Lackey (4-5) delivered six strong innings in his second start since going on the disabled list after giving up nine runs in 6 2-3 innings against the Blue Jays on May 11. The right-hander struck out a season-high eight.
David Oritz hit a three-run homer and Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs as Boston amassed 18 hits. The Red Sox batted around twice and every starter drove in at least one run in piling up the most runs allowed by the Blue Jays this season.
Things got so bad for Toronto, utility man Mike McCoy pitched the ninth. McCoy, who had started at second base, threw a perfect inning.
In New York, Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch after he homered, Bartolo Colon tossed two-hit ball into the seventh inning before getting hurt and New York beat Cleveland on a misty, windy afternoon.
Curtis Granderson hit his 20th homer to tie for the major league lead and Rodriguez got plunked by Indians starter Mitch Talbot a day after the benches cleared, adding another chapter to what has been a testy homestand for the Yankees.
It was the sixth time a New York batter has been hit on this homestand.
Talbot (2-3) was ejected after hitting A-Rod, but the Yankees didn’t respond in kind.
Instead, they sent Cleveland to its 13th loss in 17 games and left the Indians barely clinging to first place in the AL Central.
Colon (5-3), famously traded in 2002 by the Indians for three minor leaguers who went on to become All-Stars, was working on a gem against his first big league team. Colon struck out six over 6 2-3 innings to win for the third straight start.
In Minneapolis, Scott Baker pitched a five-hitter for his fourth career complete game and Alexi Casilla had three hits and scored two runs, leading Minnesota over Texas.
Delmon Young had three hits and two RBIs for the Twins, who have won eight of 11.
In Detroit, Max Scherzer found his form after three rocky starts, Austin Jackson tripled twice and Detroit beat Seattle to move within one percentage point of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central after being as many as eight games behind in early May.
Victor Martinez had three hits and two RBIs for the Tigers, and Jhonny Peralta smacked a two-run homer.
Scherzer (8-2) had struggled in his last three starts, but was back in charge against Seattle’s struggling offense.
In Baltimore, Ben Zobrist got four extra-base hits and scored four runs, including the tiebreaker in the 11th inning on a single by Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria .
Longoria had three RBIs and Casey Kotchman went 4 for 6 with two RBIs for the Rays, who forced extra innings with a run in the ninth off Baltimore closer Kevin Gregg .
Mark Reynolds homered twice and drove in three runs for the Orioles, whose four-game winning streak ended.
Zobrist had three doubles and a triple. He started the 11th with a double off Jeremy Accardo (3-2) and took third on a groundout. After Longoria hit a soft liner to center, Kotchman followed with an RBI double.
In Chicago, Brent Lillibridge helped make John Danks a winner with a homer-saving catch in the eighth inning, and the White Sox beat Oakland.
Lillibridge robbed Oakland’s Coco Crisp with a leaping catch above the wall. That turned out to be the last batter Danks (2-8) faced. He allowed just four hits, struck out four and walked two in 7 2-3 innings.
Athletics starter Gio Gonzalez (5-5) is winless in his last five starts. Oakland issued nine walks, has lost 11 of12 games and fell to 1-2 under interim manager Bob Melvin.
In Anaheim, California, Erick Aybar opened the scoring with a bases-loaded triple, Bobby Abreu came home with the go-ahead run on reliever Aaron Crow’s second wild pitch of the seventh inning, and Los Angeles beat Kansas City to snap a season-worst six-game losing streak.
Howie Kendrick had three hits, including a pair of RBI singles, and slumping Vernon Wells singled his first three times up after a closed-door meeting with manager Mike Scioscia that also included Abreu and Torii Hunter .
Hunter prevented the Royals from taking the lead in the seventh when he fielded Jeff Francoeur’s single to right and threw out Melky Cabrera at the plate.
