There was a video tribute on the scoreboard for Toronto Of Melvin Upton Jr., who played at Tropicana Field for the first time since his final game with Tampa Bay on October 3, 2012. When Martin turned a couple times to dispute the call while walking toward the dugout, Gibbons took over the argument from the dugout and got tossed. “I think he kept some guys in the game doing that, including myself”. They have dropped the first two games of their weekend series at Tropicana Field and are now tied for the division lead with the heavy hitting Boston Red Sox. I wouldn’t say my stuff is exactly where I want it to be.
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Joaquin Benoit (3-1) gave up a single and struck out three in a scoreless seventh. His second strikeout, coming against Evan Longoria, was the 1,000th of his career.
The homer was the Blue Jays’ first in 27 innings, and prevented them from going three full games without a longball for the first time this year. The Blue Jays were able to score just once on Troy Tulowitzki’s grounder off Brad Boxberger. Snell gave up two hits and one earned-run while striking out seven in six innings tossed in Toronto’s latest defeat.
Chris Archer struck out nine for Tampa Bay, running his AL-best total to 211. Unfortunately for Liriano and the Jays, the veteran left-hander couldn’t register an out, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits, including a home run.
The Blue Jays didn’t cut Cobb any slack, going after him right out of the gate in his first start in nearly two full seasons.
After jubilantly claiming two out of three over the threatening Baltimore Orioles, the Toronto Blue Jays (76-59) have slipped right back into neutral.
In spite of last night’s disappointing loss to the Rays, a team that has gotten very good in recent years at playing the role of spoiler in the American League East, the news isn’t all bad for Canada’s team moving forward. They also hadn’t been swept since the Rays outscored them 31-7 during a three-game set in Toronto May 16-18.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Russell Martin, right, celebrates with Dalton Pompey after hitting a two-run home run off Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Kevin Jepsen during the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Rays catcher Bobby Wilson, left, looks on. Navarro looked sharp both defensively and offensively as his first plate appearance was an extended 12 pitch at bat and he was robbed of a home run in the seventh by Kevin Kiermaier.
Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (8-6) starts Saturday night against Rays rookie LHP Blake Snell (4-7), who left Sunday’s game at Houston with a bruised lower left leg.
J.A. Happ couldn’t hold that early lead, and needed 85 pitches to get through 2.2 innings, getting yanked after Corey Dickerson’s two-out single in the third put the Rays up 3-1.
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The Blue Jays are 5-2 in their last seven game threes of a series, and 7-0 in Happ’s last seven Sunday starts.
