The Toronto Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon when they used a two-run sixth inning to salvage the finale with a 2-1 victory.
Devon Travis and Randal Grichuk picked up the RBIs in the decisive inning.
Left-hander Jaime Garcia (3-6) pitched a perfect sixth in relief with two strikeouts to earn the win.
Ken Giles pitched a flawless ninth to earn his first save with the Blue Jays after having 12 with the Houston Astros.
Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow allowed one run, two hits, and two walks while striking out six in 5-plus innings.
Toronto starter Marcus Stroman allowed one run, five hits and one walk in five innings. The right-hander struck out two.
The Rays scored one run in the top of the fourth when Joey Wendle singled, advanced to third on two groundouts and came on a single by Willy Adames.
The Blue Jays could not take advantage of Russell Martin's leadoff double in the third or Travis's leadoff single in the fourth.
Garcia replaced Stroman for the sixth. Stroman had left his previous start after seven innings because of a blister on his right middle finger.
Glasnow was replaced by left-hander Jose Alvarado (1-5) after Luke Maile led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk. Pinch hitter Kevin Pillar doubled to left and Maile stopped at third. Travis tied the game with a single that scored the Blue Jays' second run of the series.
Ryne Stanek replaced Alvarado after Justin Smoak was called out on strikes. The Blue Jays took the lead when Grichuk was thrown out at first by catcher Michael Perez on his squibber in front of the plate. Pillar dashed home on the play, avoiding Stanek's tag on his slide.
Tyler Clippard got the final out of the Rays' seventh on a grounder by Mallex Smith. He had replaced Danny Barnes with runners at the corners after Brandon Lowe walked and Perez singled.
Toronto's Ryan Tepera was perfect in the top of the eighth.
Tampa Bay's Ryan Yarbrough was perfect in bottom of the seventh and survived a double in the eighth.
Martin, usually a catcher, played third base for the Blue Jays Sunday after Yangervis Solarte was put on the disabled list with a strained right oblique and catcher Danny Jansen was called up from Triple-A Buffalo. Maile started behind the plate for the Blue Jays.
--Field Level Media
Tampa Bay | Toronto | |
Tyler Glasnow | Player | Marcus Stroman |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
5.0 | IP | 5.0 |
6 | Strikeouts | 2 |
2 | Hits | 5 |
1.80 | ERA | 1.80 |
Tampa Bay | Toronto | |
Michael Perez | Player | Devon Travis |
2 | Hits | 2 |
0 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
3 | TB | 2 |
.667 | Avg | .667 |