Rays 5, Blue Jays 2
Wade Davis allowed just three hits over eight strong innings and the Tampa Bay Rays belted four home runs to beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 on Sunday.
The Rays pulled within a game of the Boston Red Sox in the American League wild-card race with the victory. The Red Sox fell 6-2 in the opener of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees, but bounced back to win the nightcap, 7-4, in 14 innings Sunday.
Davis (11-10) struck out six and retired the last nine batters he faced. Joel Peralta pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save.
B.J. Upton lined a solo home run and Ben Zobrist hit the 10th inside-the-park homer in Rays’ history in the first for a 2-0 lead. Major league home-run leader Jose Bautista ran into the right-field wall with his left knee on the play and left the game in the sixth.
Evan Longoria delivered a two-run blast that made it 4-1 in the third and Kelly Shoppach hammered a solo homer in the sixth – both off the catwalk for the Rays. Shoppach had his first three-hit game of the season.
Toronto starter Brett Cecil (4-11) allowed five hits and four runs in 3 1/3 innings, losing his seventh straight decision.