Rays 4, Blue Jays 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chris Archer continued his dominance on the mound, holding the Toronto Blue Jays to three hits in eight innings as the Tampa Bay Rays pulled out a 4-3 win on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.
The Rays (41-32) bounced back from their first back-to-back losses since May, with Archer (9-4) striking out seven and taming a torrid lineup that was averaging a major-league-best 5.57 runs per game.
Toronto (38-35) had little to show at the plate against Archer, who came in with a 2.18 ERA and ranked among the AL top three in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He took a no-hitter into the fifth, outdueling a former Cy Young Award winner in Jays starter R.A. Dickey.
Archer had held the Jays to two hits in six innings before running into trouble in the seventh. After a walk to right fielder Jose Bautista and a single to designated hitter Dioner Navarro (who had a solo home run in the fifth), the Rays failed to convert a potential third out as first baseman Jake Elmore couldn't handle a throw from third baseman Evan Longoria on left fielder Ezequiel Carrera's grounder. That allowed a run to score and cut the Rays' lead to 3-2.
With runners at second and third and two outs, Archer got center fielder Kevin Pillar to ground out to first base, ending the threat and preserving the lead. Toronto had stranded only one runner in the first six innings.
The Rays got a much-needed insurance run in the eighth when shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera hit a solo home run, his fifth of the season, to make it a 4-2 lead. That run looked even bigger when reliever Brad Boxberger gave up a solo home run to Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (his 14th of the year) in the ninth. Boxberger held on for his 19th save.
Archer took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but at that point Navarro hit a solo home run -- his second of the season and second in as many days -- to tie the game at 1-1.
The Rays had taken a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by left fielder Brandon Guyer in the second inning, but that was their only scoring against Dickey until the bottom of the fifth.
Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier singled, took second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single by designated hitter Joey Butler to take back the lead at 2-1. After a walk, Butler scored from second when second baseman Logan Forsythe hit a fly ball to the wall in right-center. Pillar made the catch, but dropped the ball as he went to throw and was charged with a throwing error that allowed the run to score.
The Rays added a single from right fielder Steven Souza, but left runners on the corners when Cabrera popped up to end the inning. After five innings, the Rays -- who stranded a season-high 14 runners in Monday's loss -- had stranded six, while the Jays had yet to strand a single runner.
NOTES: Rays LHP Matt Moore, returning from Tommy John surgery performed last year, will make a fifth and final rehab start on Friday, for Triple-A Durham, putting him in position to rejoin the Rays rotation next week. . . . The Rays switched out bullpen arms, recalling RHP Kirby Yates from Triple-A Durham after optioning LHP Enny Romero to Durham after Monday's loss. ... Five members of the Tampa Bay Lightning -- just a week removed from losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup final -- took part in batting practice before the game, including center Steven Stamkos and goalie Ben Bishop. ... Jays manager John Gibbons earned his 500th win with the Jays on Monday night, putting him at 500-506 in his Toronto tenure. ... Jays rookie Roberto Osuna became just the second major-league pitcher to strike out at least five while pitching two innings or less in his first career save Monday. The other was the Cardinals' T.J. Mathews in 1995.