Ryan Weber pitched six strong innings, Steve Pearce had a home run and three RBIs in a three-hit game, and the visiting Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 on Thursday afternoon.

Weber (1-0), starting for the first time this season after three relief appearances since being called up from Triple-A Pawtucket on May 6, allowed three hits and one run and had four strikeouts.

Justin Smoak homered for the Blue Jays.

The Red Sox took the four-game series, 3-1.

Blue Jays starter Clayton Richard made his first appearance of the season after being on the injured list with a right knee stress reaction. The left-hander allowed two hits, two walks and one run while striking out two in four innings.

Sam Gaviglio (3-1), who allowed two runs in the sixth, took the loss.

The Blue Jays scored once in the second. Rowdy Tellez extended his hit streak to eight games with a leadoff double. Brandon Drury singled and Freddy Galvis hit an RBI double.

The Red Sox answered with a third-inning run. Eduardo Nunez led off with a single, took second on a balk, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a groundout to third by Michael Chavis.

Gaviglio replaced Richard in and pitched a perfect fifth inning but allowed two runs in the sixth. Xander Bogaerts led off with an infield single to third. Rafael Devers hit an RBI double and scored on a single by Pearce.

In the seventh, Elvis Luciano allowed a double to Jackie Bradley Jr., a single to Chavis and an RBI double to Mookie Betts.

--Field Level Media

Travis Lakins replaced Weber and pitched around a leadoff double in the seventh.

Andrew Benintendi led off the eighth with a single, took second on a wild pitch and stole third before scoring on a single by Nunez. Ryan Feierabend replaced Luciano and ended the inning with two strikeouts.

Boston's Ryan Brasier pitched a perfect eighth.

Feierabend allowed an RBI single to Devers and a two-run homer to Pearce, his first of the season, in the ninth.

Hector Velazquez gave up Smoak's eighth homer of the season in the bottom of the ninth.