Wade Davis Struggles, Blue Jays Beat Rays 7-3

The Tampa Bay Rays (73-60) could not complete the four game sweep today, falling to the Toronto Blue Jays in a 7-3 bout. Wade Davis (L, 8-8) started for the Rays, but could not finish the fifth frame in what turned out to be his second shortest outing of the season.

The game started out well enough for the Rays: A lead-off walk for Desmond Jennings turned into a two-run home run for Johnny Damon. Unfortunately, the 2-0 lead became a 3-2 deficit in the third inning, and by that point, it was becoming painfully plain that Davis did not have his good pitches or good fortunes at the ready.

The third started with an expedient swinging strike out of DeWayne Wise, but Yunel Escobar singled and Eric Thames (pronounced like an American would want to: thhhhh-aims) doubled. Jose Bautista, Destroyer of Worlds, then came to the plate and amazingly and mercifully only grounded out, putting the Jays on the board, but down 2-1.

Then Adam Lind, who looked at times goofy and lost during the at bat, worked a 2-2 count and then blasted a homer to deep right-center. At this point, the floodgates opened. The Jays scored over each of the following three innings, building their consummate 7-3 lead by the bottom of the 6th.

Notes:

• The Rays wasted a double-awesome game from Johnny Damon, who went 2 for 3 with a walk and a pair of dingers. He was the offense tonight.
• J.P. Howell had allowed no runs and only one hit through his last ten appearances, but The Bautista tired of Howell's success, and Thor'd a homer to left in the sixth.
• Evan Longoria had quite the triple on the night. In the top of the third, Longo cracked a ball to left that had every appearance of leaving the playing area. Longo sure thought so: He was trotting the bases, blowing a pink bubble with his gum. Well, it fell just short of the wall, but Evan was able crank it to 11 and slide safely into third base.
• Bummer upon bummers: The Orioles refused to win yet another game, letting the Yankees beat them 3-2. That puts the Rays at 7.5 games back again. Sort of fortunately, the Rays play the Yankees for 7 out of their last 10 games, so they could -- with a most improbable super double-sweep -- make up quite a bit of ground at the end.

Price Sets Franchise Single-Game Strikeout Record; Rays Roll 12-0

David Price set the Tampa Bay Rays’ single-game strikeout record by fanning 14 in seven shutout innings, while the offense teed off on Toronto Blue Jays pitching en route to a 12-0 beatdown at Rogers Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Desmond Jennings led off the game with a home run, then added a second dinger later in the game as he went 4-for-5. The recently-maligned 7-8-9 hitters in the Tampa Bay order (Matt Joyce, John Jaso, and Sean Rodriguez) also combined for a single, three doubles, a triple, a home run, and six runs batted in. Every Rays batter got at least one hit except for Casey Kotchman, who still drew a pair of walks and scored a run.

But the story was Price, who was absolutely dominant. The windy day in Toronto gave his fastball and slider extra movement, and the Blue Jays didn’t stand a chance. Price struck out the first six hitters he faced and eight of the first nine. He recorded a strikeout in each inning he pitched except the sixth, and Jose Molina’s punchout in the seventh set the franchise record. Price went seven innings and allowed just three hits and two walks in 111 pitches.

Toronto hitters struck out a total of 18 times on Sunday. Kelly Johnson took the golden sombrero with four K’s, while Molina and Jose Bautista struck out three times apiece. (At least this time Bautista didn’t get himself ejected like he did after going down on strikes three times on Friday night.)

While the Rays pitchers had no trouble in the blustery conditions, the Blue Jays struggled. Toronto pitchers issued nine walks in all. Brandon Morrow gave up five earned runs and three homers in 5 1/3 innings. Aaron Ledezma was sacrificed in the ninth as the Rays piled on six more runs to drive the game out of hand.

The Rays look for a four-game sweep on Monday night. Wade Davis gets the ball for Tampa Bay, while Ricky Romero will be on the mound for the Blue Jays.

Jeff Niemann Sharp, Rays Win 6-5

Jeff Niemann (W, 9-5) continued his late-season surge on Saturday, striking out 6 Toronto Blue Jays en route to a 6-5 Tampa Bay Rays win. Niemann did allow three runs on the day, but he appeared in control through his 6 and 1/3 innings.

His biggest accomplishment was keeping the homer-happy Jays in the yard -- a feet both Jake McGee and Juan Cruz could not replicate. After J.P. Howell finished the 7th frame in typical Ice Man fashion, the pair of McGee and Cruz tag-teamed the 8th inning, whereupon they allowed home runs to Eric Thames and Edwin Encarnacion respectively.

With the usual closer, Kyle Farnsworth, unavailable for some yet-known reason, the Rays fireman, Joel Peralta, got the closing duties, slamming the door with three pop flies in the ninth.

The Rays hitters showed some power again today, as B.J. Upton crushed a decisive three-run homer in the 7th inning, and Ben Zobrist and Sean Rodriguez added some run-scoring doubles as well. Meanwhile, Evan Longoria went 0 for 2, but walked 3 times (one of which turned intentional after Longo worked a 3-1 count).

Walks from Longoria and Sam Fuld (who was batting second on the day) proved valuable as the 2-3 duo scored a trio of runs despite going a combined 0 for 5.

Meanwhile, Sean Rodriguez -- starting at first with Casey Kotchman feeling fluish -- and Elliot Johnson both went 3 for 4 with a caught stealing (and Johnson also got a not-caught stealing too).

The Rays continue the four game set with a 1:07 p.m. ET start tomorrow. David Price and Brandon Morrow team up for what promises to be a lower scoring affair than today.

James Shields Pitches Complete Game; Rays Win 6-1

James Shields was on his game again, giving the Rays a win the their opening game in Toronto.