Rays complete three-game sweep of Blue Jays
TORONTO -- Logan Morrison, Desmond Jennings and Kevin Kiermaier hit home runs, Jake Odorizzi pitched five innings for his first win of the season and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Morrison had three hits and Kiermaier had two RBIs as the Rays (19-19) completed a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays (19-23), outscoring Toronto 31-7 in the process.
Jimmy Paredes, Michael Saunders and Edwin Encarnacion homered for Toronto.
Odorizzi (1-2) allowed two hits, both home runs, four walks (one intentional) and two runs while striking out two in five innings.
Blue Jays right-hander R.A. Dickey (2-5) allowed three home runs among eight hits, one walk and five runs (four earned). The knuckleballer struck out six before right-hander Joe Biagini took over in the seventh.
Odorizzi left with a 5-2 lead after Kiermaier's fifth homer of the season came one out after Morrison's leadoff single. It was the eighth homer allowed by Dickey this season.
Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez took over in the sixth and allowed Encarnacion's eighth homer of the season with two outs in the eighth.
After Justin Smoak kept the eighth going with a double, right-hander Alex Colome replaced Ramirez and struck out Troy Tulowitzki. Colome finished the game to earn his 10th save.
Tim Beckham led off the ninth with a double against right-hander Gavin Floyd and scored from second with one out on a wild pitch.
Paredes, who started at third base with Josh Donaldson getting a rest, hit his first home run of the season with two outs in the second inning.
It was Paredes' second hit in as many at-bats for the Blue Jays. He was activated from the disabled list for Tuesday's game and singled as a pinch-hitter. He was claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
The Twins struck for back-to-back home runs for the first time this season in the fourth inning. Morrison hit his first homer of the season with one out and Jennings followed with his third homer of the season.
The Blue Jays had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth after Justin Smoak and Tulowitzki walked and Paredes grounded out to second. Odorizzi worked out of the inning when Kevin Pillar grounded out to third and Ryan Goins popped out to second.
Tampa Bay led 3-1 after scoring an unearned run in the fifth. Beckham led off with a double. Dickey then got two outs before Evan Longoria hit an infield single to third. Beckham scored when Paredes was charged with a throwing error.
Saunders hit his sixth homer of the season with one out in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 3-2.
NOTES: Blue Jays 3B Josh Donaldson was not in the starting lineup. Acting manager DeMarlo Hale said it was a planned day off for the 2015 American League MVP. ... Rays 1B Logan Morrison had two RBIs in a 12-2 win on Tuesday, his first RBIs of the season. He ended a string of 85 at-bats without one, the second longest season-opening RBI drought in Rays history. C Jose Molina opened the 2014 season without an RBI in 87 at-bats. ... Rays RHP Matt Andriese (2-0, 0.56 ERA) will face Tigers RHP Anibal Sanchez (3-4, 5.91) in the opener of a three-game series on Friday in Detroit. ... Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (1-2, 2.89) will face Twins RHP Ervin Santana (1-2, 3.38) on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series at Minnesota.