Blue Jays 4, Rays 3
TORONTO -- Jose Bautista singled home the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning as the Toronto Blue Jays came back to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon.
Bautista twice tied the game for the Blue Jays with solo home runs, in the fourth and the ninth, before a crowd of 18,771 at Rogers Centre in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Left-hander Aaron Loup (2-3) pitched the 10th to pick up the win.
Colby Rasmus started the home half of the 10th against left-hander Cesar Ramos (1-1) with an infield hit on a squib in front of the plate.
Emilio Bonifacio sacrificed Rasmus to second. Rasmus took third on a groundout by Munenori Kawasaki. Pinch hitter Mark DeRosa walked.
Right-hander Kyle Farnsworth replaced Ramos to face Bautista, who singled to right on a 0-2 count.
Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson held the Blue Jays to four hits, including the first home run of the game by Bautista, and two runs in eight innings but did not factor in the decision.
Hellickson stood to win when the Rays took a 3-2 lead in the ninth on a single by James Loney.
But Bautista connected on a 3-2 pitch from closer Fernando Rodney to lead off the ninth for his second homer of the game and 11th of the season to tie the game 3-3.
After a walk to Adam Lind, Joel Peralta replaced Rodney to finish the inning.
Blue Jays left-hander Mark Buehrle did not factor in the decision after allowing four hits, two walks and two runs while striking out six in seven innings.
After Steve Delabar pitched the eighth for the Blue Jays, Casey Janssen came into the 2-2 game in the ninth.
With one out, Evan Longoria, who started the game as designated hitter, extended his hitting streak to a career-best 16 games with a double to right.
Loney followed by bouncing a single up the middle to put the Rays into a 3-2 lead.
The Blue Jays (19-27) hold a 4-3 edge over the Rays (23-22) in games played between the teams this season.
The Blue Jays scored in the first when Anthony Gose, who started for the first time since being called up from Class AAA Buffalo, led off the a double and scored on a single by Bautista.
The Rays scored two runs in the third that included an error by second baseman Maicer Izturis. Buehrle retired the first seven batters, including four consecutive strikeouts, before Jose Molina singled. Desmond Jennings walked with two outs. Molina scored and Jennings scooted to third when Izturis let a slow roller by Ryan Roberts get past him for an error. Roberts was given an infield hit with the runners advancing on the error. Ben Zobrist singled in a run for a 2-1 Rays lead.
Bautista hit the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth to left for his 10th homer of the season to tie the game 2-2.
NOTES: The Rays have altered their rotation for their three-game series against the New York Yankees that opens on Friday at Tropicana Field. RHP Alex Cobb, who pitched 6 1/3 innings to defeat the Blue Jays on Tuesday, will be moved to Sunday in the rotation to face the Yankees. He exchanges places with RHP Jake Odorizzi, who will start instead on Monday against the Miami Marlins. ... Blue Jays LF Melky Cabrera was given a chance to rest his sore legs on Wednesday when Gose started in his place. Cabrera struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth. ... The Rays have Thursday off and will open with RHP Roberto Hernandez (2-4, 5.24 ERA) on Friday against the Yankees, who will start David Phelps (2-2, 3.83 ERA). ... The Blue Jays will send out Brandon Morrow (1-3, 5.16 ERA) against Baltimore RHP Kevin Gausman, who will make his major-league debut, in the opener of a four-game series with the Orioles on Thursday at Rogers Centre.
