The Tampa Bay Rays will have to wait one more day to celebrate a third straight postseason berth, as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered and Bo Bichette‘s sacrifice fly proved to be the difference as the Toronto Blue Jays came back to even the three-game series at Tropicana Field with a 4-2 decision Tuesday.
The Rays had a number of opportunities early against Blue Jay sstarter Alek Manoah, but could manage just a single run in the first two innings, with Brandon Lowe‘s RBI single in the second capping a two-out rally that began with a Mike Zunino hit and followed with a walk by Brett Phillips.
But Rays starter Drew Rasmussen couldn’t get the shutdown inning to start the third, and the Jays were able to come back and tie the game on a RBI groundout by Breyvic Valera. Toronto then took the lead in the fifth, as Gurriel blasted a solo homer off Rasmussen, his 21st of the season. The RBI gave the Blue Jays left fielder 29 in the month of September, one shy of the franchise record set by Kelly Gruber in 1990.
The Rays even the game back up in the bottom of the fifth thanks to an RBI single by Joey Wendle, but the rally fizzled out as Austin Meadows was thrown out at third base to end the inning.
Rasmussen would be replaced to start the sixth by Nick Anderson, who walked Marcus Semien to lead off the inning, then gave up a broken bat single to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that moved Semien to third base, and Bichette’s fly ball to Kiermaier in center was deep enough to bring in the second baseman to break the tie.
Michael Wacha, who had been originally slated to start Wednesday’s finale, was instead brought on in relief beginning in the seventh, and he would allow Toronto to plate an insurance run on an RBI single by Teoscar Hernandez.
The loss cuts Tampa Bay’s lead in the American League East to six game with ten games to play, and keeps their magic number to clinch a playoff berth at 2.
Luis Patino (4-3, 4.73 ERA) will look to give the Rays a series win in the rubber match Wednesday. Toronto will look to a bullpen day starting with Julian Merryweather (0-1, 4.91 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 3:10.
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.
