Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi leaves during fifth inning Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Boston gave up nine runs in the inning and lost, 12-4. Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP

TORONTO — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer, Teoscar Hernández had three hits and three RBI, and the Toronto Blue Jays used a nine-run fifth inning to beat Boston 12-4 on Friday night, handing the skidding Red Sox their seventh loss in eight games.

Coupled with Tampa Bay’s 10-6 win over Baltimore, Boston is now 2 1/2 games behind the Rays in the AL East standings.

Nathan Eovaldi (9-7) took the loss for Boston on Friday, allowing seven runs – all with two outs in the fifth. Eovaldi cruised through 4 2/3, allowing two hits and one walk before Toronto took control.

George Springer had two hits and drove in three runs, while Bo Bichette had two hits and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who wiped out a 2-0 deficit by sending 14 batters to the plate in the pivotal fifth. Toronto had nine hits in the inning, seven of them for extra bases. Alejandro Kirk, Randal Grichuk and Breyvic Valera opened the fifth with consecutive doubles off Eovaldi. Springer flied out, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was intentionally walked and Marcus Semien struck out.

Bichette followed with a tiebreaking single, Hernandez lined the first pitch he saw to center for a two-run double, and Gurriel hooked the very next pitch off the left-field foul screen, ending Eovaldi’s outing. The homer was Gurriel’s 12th.

Red Sox infielder Jonathan Araúz – recalled from Triple-A Worcester earlier in the day after rookie Jarren Duran was placed on the COVID-19 related injured list prior to Friday’s game – came on to pitch in the eighth. Tossing pitches that averaged around 40 mph, Araúz gave up two hits and a sacrifice fly.

Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run homer off Toronto left-hander Ryan Borucki in the sixth, his 18th.