Manny Ramirez, left, and Kevin Youkilis celebrate Wednesday’s 2-1 Red Sox win. (Winslow Townson/Associated Press)

Manny Ramirez slid in just ahead of the tag on Jason Varitek’s ingenuous in the ninth Wednesday night, giving the Boston Red Sox their second straight win in their last at-bat, 2-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Ramirez barely beat the throw from centre-fielder Vernon Wells, who had thrown out Jed Lowrie at the plate on the anterior play, a single by Brandon Moss.

When arbitrator Sam Holbrook made the trusty call, Ramirez slammed his helmet to the ground and was swarmed by dint of. teammates.

The Red Sox had hackneyed the Blue Jays 1-0 on Tuesday night on Kevin Youkilis’s RBI single to centre in the ninth, which drove in Ortiz from second base.

On that play, the ball took a inflated spring that Wells couldn’t handle, and he didn’t shape a throw.

Jonathan Papelbon (2-0) won for the second perpendicular night as Boston took the lead in its last at-bat for the fifth era in its last six victories.

Scott Downs (0-1) had put runners at first and back with no outs in the ninth on a single by Ortiz and a walk to Ramirez.

Mike Lowell then struck through before Moss singled.

Ortiz had broken a scoreless tie with his fifth homer of the acclimatize in the seventh, breaking Dustin McGowan’s string of retiring 16 erect batters.

Toronto tied it in the eighth on Alex Rios’s sacrifice fly against Hideki Okajima after Adam Lind singled off Manny Delcarmen and took third when Gregg Zaun doubled.

Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up two hits in seven scoreless innings and has allowed just 20 hits in six starts case 35 2-3 innings this season.

It was his first brave in 12 days, approach after he missed a scheduled start April 23 because of the flu.

McGowan allowed single in kind run on four hits in seven 1-3 innings and left with runners at first and third after Coco Crisp doubled and Julio Lugo walked.

Jeremy Accardo came in and Dustin Pedroia good stroke a fly out that sent Crisp to third, but Youkilis ended the menace by grounding into a necessitate through at second.

The Red Sox started the day through 12 hits in their previous three games, all singles.

Ortiz’s homer snapped Boston’s streaks of 39 innings without an extra base hit and 44 innings without a homer.

Lowell doubled later in the seventh before Crisp’s double in the eighth gave Boston three extra-base hits in six at-bats.

&imitate; The Canadian Press, 2008