Toronto 12, Tampa Bay 7
When: 7:07 PM ET, Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Temperature:
Indoors
Umpires:
Home -
Jeff Nelson, 1B -
Lazaro Diaz, 2B -
Chris Guccione, 3B -
Cory Blaser
Attendance:
15086
By The Sports Xchange
TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays ended their offensive mini-slump in a major way with a 12-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday at the Rogers Centre.
After being held to just three runs total over the first two games of the series against Tampa Bay, Toronto scored multiple runs in each of the first five innings Wednesday. Eight members of the Blue Jays' starting lineup scored at least one run or delivered at least one hit.
The Rays entered the game with a 3.48 team ERA, a respectable figure given the number of injuries that have plagued both their rotation and relief corps. But the makeshift staff could not hold up against the powerful Toronto batting order for long, and the Rays allowed season highs in both runs and hits on Wednesday.
Down 11-1 after five innings, Tampa Bay mounted a bit of a comeback to make the score respectable. The Rays scored four times in the ninth and had two more men on base before third baseman Logan Forsythe struck out to end the game.
Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis collected his first career three-hit game. The rookie contributed an RBI double in the third inning and also had his second career home run, a solo blast over the left-field wall in the fifth.
Left fielder Kevin Pillar helped the Jays from both an offensive and defensive standpoint. Pillar went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI double, and also made a highlight-reel catch on Rays second baseman Tim Beckham in the seventh inning. Beckham hit a fly ball to left that looked it would be a home run, but it was caught when Pillar extended his glove over the wall.
Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista put his team on the board with a two-run homer in the first inning. It was Bautista's second home run of the season.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson and first baseman Justin Smoak each collected two-run singles as part of the Blue Jays' early-game outburst that gave them an 11-1 lead after five innings. Smoak's RBIs were his first in a Toronto uniform.
Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez allowed nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits over 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander was making a spot start due to the many injuries in Tampa Bay's rotation, appearing just three days after throwing two innings in a relief appearance on Sunday. Ramirez now has a 23.63 ERA through 5 1/3 innings this season.
A night after launching a 463-foot homer to center field, Rays right fielder Steven Souza Jr. hit another notable long ball, a solo shot in the fifth inning. Souza's latest home run "only" went deep into the Rogers Centre's second deck in left field.
The loss snapped Tampa Bay's four-game winning streak. It was the team's longest win streak since they won nine in a row from July 12-26, 2014.
NOTES: The Rays recalled RHP Jose Dominguez from Triple-A prior to the game, after optioning RHP Kirby Yates to Triple-A. Dominguez entered Wednesday's game in the fifth inning and allowed just one walk over 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. ... Josh Donaldson batted second in the Blue Jays' lineup after hitting fifth in every other game this season. Russell Martin and Dalton Pompey had hit second in Toronto's previous games, but neither player was off to a hot start, with Martin batting .043 and Pompey .133 going into Wednesday. ... Rays OF Desmond Jennings received a start at designated hitter, a move Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said was designed to give Jennings a break from playing on the artificial surface. Brandon Guyer took Jennings' regular spot in left field. ... All players on both teams wore jersey number 42 in honor of the legendary Jackie Robinson as part of Major League Baseball's Jackie Robinson Day celebrations. ... The Rays will start RHP Chris Archer (1-1, 2.13 ERA) on Thursday against Blue Jays RHP Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 8.10 ERA).
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
| Tampa Bay
|
11 |
2 |
19 |
.289 |
17 |
7 |
7 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| Toronto
|
14 |
3 |
26 |
.389 |
20 |
5 |
12 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
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