Rays 3, Blue Jays 0
B.J. Upton belted his 26th homer in the first inning and six pitchers combined on Tampa Bay’s 15th shutout of the season in a victory over visiting Toronto.
Upton, who has 10 home runs in September, delivered his blast deep to left field as the Rays won their fifth straight to stay in the American League wild-card race, 3 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second wild-card spot. Evan Longoria’s two-run double in the eighth gave Tampa Bay a three-run cushion.
Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson (9-10) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and two walks to win for the first time in six outings. Jake McGee relieved Hellickson in the sixth inning and struck out Kelly Johnson with the bases loaded to end the threat.
Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 44th save. The bullpen allowed just two hits over 3 1/3 innings.
Toronto’s Chad Jenkins (0-2) went five innings in his first major league start, allowing two hits and one run. Jenkins, a first-round pick in 2009, has pitched in 11 major league games and the Blue Jays have lost all of them.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Eight of Upton’s last 14 hits have been home runs. … The Rays matched their best single-season record ever against the Blue Jays, a 14-4 mark set in 2009. … Toronto has lost six straight games and 10 of 12.