Forsythe scored on the play. The Toronto right-hander struck out four in losing his third consecutive start.
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“I elevated a fastball and luckily he swung”, Farquhar said. “I thought it was a pop fly and it kept going”.
Martin said Stroman deserved a better fate.
Ramirez wasn’t sure what his future held when San Diego cut him loose, but he’s happy for the chance he’s been given. “I know how hard he worked to get back to this point”.
“I love winning”, Cobb said. “He’s an ace and he goes out there and pitches like it”.
Still awaiting the results as they prepared to board a flight for California with a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on the horizon Thursday, Donaldson is holding out hope he’ll be able to get back into the lineup sooner rather than later.
Matt Dermody, who had replaced Estrada, allowed the homer to Dickerson, which was a club-record 200th of the season for Tampa Bay, surpassing the mark set in 2009.
Reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson sat out his third straight game for Toronto and underwent an MRI on his sore right hip.
Donaldson said he’s affected by rotational and side-to-side movement.
Drew Smyly and Alexei Ramirez led the Rays as they stole a game from Toronto as the Blue Jays seek to edge Boston for the AL East title. The Blue Jays (79-65) failed to take advantage of East-leading Boston’s loss to Baltimore to remain two games off the pace in the division but watched as the Orioles pulled even with them in the wild-card chase – two games ahead of Detroit and the New York Yankees.
“We just couldn’t get that big blow”, Jays manager John Gibbons said. “I’m feeling good when I go to the cage, everything feels in rhythm, and that’s what I carry into the game”.
The Rays added two more runs in the ninth.
Donaldson missed Toronto’s 3-2 win over Tampa on Monday night and Tuesday’s 6-2 loss to the Rays.
“A lot of hard-hit balls today, but unfortunately right at guys”, Estrada said. “I felt like I threw the ball really well”. Think about that: the Jays had three official at-bats with runners on second and/or third in two games.
SEE COREY HIT: Dickerson’s 3-for-5 day extended his sizzling run, raising his average an awesome 20 points in eight days, from.227 to.247, by going 15-for-27. Kiermaier’s homer was followed shortly by another run for Tampa as the Rays took advantage of a walk to Brad Miller and some good base running.
Hardy launched a 3-2 pitch from Pomeranz for a three-run homer, which bounced off the Selfeo sign on top of the Green Monster in left field with one out in the second.
Jays starter Marco Estrada opened with an inspiring performance, setting down the first nine Rays in order, six of them by strikeout.
Late in the game, Toronto announced the hiring of former Boston general manager Ben Cherington as Vice President of Baseball Operations.
He had an MRI Wednesday and will travel with the team to L.A. Describing the injury as a gradual thing that suddenly intensified, Donaldson couldn’t say when or how it happened.
The team has won just three of its last 12 games, slipping down the AL East standing from first on September 5 to third after Wednesday’s matinee. But as the game wore on, the Blue Jays’ struggles began peeking through.
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Smyly (7-11) came in 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA at Rogers Centre in five appearances, including three starts.
