Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dustin McGowan works against the Boston Red Sox during fifth inning in Toronto on Tuesday. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

The Toronto Blue Jays were grasping for positives after Tuesday’s 14-0 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, and the return of pitcher Dustin McGowan provided a faint glimmer of hope on an otherwise dreadful night.

With the Red Sox already leading 11-0, McGowan entered the game in the fifth inning in his first appearance in the major leagues in more than three years after undergoing two shoulder surgeries.

His four-inning outing was impressive enough that manager John Farrell didn’t exclude him from consideration for the starting rotation.

“This has got to be at least a first step toward a significant development here tonight,” Farrell said. “To his credit and made the most of his opportunity and there will be more there.”

McGowan admitted there were times along the long road of his comeback that he wondered if he would make it.

“I had those days where I’d go out to throw and I was like this is not good. The good thing is I got through it,” he said.

McGowan allowed five hits, three walks and three runs while striking out five in four innings of relief.

A very small silver lining

Other than McGowan’s return, there was little good going on for the Blue Jays.

Shortstop Marco Scutaro had four hits and drove in four runs while left-hander Jon Lester struck out 11 in seven innings as the Red Sox outhit the Blue Jays 20-4.

Lester (15-6) held the Blue Jays (70-72) to three hits and one walk with his 100-pitch outing.

Scutaro’s four hits equalled his career best. David Ortiz also equalled his career best with four hits and added two RBIs. Adrian Gonzalez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who hit his 15th homer of the season, both drove in a pair of runs.

Josh Reddick hit his seventh homer of the season in the eighth against McGowan.

With the Red Sox (85-56) leading by plenty, McGowan entered the game in the fifth inning to make his first major-league appearance since July 8, 2008 against Baltimore. He came out of that game after four innings with a sore arm.

McGowan received an ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd. He was activated Monday from the 60-day disabled list after completing his minor-league rehabilitation assignment at double-A New Hampshire.

“You could see the way the fans reacted to him when he came in the game,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “He’s been out for quite a while but he’s still got some velocity. I’m sure there’s some rust. That was a real interesting guy a couple of years ago.”

After giving up three hits and two runs in his first inning, McGowan settled in and showed a fastball of 95 miles per hour. After walking the first two batters in the ninth, McGowan was replaced by Joel Carreno.

“The first inning I was so pumped up I left everything up,” McGowan said.

‘We’re family in here’

He received a warm greeting in the dugout at the end of his outing.

“We’re family in here,” McGowan said. “These guys have been great to me and it meant a lot to me.”

McGowan was asked to compare his stuff to what it was before the injury.

“Stuff-wise maybe not quite as sharp and strong as I once was,” he said. “I think that’s going to come. As I get further away from the injury and it should come back I think.”

His 74 pitches were about at his pitch limit at this stage of his comeback. More important, Farrell liked the way the ball was coming out of his hand.

“He had thrown 69 pitches five days ago, 76 five days before that and he was well within the total number of pitches, and I think a range where everything was fine health-wise,” he said.

What happened before McGowan’s entrance was discouraging. Toronto left-hander Luis Perez (3-3) lasted only 2 2-3 innings in the start as the Red Sox hammered him for 10 hits, including a two-run homer by Saltalamacchia, and eight runs.

Left-handed reliever Rommie Lewis gave up five hits and three runs in 1 1-3 innings.

Perez’s move from the bullpen had gone well in his first three starts. After 29 relief appearances, he made three starts before Tuesday and was 1-0 with a 3.94 earned-run average.

But on Tuesday he gave up a double to Jacoby Ellsbury, the first batter of the game. He then struck out Dustin Pedroia, then gave up a double to Gonzalez.

A walk to Kevin Youkilis, singles by Ortiz and former Blue Jay Scutaro and a double by Carl Crawford had the Red Sox leading 4-0.

The Red Sox added two more in the second on a walk to Ellsbury, a single by Gonzalez and a double by Youkilis.

Two more runs came in on Scutaro’s double and Saltalamacchia’s homer.

With two runners on base and two out, left-hander Rommie Lewis came in to get the final out of the inning.

The Red Sox scored three in the fourth on an infield hit by Youkilis, doubles by Ortiz and Scutaro and a single by Darnell McDonald.