The Blue Jays will have to win their remaining four games against the Rays to win their season series for only the second time in the last 11 years.
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Rays lose a chance to sweep the AL East leaders. They’re 9-3 against the Yankees, where they’ll try to reclaim some of the ground they lost over the weekend.
The Toronto Blue Jays took the long way to the top on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field, scoring a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth innings to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3.
ASTROS 7, RANGERS 6: George Springer and Evan Gattis homered for Houston, which avoided a series sweep at Texas and snapped the Rangers’ seven-game winning streak.
“I felt good”, Archer said. Archer was dialed in, but the Blue Jays clawed back from a 3-1 deficit with a pair of runs in the seventh inning and an additional pair in the eighth.
Toronto (77-59) got only 2 2/3 innings from starter J.A. Happ but got 6 1/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief from four relievers, holding onto a share of first place in the American League East. Robert Osuna pitched a ideal ninth for his 30th save. Two pitches later, Martin had the green light on a 3-0 count and didn’t miss it.
The Jays scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning after a two-out double by Edwin Encarnacion and a single by Navarro.
Happ was up to 85 pitches when he was pulled by manager John Gibbons after Corey Dickerson’s RBI single put the Rays up, 3-1, with two outs in the third. Logan Forsythe and Kevin Kiermaier opened with singles.
Pompey had just come on to pinch hit for designated hitter Dioner Navarro, a late-inning role that he excelled in last season.
WHITE SOX 13, TWINS 11: Jose Abreu hit two three-run homers and drove in a career-best seven runs, and Chicago used Tim Anderson’s two-run double in the 12th inning to win at Minneapolis.
Like the mini Blue Jays rally, the Rays got something going all with two outs, only they were able to capitalize.
The big outburst came against Estrada (8-7) after he allowed just two singles in the first five innings.
Chris Archer allowed two runs and five hits in 6⅓ innings.
“Typically you’re looking for a pitch out over the middle of the plate and that’s what I got”, said Martin. He will carry a 4.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 211/61 K/BB ratio (175 1/3 innings) into a road showdown with the Yankees next time he toes the rubber. Sep.
Blue Jays: Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (9-13) and Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (11-4) are Monday’s starters in the first of a three-game set in NY.
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Although he placed five rookies in the starting lineup, manager Joe Girardi got the victory he needed to keep his young, retooled team in contention for the postseason. After allowing a one-out single to Troy Tulowitski, Kevin Cash removed him in favor of Brad Boxberger.
