Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Box Score on May 07, 2017

The Sports Xchange
May 7, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Five Blue Jays relievers combined to hold the Tampa Bay Rays to three hits and Toronto got a solo home run from Darwin Barney in the eighth inning, pulling out a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field.

The Blue Jays (11-20) took two of three games from the Rays, and beat Tampa Bay on a bullpen day for the second time in two weeks. The Rays (16-17) couldn't find any rhythm at the plate, getting only three singles as they rarely faced the same pitcher two at-bats in a row. The lack of offense spoiled a solid outing by Rays starter Alex Cobb (2-2), who gave up four hits in eight innings but still took the loss.

Barney, hitting out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order with five RBIs all season, crushed a 1-0 pitch to left field with one out in the eighth to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead off Cobb, who had needed only 75 pitches to get through the first seven innings, holding Toronto to three hits along the way.

The Rays got a full-count walk to Steven Souza Jr. and a single from Colby Rasmus with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but closer Roberto Osuna struck out rookie Daniel Robertson to end the game.

Cobb gave up a leadoff single to Kevin Pillar to open the game, then didn't allow another hit until the sixth inning. Toronto had been held to four hits on Saturday in a 6-1 Rays' win, and the strong pitching continued with Cobb, but the Rays' bats weren't the same Sunday.

The Rays scored an unearned run in the third off fill-in starter Joe Biagini, who came out of the bullpen for his first start and held the Rays to one run on two hits in his four innings on the mound. Kevin Kiermaier reached on an error in the third, advanced on Jesus Sucre's sacrifice bunt and scored on Alex Dickerson's two-out single to right field for a 1-0 lead.

Toronto tied the game in the sixth inning, as Pillar ripped a shot down the left-field line that went off Evan Longoria's glove for a double. With two outs, Russell Martin hit an RBI single to left field to make it a 1-1 game.

Biagini had to fill in as starter after the Blue Jays designated Mat Latos for assignment after his last start. Aaron Loup, Ryan Tepera and Joe Smith combined for four innings of no-hit scoreless relief, and Osuna pitched the ninth for his fourth save.

The Blue Jays head home to start a nine-game homestand with three games against the Cleveland Indians, while the Rays stay home for four games against the Kansas City Royals.

NOTES: Toronto is just the fifth playoff team from the prior season to open a season 10-20 or worse, and the first since the 1996 Red Sox, who also opened 10-20. ... Toronto held a lead in 12 of its 20 losses, and no team has pulled that off since the 2010 Orioles, who had 12 blown leads in a 9-21 start. ... The Rays are halfway through a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, and part of a larger run of 35 games in 36 days. ... Saturday's Rays win took only two hours and 42 minutes to complete, the second-shortest game of their season and ending a run of nine straight games lasting at least three hours.