Morales, Blue Jays slam Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Toronto Blue Jays got a grand slam from Kendrys Morales and 6 1/3 innings from starter Marcus Stroman while picking up their first win of the season, a 5-2 decision over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday at Tropicana Field.
Toronto (1-2) bounced back after two opening losses at Baltimore. The Rays (2-2) struggled offensively, falling behind 5-0 before scoring in the seventh inning.
Stroman (1-0) struck out five while allowing one run on six hits and two walks.
Rays starter Blake Snell (0-1) held Toronto to four hits in 6 2/3 innings, but one of them was Morales' slam. Toronto added a fifth run of Snell in the seventh on Darwin Barney's bunt single, scoring Russell Martin, who had reached base on Snell's fifth walk. Three of those walked batters wound up scoring for Toronto.
Tampa Bay hit into four double plays and had an out at the plate, stringing together three singles in the seventh and scoring on Logan Morrison's RBI single to right field, chasing Stroman from the game.
Toronto backed into a save situation, as reliever Joe Smith gave up a walk and double in the ninth, and Jason Grilli came in and allowed Brad Miller to score on a wild pitch.
Grilli got the final two outs on strikeouts for his first save of the season.
Each team had only two hits in the first five innings, but Toronto had much more to show for it, thanks to Morales' two-out grand slam in the third inning.
Barney, batting ninth, hit a one-out single in the third, and with two outs, Snell walked Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista to load the bases for Morales, who crushed an 0-1 pitch to left-center for a 4-0 lead.
Toronto had scored only three runs total in its first two games of the season, both losses at Baltimore, before getting four runs on one swing.
Tampa Bay's Steven Souza Jr. doubled to lead off the fifth and advanced on a groundout, but Stroman threw home on a comebacker by Tim Beckham, and catcher Martin tagged out Souza. The Rays challenged the call, checking if Martin violated the collision rule, but the call was upheld.
NOTES: C Luke Maile, designated for assignment by the Rays on Sunday, was claimed by the Blue Jays on Thursday and will report to Triple-A Buffalo. ... Rays OF Colby Rasmus, on the disabled list as he recovers from hip surgery last fall, began a rehab assignment with Class-A Charlotte on Thursday. Rasmus went 0-for-3 with an RBI groundout. ... Rays RHP Brad Boxberger, on the disabled list with a right flexor strain, isn't expected back until at least May as he's dealing with an elbow injury as well and still must essentially go through an entire spring training before he joins the team, the Tampa Bay Times reported. ... Toronto's three runs in the first two games of the season matched the second-fewest in franchise history, behind only the 1985 Blue Jays, who scored two in their first two games. ... C Jesus Sucre made his Rays debut, going 0-for-3 out of the No. 9 hole in the lineup. Derek Norris played the first three games at catcher.