However, the Blue Jays can not expect to remain atop the American League East if they lose two out of three games to the Rays, something they did at home about a week-and-a-half ago against another last place team, the Los Angeles Angels. I think the game took a turn from that point. In spite of the fact that the Jays have a better record (6-4) over their last 10 than either the Orioles (who shutout the visiting New York Yankees last night at Oriole Park by a score of eight to nothing) or Red Sox (both 5-5), they still find themselves struggling to distance themselves in the AL East.
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Martin hit his 17th homer on a 3-0 pitch from Kevin Jepsen (2-6). Martin has now homered in eight of his last 18 games.
Jason Grilli then struck out two in a clean eighth before Roberto Osuna earned his 30th save of the season, striking out two batters and not allowing a base runner.
Toronto starter Marcus Stroman gave up single runs in the second and third, with the Rays scoring on RBI groundouts in each inning. His second strikeout, coming against Evan Longoria, was the 1,000th of his career. Bautista struck out for the second time on a 91.8 miles per hour sinker that was called for strike three, and he also got Tulowitzki for the second time on an 87.3 miles per hour splitter for a called strike three.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Devon Travis watches his two-run single off Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Enny Romero during the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
“That’s a huge job by the bullpen keeping us in the game”, Happ said.
Pompey had just come on to pinch hit for designated hitter Dioner Navarro, a late-inning role that he excelled in last season.
When he began the sixth inning, Estrada had given up only two runs in 22 1/3 career innings at Tropicana Field.
That moment at the very start of the game, when he struck out Blue Jays lead-off man Jose Bautista, freezing him with an 85-mph changeup and that moment in the third when he did the same to Melvin Upton Jr. were just two of what proved to be a steady stream of them.
That’s the way the game stayed until, with one out in the sixth inning, Matt Duffy stroked a double into the right field corner.
“I guess you could imagine it, ” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the rock-like foundation Cobb poured out for the Rays during what proved to be an 8-3 Rays win.
Tampa Bay got its biggest and smallest hits of the night from Kevin Kiermaier, who loaded the bases in the sixth with a well-placed bunt and enough speed to pressure Estrada to throw wide.
Despite the ability to expand rosters in September, Tampa Bay still had just three position players on the bench on Sunday: C Luke Maile, 1B Logan Morrison and utilityman Nick Franklin.
Chris Archer was left with a no-decision after holding the high-powered Blue Jays offense to one run over six innings.
But the New York Mets, second in the NL East, beat the first-placed Washington Nationals 3-1 to move within one game of St Louis for the final NL play-off spot. He has now reached base in 19 of his last 29 plate appearances and 11 of his 14 plate appearances in the series. After four innings, Estrada had used just 48 pitches and was making his 1-0 lead look insurmountable. Rays catcher Bobby Wilson, left, looks on.
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With Stroman out of the game after six innings, reliever Francisco Liriano came out of the bullpen for the first time as a Blue Jay and did not record an out.
