Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer, Wilson Ramos added a solo shot and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Tuesday night, snapping a four-game skid.
Backed by Tampa Bay’s biggest offensive outburst since Aug. 1, Blake Snell pitched six innings to win for the first time this season. Snell’s last victory came Sept. 22, 2016, against the New York Yankees.
The Rays came in having scored 12 runs in their past 10 games. According to Elias, that is the lowest total for any AL team over a 10-game stretch since the designated hitter was introduced in 1973. The Rays suffered five shutout defeats in that span, and lead the majors with 10 scoreless losses.
Snell (1-6) allowed one run and four hits.
Steve Cishek and Tommy Hunter each worked inning before Alex Colome finished for his 35th save in 40 chances.
Blue Jays slugger Josh Donaldson homered for the third consecutive game, hitting a three-run shot in the fifth. Donaldson has gone deep nine times in 17 games. The blast gave him 500 career RBIs.
Duda homered off Marco Estrada in the third, erasing a 1-0 Blue Jays lead, and Ramos went deep in the fourth for his second homer in as many games.
Corey Dickerson‘s RBI single made it 4-1, and the Rays chased Estrada (5-8) after Adeiny Hechavarria and Daniel Robertson drew bases-loaded walks in the fifth.
Estrada snapped a 12-start winless streak by pitching seven shutout innings against the Yankees in his previous outing but struggled to control the Rays, allowing six runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Estrada is 0-4 with a 10.61 ERA in four starts against the Rays this season, and 1-8 with a 4.96 ERA in 14 career games against Tampa Bay.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: OF Kevin Kiermaier (right hip) started in CF and played five innings in a rehab game at Class-A Charlotte. He went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Blue Jays: C Miguel Montero (right groin) went 0 for 3 in his first rehab game at Triple-A Buffalo. … Toronto released OF Chris Coghlan.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Jake Faria (5-3, 3.19) allowed a season-worst five runs in six innings in his previous start, an Aug. 11 loss to Cleveland. Faria is winless in three outings.
Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (10-6, 3.00) allowed four unearned runs over eight innings against Pittsburgh last Friday, losing for the first time in six starts.
Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
