“Took the heat for everybody”, Martin said. “He weathered the storm, took the heat for everybody and kept some guys in the game – myself included – while he was doing that”.
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With the win, Toronto has a one-game lead in the AL East over Boston, which lost 1-0 at Oakland. Two pitches later, Martin had the green light on a 3-0 count and didn’t miss it.
Miguel Sano and Trevor Plouffe each homered during an eight-run third inning, and Minnesota went deep four times.
“If he’s seeing the ball good, which I thought he was, I gave the approval for him to take a whack at it”, said bench coach DeMarlo Hale, who filled in for Gibbons.
The Rays answered with two in their half.
Joaquin Benoit (3-1) gave up a single and struck out three in a scoreless seventh. After a walk to Brad Miller brought in a second run, Duffy cleared the bases with a double to make it 5-1 and get Estrada out of the game. I was just out there and wanted to get outs.
Five Toronto relievers allowed two hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
“That was huge that the bullpen was able to keep us in the game”, said Happ.
The outing was his second-shortest of the season, a two-inning stinker May 18 also coming against the Rays. He then repeated it in the 3rd inning, getting the first two and then giving up three straight singled to make it 3-1.
“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. With two outs, Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson reached base, putting the unsafe Encarnacion at the plate.
The Blue Jays oddly slashed a line of.207/.295/.378 against Tampa entering Saturday night.
Friday night, Alex Cobb of the Tampa Bay Rays was a big-league pitcher again.
“Typically you’re looking for a pitch out over the middle of the plate and that’s what I got”, said Martin.
Rays: RHP Chris Archer (8-17), who leads the majors in losses and leads the AL with 202 strikeouts, has won three of his last five starts.
A sweep-averting 5-3 comeback win Sunday afternoon eased the tension after 24 innings of frustration at Tropicana Field, sending them off the Bronx for a Labour Day date with old nemesis Masahiro Tanaka in a much better frame of mind.
Cobb went five solid innings during his first start in two years, Logan Morrison hit a go-ahead two-run homer, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Friday night. Look for Archer to continue his strong run and lift the Rays to a minor upset. They jumped out to a lead after Archer struck out Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson to start the game, but Edwin Encarnacion doubled and scored on a single by cleanup eater hitter Dioner Navarro.
Starting on September 9, the Red Sox play the Blue Jays in Toronto, have a homestand against the Orioles and the New York Yankees, and go on a road trip against the O’s, Tampa Bay Rays and Yankees before taking on the Jays again at Fenway.
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Toronto Blue Jays’ Michael Saunders, right, scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Bobby Wilson on a two-run single by Devon Travis during the seventh inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
