Players-only meeting helps lead Blue Jays past Red Sox in crucial Toronto win

TORONTO — Something needed to be said. The Toronto Blue Jays wouldn’t get into specifics, but it needed to be said.

Melvin Upton Jr. hit a two-run home run and J.A. Happ struck out five over six innings to lift Toronto over the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Saturday in a crucial American League East matchup. The win came just hours after a players-only meeting in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse in response to a 13-3 loss to Boston the night before for Toronto’s fourth straight defeat.

Although players would acknowledge that the meeting happened and said that it helped changed the atmosphere in the dugout, they were all tight-lipped about who called it, who spoke, and what exactly was said.

“I’m not the one that called the meeting, but I’m glad we had it,” said catcher Russell Martin. “It’s good to get the guys into a room and talk about the things we need to talk about, just to make sure we’re all in it together. Just remember the winning, it’s not about individuals, it’s about the team. It was just nice to get everyone together and get back on the same page.”

Martin, who said he learned about the meeting in a text from the Blue Jays’ travelling secretary, wouldn’t give any more info on what was said.

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“I’m not going to get into details, but it was positive.”

Jose Bautista added an RBI single for the Blue Jays (78-63). The victory cuts Boston’s lead atop the AL East to just one game and also ended the Red Sox’s three game win streak.

Happ (18-4) gave up two runs on four hits and also refused to get into specifics beyond that the players-only meeting was “overwhelmingly positive.”

“We had better energy than we’ve had in a while today,” said Happ, who got three innings of scoreless relief from Joaquin Benoit, Jason Grilli and Roberto Osuna. “I think we had a general good feeling about it so it was a fun game. From first pitch to last it seemed like our dugout was really into this one.”

Shortstop Dustin Pedroia kept Boston (79-62) in the game with a solo home run. Jackie Bradley Jr. added an RBI with a sacrifice fly as the Red Sox lineup struggled to get to Happ.

Eduardo Rodriguez (2-7) started for Boston, giving up three runs — two earned — on four hits and striking out five over six innings of work. Matt Barnes and Joe Kelly came out of the Red Sox bullpen.

Upton got the Blue Jays on the board first, crushing a pitch from Rodriguez to drive in Martin for a 2-0 lead in the second inning. It was Upton’s 20th homer of the season.

“It’s just important to get runs in general,” said Upton. “Definitely in a series like this you like to get off to a good start early in the ballgame. I was able to get a pitch I could hit and get us on the board early.”

Upton also had a stolen base, his 25th of the year. It’s the fourth time in Upton’s career that he’s had 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Bautista added to that lead with a single in the third inning to cash in Josh Donaldson. Donaldson had reached third base after Edwin Encarnacion’s hit bounced off Red Sox infielder Aaron Hill and into the outfield in the previous at bat.

Martin made a daring play in the fifth inning, jumping into the Red Sox dugout trying to catch a foul ball from Hill. He didn’t make the play, but managed to slow his fall into the dugout by hanging on to the roof of the enclosure with one hand.

“Russell does that all the time, but you cringe, no doubt about that,” said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. “He’s trying to make a play and it’s tough to stop guys from doing that.”

Pedroia responded for Boston in the first at bat of the sixth. He bounced a pitch off the left-field foul pole for his 13th home run of the season and cut Toronto’s lead to 3-1.

Bradley’s sac fly to deep right field in the seventh brought home Hanley Ramirez and reduced the Blue Jays’ lead to 3-2. Bautista drew cheers from the 47,829 in attendance at Rogers Centre as he bounced off the wall to catch the ball and fire it home.

Osuna walked Ramirez, but then had three quick outs to earn his 31st save of the season.

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John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press