recorded 12 of his 25 outs on ground balls and five others on strikeouts, making the most of his sinker and curveball. He threw 104 pitches, 63 for strikes.

"There were innings where they'd come out aggressive and swing at the first pitch and there were innings where they'd make me throw strikes," said Romero. "That's the key, strike one against these guys. You get ahead, start throwing strikes, make them swing the bats, I think it works in your favour.

"I was able to do that today."

Notes: The Blue Jays are considering bringing someone up to take Santos's spot on the roster while he's away on paternity leave. Santos is expected to rejoin the team at some point Saturday and team will base its decision on the length of his absence. ... While others in the lineup are heating up, Jose Bautista is cooling down. He went 0-for-3 Wednesday and is now in an 0-for-12 slide.