Rays hang on to beat Blue Jays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For the second night in a row, the Tampa Bay Rays broke open a close game to beat the first-place Blue Jays, striking for six hits in the sixth inning and hanging on for a 7-5 win on Saturday night at Tropicana Field.
Down 1-0 and held to two hits in the first five innings, the Rays got to Toronto starter Marco Estrada (8-7) in the sixth, with the first six batters reaching base in the inning. The big blow was a three-run double for Rays shortstop Chris Duffy, chasing Estrada from the game.
Tampa Bay got a gem from rookie left-hander Blake Snell, who held the Blue Jays to one run on two hits in six innings, striking out seven batters. The Rays (58-76) have now taken nine of 15 games against the Blue Jays (76-59), who entered the night with only a one-game lead on Boston atop the American League East.
A solid night for Estrada imploded in the sixth, with three straight singles to load the bases, the last a bunt from Kevin Kiermaier where Estrada's throw was wide of the bag, pulling first baseman Edwin Encarnacion off. Evan Longoria tied the game with an RBI single, and Estrada put the Rays ahead with a bases-loaded walk of Brad Miller, setting up Duffy's double off the wall in left field for a 5-1 Tampa Bay lead.
The Rays added to their lead in the seventh as Kiermaier hit a two-run home run -- his eighth of the season -- off reliever Joe Biagini, who gave up three hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Toronto scored four runs in the ninth, starting with two walks and an RBI groundout from Dioner Navarro, then a two-run, two-out single by Devon Travis off reliever Enny Romero. Closer Alex Colome came into the game as the Rays backed into a save situation and gave up an RBI single to Jose Bautista.
Josh Donaldson followed with a single to put the tying run on base for Encarnacion, but Colome got him to pop out to left field to end the game.
For five innings, Snell and Estrada battled with dueling two-hitters and Toronto holding onto a 1-0 lead.
The Blue Jays took the lead in the third inning, as No. 9 hitter Devon Travis hit a bloop single to center, advanced on Bautista's walk and then scored on another bloop single to center from Encarnacion. Those were the only hits Snell allowed in the first six innings.
Estrada, who took a perfect game into the eighth last season against the Rays, retired the first seven in order before walking Corey Dickerson, who was caught stealing to finish the third with Estrada still facing the minimum.
Logan Forsythe had the Rays' first hit in the fourth but couldn't advance, and Ryan Franklin had a single in the fifth but was stranded as well.
NOTES: Rays 2B Logan Forsythe, who went 2-for-3 with two walks in Friday's win, entered Saturday with a .419 average against Toronto, the best out of the 30 players who have played in at least 10 games against the Blue Jays this season. ... The Rays have worked through four catchers this season, but the current tandem of Luke Maile and Bobby Wilson has been hitting the ball well. Since Wilson joined the team on Aug. 5, Rays catchers are hitting .282 with 15 RBIs in 26 games. Maile has three home runs in his last eight games. ... Since joining the Jays, RHP Joaquin Benoit entered Saturday with 14.1 scoreless innings in 15 games -- tied for the second-longest active streak in the majors, behind Bryan Shaw (16.2). The Jays gave up three home runs Friday and are 8-9 this season when they allow three or more home runs. When they hit three or more, they are 23-4.