ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Toronto manager John Gibbons has known Tampa Bay pitcher Jake Odorizzi since they were in the Kansas City Royals system together six years ago, so he's not surprised by how well he pitched Saturday in leading the Rays to a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field.

"Jake can pitch. I knew him in Kansas City when they picked him up from Milwaukee, and you always could tell he was going to be a good one," Gibbons said after the game. "Ever since he got here, he just refines some things. He moves the ball around, can throw different pitches at you, can elevate when he needs it.

"He's just one of the better pitchers out there. That's what he is, he's a pitcher. He's not going to necessarily blow you away. He really throws anything at you, anytime."

The Rays (16-16) got seven innings of three-hit ball from Odorizzi (2-1), and a home run and three RBIs each from Logan Morrison and Colby Rasmus, bouncing back from an 8-4 loss in Friday's series opener.

Marco Estrada (1-2) allowed six hits for Toronto (10-20) and two of them were two-run homers as the Blue Jays lost for the third time in four games.

"Nice bounce-back win," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Last night was probably a rough night for a lot of guys in the clubhouse ... impressed with the way the guys went about it."

The Rays got plenty of production from Morrison -- a two-run home run (his seventh) in the third inning after Evan Longoria had singled and an RBI double in the sixth after Longoria had doubled. Rasmus, who missed the first month of the season with a groin injury, followed with his first hit with Tampa Bay, ripping a two-run home run to right field for a 5-1 lead.

"He's had a couple of just-misses, and it was nice to see him connect and get one over the wall," Cash said of Rasmus, who ended a personal 0-for-24 skid going back to last September, and doing so against the team he played with from 2011-14.

Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the first on a home run by Ezequiel Carrera -- it was officially ruled an inside-the-park home run, though replays showed it bouncing back into play and neither Rays outfielder chased after the loose ball.

"We just couldn't get anything going offensively," Gibbons said.

From there, Odorizzi was in control, allowing only two other hits -- a single by Kendrys Morales in the fourth and a double by Morales in the seventh -- in his seven innings. Odorizzi got a pair of strikeouts in the seventh to strand Morales in scoring position.

Odorizzi has allowed three hits or fewer in four straight starts, just the second Tampa Bay pitcher to do so, following Matt Moore in a stretch from 2012-13.

Toronto continues to struggle without contributions from some of its top bats -- Jose Bautista went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, dropping his season average to .182. Four of the Rays' six hits came from Longoria and Morrison. Those two walked to lead off the eighth, and Longoria scored on an RBI fielder's choice from Rasmus.

The two teams close out the series Sunday, with RHP Alex Cobb (2-2, 3.86 ERA) on the mound for the Rays against Toronto RHP Joe Biagini (0-1, 3.38 ERA).

NOTES: Toronto on Friday activated RHP Neil Ramirez after claiming him off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. Ramirez has a high strikeout rate this season -- 18 against four walks in 10 1/3 innings -- but also had an 8.71 ERA. ... The Rays reinstated RHP Erasmo Ramirez from the paternity list -- he pitched a scoreless eighth inning, thanks to a Logan Morrison unassisted double play -- and to make room, designated LHP Justin Marks for assignment. Marks, called up Friday, allowed one run in 1 1/3 innings Friday night in his only appearance with the Rays.