Jeffrey Springs and four relievers combined to throw a five-hit shutout, and Rays hitters used a rare error by third baseman Matt Chapman to put up a three-run sixth inning to blank the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field.
Springs allowed four of the five hits on the day, getting one out from qualifying for the victory. The left-hander did not issue a walk and struck out a pair.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay could not break through on Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah early, with Randy Arozarena‘s second-inning single, Brett Phillips being hit by a pitch in the third, and Vidal Brujan‘s flare double in the fifth being the only base runners allowed.
But the Rays were able to break through against Manoah in the sixth, as Brandon Lowe ans Wander Franco started the rally with one-out singles. Harold Ramirez then chopped a ground ball that Chapman threw into right field for an error that scored Lowe. A wild pitch would bering in Franco, and a base hit by Ji-Man Choi plated Ramirez to make it 3-0.
Matt Wisler earned the win, finishing out the fifth in relief of Wisler and pitching a perfect sixth. J.P. Feyereisen, Colin Poche, and Andrew Kittredge each worked a scoreless inning, with Kittredge earning his fifth save.
The victory allows the Rays to keep pace with the New York Yankees, remaining 4 1/2 games behind in the American League East.
The Detroit Tigers come to Tropicana Field to begin a three-game series Monday, with Corey Kluber (1-2, 4.55 ERA) getting the start against Alex Faedo (0-1, 3.60 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:40.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
