Rays 4, Blue Jays 3
TORONTO -- Kelly Johnson and Desmond Jennings hit home runs, and right-hander Alex Cobb pitched 6 1/3 innings as the Tampa Bay Rays hung on to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Tuesday.
Cobb (5-2) held the Blue Jays to one run and three hits, including a home run by Colby Rasmus, to pick up his first win since May 5.
Fernando Rodney pitched 1 2/3 innings, inducing a double play with the bases loaded to end the eighth, to earn his ninth save. He allowed a run in the ninth on a wild pitch.
Toronto right-hander Ramon Ortiz (1-2) allowed six hits, one walk and four runs in 2 1/3 innings before a crowd of 15,802 at Rogers Centre.
The Rays (24-21) and the Blue Jays (18-27) have split the first two games of the three-game series and are also even at 3-3 in their season series.
Cobb left with one out in the seventh after Brett Lawrie reached second base on a throwing error by third baseman Evan Longoria, who made a diving stop.
Left-hander Jake McGee came in to retire Rasmus on a pop foul and pinch hitter Mark DeRosa on a strikeout, preserving Tampa Bay's 4-1 lead.
The Rays' third pitcher of the game, right-hander Joel Peralta, gave up a leadoff single to Munenori Kawasaki in the eighth and walked Melky Cabrera.
Jose Bautista drove in a run with a single to right, but Edwin Encarnacion struck out. Adam Lind hit what appeared to be a double-play ball, but an error by second baseman Ryan Roberts, a defensive replacement, loaded the bases with one out.
Rodney replaced Peralta and produced an inning-ending double play on his first pitch to J.P. Arencibia, who hit a grounder to second.
Rasmus doubled against Rodney with one out in the ninth and took third on a groundout by pinch hitter Maicer Izturis. Rasmus scored on a wild pitch on ball three to Kawasaki, but Cabrera was called out on strikes to end the game.
Longoria extended his career-best hitting streak to 15 games with a leadoff double in the second. He came around to score on a pair of groundouts.
Johnson hit his eighth homer of the season and the Rays led 2-0.
Jennings led off the third with his fifth homer of the season. Matt Joyce singled, was forced at second by Ben Zobrist, and Longoria singled to send Ortiz from the game. Left-hander Aaron Loup came in and induced a grounder to first baseman Encarnacion, who threw out Zobrist at home. Luke Scott singled to put the Rays up 4-0.
Rasmus' seventh homer of the season, and the Blue Jays' second hit of the game, with two out in the fifth cut the lead to 4-1.
NOTES: Blue Jays RHP Josh Johnson (triceps inflammation) began his minor league rehabilitation assignment Monday by pitching three innings (three hits, one run, five strikeouts, 48 pitches) for Class-A Dunedin. He will pitch again there Saturday and could have one more start after that before returning to Toronto. ... Longoria has reached base in 44 of the Rays' 45 games. ... In the 31 games (beginning April 17) previous to Tuesday, the Rays led the majors with 176 runs scored (5.7 a game), a .281 batting average (tied with the Texas Rangers) and a .352 on-base percentage. ... Encarnacion has a seven-game hitting streak. ... LHP Mark Buehrle (1-3, 6.33 ERA) will start for the Blue Jays in Wednesday's series finale against Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (2-2, 5.82 ERA).
