TORONTO (AP) – Tim Wakefield pitched seven sharp innings while the Boston Red Sox roughed up Roy Halladay, beating Toronto 8-0 Thursday night in sending the Blue Jays to their ninth straight loss.

Mike Lowell homered for the third consecutive game for Boston, which has won seven of eight.

Halladay (4-2) gave up eight runs, seven earned, and 11 hits in five innings on the same day Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, ending his season.

Wakefield (4-3) allowed three hits, struck out five and walked one, lowering his ERA to an AL-best 1.79.

Hideki Okajima pitched a perfect eighth and J.C. Romero worked the ninth for the Red Sox.

Kevin Youkilis returned to Boston’s lineup after a day off and went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Youkilis got the Red Sox rolling in the first when he doubled to right, moved to third on Halladay’s throwing error and scored on a groundout by David Ortiz.

The Red Sox blew the game open with a six-run third, sending 10 men to the plate and stringing together six consecutive hits. Youkilis and Manny Ramirez sandwiched RBI singles around a run-scoring double by Ortiz. J.D. Drew then singled to bring up Lowell, who hit a three-run homer, his seventh.

Halladay also was hit hard in his last start, allowing a season-high nine runs.

Toronto’s skid is its longest since a nine-game losing streak between April 24 and May 3, 2002. Toronto lost a team-record 12 straight games between May 31 and August 10 in the strike-shortened 1981 season.

The Blue Jays’ only threat came in the first, when singles by Adam Lind and Vernon Wells and a walk to Troy Glaus loaded the bases with one out. But Wakefield escaped when Frank Thomas struck out on a 2-2 pitch and catcher Doug Mirabelli completed the double play by firing to first to catch Glaus straying too far off the base.

Wakefield didn’t give up another hit until Wells’ leadoff single in the seventh. Wells was erased when Glaus grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Toronto was shut out for the first time this season.

Notes: The Blue Jays placed RHP Victor Zambrano (strained forearm) on the 15-day disabled list before the game and recalled RHP Jaime Vermilyea from Triple-A Syracuse. RHP Shaun Marcum moves into the starting rotation and will make his first start of the season Sunday against Tampa Bay.

AP-ES-05-10-07 2135EDT