G130: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0

Blue Jays - 000 000 000 - 0  5  1
Red Sox   - 111 100 30x - 7 10  0

Byrd: 6-3-0-3-1, 83!

And the Red Sox chipped away at Halladay from the very start of the game. He got the first two batters on six pitches, but needed another 22 to get the third out. Boston scored on back-to-back doubles from Victor Martinez and Kevin Youkilis.

Rocco Baldelli homered to left on Halladay's first pitch in the second, Dustin Pedroia doubled and scored on Yook's sac fly in the third, and a Alex Gonzalez singled home a run in the fourth. Halladay (6-7-4-1-6, 103) had only one inning in which he retired the side in order.

Gonzalez also got the seventh started with a double. From there, a bunt single from Jacoby Ellsbury, a throwing error by pitcher Shawn Camp and Yook's single tacked on three more runs.

Billy Wagner made his Sox debut in the eighth, allowing a one-out double, but striking out the side. He fanned Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells on hard sliders and got Lyle Overbay on a 94 mph fastball.

The Yankees beat the White Sox 8-3, so Boston stays 6 GB in the East with 32 to play. The Twins beat the Rangers 5-3, so the Red Sox are 3.5 GA in the wild card.

Roy Halladay (3.03, 144 ERA+) / Paul Byrd (2009 debut)

Too much pitching? The Red Sox have gone from having (supposedly) at least eight starters for their five rotation spots to handing the ball today to Byrd, who last pitched in the majors on September 24, 2008, for Boston.

After being traded to the Red Sox from Cleveland in August 2008, Byrd had a 4.78 ERA (97 ERA+) in eight starts/49 innings. He became a free agent, but had not signed with any team until the Sox signed him to a minor league deal on August 5.

Halladay has been roughed up in both of his last two starts, lasting only five innings against the Red Sox on August 19 and getting pelted by the Rays for 12 hits and eight runs in six innings last Monday.

And: White Sox/Yankees at 1 and Rangers/Twins at 2.