DUNEDIN, FLA. - 

When the Tampa Bay Rays entered the visiting clubhouse Friday they didn’t look like they were headed for the batting cage.

Judging from their hair cuts they were ready for a mass or a WWE battle royal, steel-caged match.

Many Rays had their heads shaved Thursday in Port Charlotte to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation.

“Some asked to have their heads shaved, some, like me, asked for No. 1 clippers,” said Jose Molina sporting tiny sprouts of hair.

The shearing has raised $5,025 as 37 uniformed players plus 34 office staff got trimmed. Money should continue to flow in as the Rays took batting practice before playing the Blue Jays wearing yellow t-shirts which read “Fortune Favours the Bald” along with a ball cap and sun glasses atop it … like Rays manager Joe Maddon wears his glasses.

“Everyone talks about participating and doing something to help,” said Maddon, who was asked by Tampa Bay Lightning star Lecavalier to participate.

“This was more than a ball team having a social conscience, our guys really felt it. I can’t think of a more noble cause.”

Maddon told of talking with a grandmother at the hair-cutting ceremony: “She said she’s suffering twice … once for her daughter, a second time for her grand-daughter who has cancer.”

Even Rick Vaughn, not to be confused with Ricky Vaughn in the movie Major League, had less than a buzz cut. The Rays’ crack vice-president, Vaughn told of a child who had lost her hair during cancer treatment looking at Evan Longoria and others, saying “mom, the ball players look like me now.”

Maddon has always been known for team building whether it’s the all-black trip (where the Rays hit the road dressed like Johnny Cash) or their all-whites (for a visit to Miami). 

Those were fun, this is a worthwhile cause.

And while perhaps you’ve heard a moan or two — or 5,000 — from Jays fans about how they have to compete in the big bad American League East with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, you won’t hear it from Maddon.

The Rays reached post-season a year ago with the 21st highest payroll ($71.9 million US) when they finished ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

They ranked 29th ($41.9) when they won the division finishing ahead of both the Yanks and the Red Sox.

And they ranked 29th ($43.8) when they lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Not one time have I spoken to anyone in that clubhouse who has said ‘we don’t have enough money to spend,’ or ‘why didn’t we spend on this guy.’ It’s about who plays the game better,” Maddon said.

Rays general manager Andrew Friedman and scouting director R.J. Harrison deserve credit for assembling the talent on a budget. Maddon says there is another reason why the Rays have fared so well: Major League Baseball’s drug policy.

“The game has changed,” Maddon said. “Numbers have come down. We wouldn’t be able to afford a guy with 40 homers or 120 RBIs.

NICE TO MEET YOU TOO: Last August when the Rays came to the Rogers Centre Maddon placed a call to the man upstairs.

The Rays manager asked if Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos could come to his office.

“Alex walks in and I said right off ‘I don’t like you,’” said Maddon with a smile. “Alex and the Blue Jays are doing everything right. That’s why I joked I didn’t like him. He’s morphing the old (scouting) with the new (analytics).

“The Jays could be scary this year, they were scary last year.”

The Jays were still in the water on Lake Placid at 81-81 in 2011.

“There’s a big difference in wanting to win and believing you are going to win, I went through it with this club here,” said Maddon, who believes that in years to come teams won’t be defined by their managers.

“Used to be a manager would get fired, the GM would bring in a guy with a different philosophy. Now you’ll see the GM in control. If he makes a change he’ll bring in a manager who agrees with his philosophy.”

GAME ON: Travis Snider homered, his fourth, off Jhonny Nunez, but he also ran up the back of J.P. Arencibia when Elliot Johnson banged against the centre field fence trying to catch a Snider drive in the fourth.

Colby Rasmus scored on the play but the Rays threw out Snider heading back to first. “You have to run with your head up,” manager John Farrell told reporters

Yunel Escobar, Arencibia and Snider each had a pair of hits in the 5-0 win over the Rays.

Following up Ricky Romero, Chad Jenkins pitched three scoreless innings, while Jason Frasor and Andrew Carpenter worked a scoreless inning each.

The four Jays pitchers held the Rays to a bunt single by Brandon Guyer and a single to right by Chris Gimmenez. Longoria was held hitless in three at-bats.  

YOU’RE INVITED: Ken Carson, formerly the Jays trainer and travelling secretary, who moved south to run the Jays’ operations will marry Lillian Simmons on Aug. 11. And everyone is invited. Simmons and Carson will be wed at home plate at the Rogers Centre.

They’ve already invited the New York Yankees and the Jays to attend the Saturday afternoon game. 

Both parties have accepted.

Simmons and Carson are allowing the teams to use the field for a 1:07 first pitch as part of the reception. 

FRIDAY’S GAME

Jays 5, Rays 0

* Ricky Romero pitched five scoreless with 4 Ks

* Jason Frasor had a scoreless outing

* Two hits each for Yunel Escobar, J.P. Arencibia, Travis Snider

* Snider hit his 4th HR

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—A career backup with two World Series rings,
Jose Molina is excited about having an opportunity to become an everyday catcher
with the Tampa Bay Rays.

At least as regular as you reasonably can expect at age 36.

The brother of a couple of other two-time World Series winners, Bengie and
Yadier Molina, signed with the Rays this offseason. Manager Joe Maddon envisions
a healthy “J-Mo” starting somewhere between 80 and 90 games as the Ray chase
their fourth playoff berth in five years.

Molina says he preparing as if he’s going to play 162, even though he’s
never appeared in more than 100 during parts of 12 seasons with the Cubs,
Angels, Yankees and Blue Jays.

“I’m ready to catch 162 every year, not just this year. Every year. Because
you never know. If the starting catcher gets hurt, you have to come in and be
ready to do your job,” Molina said Tuesday, the first day of spring training
for Tampa Bay’s pitchers and catchers.

Known more for his defensive skills than his offense, Molina started 44
games as a backup to Toronto rookie J.P. Arencibia while batting a career-best
.281 with three homers and 15 RBIs.

He has been the toughest catcher to steal against in the majors over the
past four seasons, throwing out 62 of 170 runners (36.5 percent). He was
sixth-best a year ago when he threw out 12 of 36 for a 33.3 percent success rate
that enticed the Rays, already one of baseball’s top defensive teams.

Maddon has known Molina since the manager’s days as the Angels’ bench coach.
The Rays declined a $3.2 million option on incumbent starter Kelly Shoppach
after losing in the divisional round of the playoffs in October and traded John
Jaso to the Seattle Mariners the following month.

Molina signed a $1.8 million, one-year contract with the Rays on Nov. 28.
Jose Lobaton and Robinson Chirinos, who’ve played a combined 42 games in the
majors, are competing for the backup job.

Molina won World Series rings with the Angels in 2002 and 2009 with the
Yankees. Bengie also part of the Angels championship team in 2002 and won again
with the San Francisco Giants in 2010. Yadier helped the St. Louis Cardinals win
titles in 2006 and 2011, meaning one of the Molina brothers has won each of the
past three World Series.

Overall, at least one of the brothers has played in seven of the past 10
postseasons.

The Rays pitching staff is eager to work with Molina, who’s continuing a
tour of the AL East following stints with the Yankees from 2007 to 2009 and the
Blue Jays the past two seasons.

“He’s got a lot of knowledge back there, a lot of innings back there. …
He might be the best receiver in the game. I can’t wait to throw to him,”
right-hander James Shields, a 16-game winner in 2011 said.

“From what I’ve heard from other players on other teams, his game-calling
is superb. And from what I’ve seen (from the opposing dugout), his receiving is
unreal,” Shields added. “He gets strikes that might not be strikes on a normal
basis with other catchers. … He knows how to catch. Any time you put a Molina
back there, you should be in good business.”

Tampa Bay’s recent success, winning two division titles and making the
playoffs three of the past four seasons, was a factor in Molina’s decision to
sign. So was a talented starting rotation and solid bullpen that are part of the
reason the Rays believe they have an excellent chance of getting back to the
postseason.

“Everybody in the league knows it’s a great pitching staff, and they’re not
afraid to pitch. You start learning that more when you play 18 games against the
same team,” Molina said, alluding to the time he’s spent in the AL East.

He’s just as eager to begin to get to know the starters and relievers are to
work with him.

“I need to learn all of them. … That’s what spring training is for, to
work with them, talk to them regarding what they like to do, what they expect,
where they want me behind the plate,” Molina said. “Some guys want the catcher
to be in the middle, other guys want you on the corners. I think just talking to
them will be a good beginning.”

The catcher said he doesn’t have any preconceived notion of how many games
he can—or will—play. He stressed that whatever Maddon decides is fine with
him.

“The manager will do whatever he wants, and I will respect it,” said
Molina, who hasn’t started consecutive games behind the plate since August 2010.
“He got his way of thinking. I won’t change that. I can’ change that. I’ll be
ready every day. If he puts me in the lineup every day, I’ll be there.”

Molina started 81 games for the Yankees in 2008, when he appeared in a
career-high 100. Most of his playing time came while Jorge Posada was sidelined
with a shoulder injury.

“I don’t think you want to push him much further than that because you
don’t want to break the guy. I would say that’s a legitimate number, right
around 80 to 90 games,” Maddon said, adding that he’s confident Molina will
flourish in the role he figures to play in Tampa Bay.

“He’s played on some pretty good teams, caught some pretty good pitchers. I
know how he operates. I know how much pride he takes in what he does back there.
… One thing about him, even back in the day, he always wanted to be considered
more of a regular, everyday player as opposed to a backup.”

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Friday, November 18, 2011

Two more wild-card teams will be added to the major-league playoffs, and the Rays could be one of the biggest benefactors.

The Rays have always found themselves in the difficult position of trying to make the postseason while competing in the American League East against the Yankees and Red Sox — and their mammoth payrolls. It took a September comeback and a historic Boston collapse for the Rays to clinch a wild-card berth on the final day of this past season

But commissioner Bud Selig announced Thursday at the meetings in Milwaukee that owners approved adding a second wild-card team to each league, with hopes that a new playoff format can begin next season. It’s possible the expanded field might not start until 2013, when the Astros are scheduled to move from the NL Central to the AL West, a realignment that will form two 15-team leagues and lead to interleague play throughout the season. The Astros’ move was approved by owners along with the $615 million purchase of the franchise by Jim Crane.

“We believe after a lot of study and a lot of thought that the addition of two wild cards will really help us in the long run,” Selig said.

The altered playoff structure is subject to an agreement on a new labor contract with the players’ association, which is expected before the current deal expires Dec. 11.

The idea of adding another playoff team to each league had been discussed the past two years. Selig said details and scheduling haven’t been sorted out for the new format, but it’s likely that the two wild-card teams in each league would play each other in a one-game playoff, with the winner moving on to the division series.

That means the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays could all make the playoffs in the same season.

“With the fact of how competitive our division is, I like the fact that we add another element to it,” Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton said. “It should make October even more interesting.”

The Rays have made the playoffs three of the past four seasons, including winning two AL East titles. But with their payroll at least one-quarter the size of Boston and New York, whom the Rays play 18 times each per season, it continues to be a challenging task.

“We are in favor of any change that might help improve competitive balance,” Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. “And this at least does something to further that.”

In other Rays news, the team appears close to signing veteran free agent catcher Jose Molina. FoxSports.com reported that the sides are nearing a one-year deal with an option for 2013. The Rays declined comment. Molina, 36, has been primarily a backup during his 12-year big-league career, but he would provide strong defense and experience. He hit .281 in only 55 games for the Blue Jays last season and has thrown out 40 percent of attempted base-stealers in his career.

Astros sale spurs league realignment

HOUSTON — Owners unanimously approved the long-delayed sale of the Astros from Drayton McLane to Crane, a transaction that requires the team to move from the NL Central to the AL West in 2013.

As part of the Astros’ agreement to switch leagues, the sale price was cut from $680 million to $615 million, the Associated Press reported. The deal is expected to be completed Tuesday.

“We’re focused on bringing a winner back to Houston,” said Crane, who added that staff changes will be made after Thanksgiving.

It’s baseball’s first realignment since the Milwaukee Brewers went to the NL after the 1997 season.

With an odd number of teams in each league, there will be interleague play from April through September. Since interleague games began in 1997, they had been concentrated around May and late June.

Sveum to pilot Cubs

The Cubs hired Dale Sveum as their new manager, hoping the Brewers hitting coach can help turn around the long-suffering franchise.

Sveum will be introduced at a news conference today at Wrigley Field, the team announced.

Sveum replaces Mike Quade, who was fired by Theo Epstein, the new president of baseball operations. The Cubs finished 71-91 after a disappointing season that extended their title drought to 103 seasons.

Sveum, who turns 48 Wednesday, has little experience as a manager, other than an interim stint with the Brewers late in 2008 after Ned Yost was fired. Sveum was chosen for the job over Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux, Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale. Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona pulled himself out of contention.

Phillies: Catcher Brian Schneider, the 34-year-old backup to Carlos Ruiz, re-signed with the club, getting a one-year, $800,000 deal in which he can earn an additional $200,000 in performance bonuses.

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—The Tampa Bay Rays are running short on time in
the playoff race.

The team’s fourth loss in five games—5-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays on
Friday night—dropped them 2 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL wild-card chase,
further dampening the team’s hopes of earning a third postseason berth in four
years.

“It’s not going to be easy. It hasn’t been easy, and that’s OK,” manager
Joe Maddon said. “We’re learning a lot of lessons about ourselves right now.”

Tampa Bay has only five games remaining—two against Toronto and three
against the Yankees, who have already clinched the AL East title.

Brandon Morrow(notes) pitched seven scoreless innings and Kelly Johnson(notes) homered and
drove in two runs off David Price(notes) (12-13), whose pair of third-inning throwing
errors contributed the Rays’ demise.

“You’ve got to throw this in the trash can very fast,” Maddon said. “We
did not play well. We didn’t hit well, we didn’t do anything well. Trash it,
then come back tomorrow and get back on the right track. We’re running out of
time, but there is time. We’ve got to come back play our normal game.”

A night after pounding out 17 hits in a 15-8 road romp at Yankee Stadium,
the Rays were limited to Matt Joyce’s(notes) second-inning infield single until Casey
Kotchman(notes) singled with one out in the seventh off Morrow (11-11), only allowed
those two hits while walking four and striking out nine.

Toronto played spoiler for the second straight night. Edwin Encarnacion’s(notes)
12th-inning walk-off homer at home beat Los Angeles 4-3 Thursday, dropping the
Angels three games behind Boston in the wild-card race.

“It’s fun to win, no matter what,” Johnson said. “We’re playing against a
lot of teams that are desperate to win and we’re doing all right. It’s
definitely encouraging.”

Boston, which has six games left, was rained out at New York. Any
combination of Red Sox wins and Rays losses totaling four will eliminate Tampa
Bay from wild-card contention.

“I think I know our guys pretty well,” Madden said. “At this point in the
season, it’s not going to get into their heads. We’ll come back (Saturday) ready
to play.”

Johnson had a RBI single in the third. He led off the sixth with a home run
that drew a smattering of boos from a crowd of just 18,093 at half-filled
Tropicana Field.

Joel Carreno(notes) and Luis Perez(notes) each pitched an inning to finish a combined
three-hitter for Toronto. The Rays didn’t get a runner past second base until
the ninth, when Johnny Damon(notes) walked and wound up scoring from third on Joyce’s
two-out single.

“It’s a pretty big blow. We’ve only got five games left, so we’ve got to
win,” Price said. “We don’t think Boston is going to go and lose six out of
six, so we need to put some wins together and step up.”

The Blue Jays scored three runs in the third, two on Price’s second throwing
error of the inning. The All-Star lefty came off the mound to field Eric Thames’(notes)
high chopper with the bases loaded but his throw to the plate for a forceout
sailed and skipped off the glove of leaping catcher Kelly Shoppach(notes).

Toronto made it 3-0 on Johnson’s two-out, broken-bat single, but wound up
costing themselves a run on the play when Jose Bautista(notes) overran second base and
was thrown out by center fielder B.J. Upton(notes)—an instant before Thames crossed
the plate for what would have been a fourth run in the inning.

The way the Rays were swinging the bats, it didn’t matter.

Tampa Bay was shut out for the 16th time this season, 10th at home. Price
and the Rays beat Morrow 12-0 in Toronto on Aug. 28, but the Blue Jays
right-hander had their number from the start this time.

“They didn’t look comfortable up there hitting,” Johnson said. “He throws
so hard. He’s one of the tougher ones to hit.”

Price, 9-2 lifetime against the Blue Jays, allowed five runs—two earned—
and five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out seven.

NOTES: Maddon said reliever Kyle Farnsworth(notes), who hasn’t pitched since Sept.
10 because of a sore right elbow, is available for the Toronto series. … Upton
was ejected in the eighth inning, when he was thrown out trying to steal second
base and argued the call with 2B umpire Ed Hickox. … Blue Jays 1B Adam Lind(notes)
left the team Friday to fly home to Toronto for the birth of his child. …
Toronto LHP Ricky Romero(notes) (15-10), Saturday’s scheduled starter, is 8-2 with a
2.84 ERA in 13 starts since the All-Star break. … Blue Jays manager John
Farrell said it’s unlikely that INF Yunel Escobar(notes) (left elbow) will play again
this season if he can’t take batting practice on Sunday. … Former supermodel
Cheryl Tiegs threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

BOSTON (Reuters) – The red-hot Tampa Bay Rays improved their Major League Baseball playoff hopes by moving to within two games of rival Boston for the American League wild card spot with a 8-5 win over the slumping Red Sox on Sunday.

The Rays (85-67), who trailed Boston (87-65) by nine games as recently as two weeks ago, have won seven of their last 10 to close the gap. Each team has 10 games remaining.

“(The series) was a lot of fun,” Rays reliever Jake McGee told reporters after he pitched 2-2/3 innings to record the win. “I love coming to the park every day, everyone has a good time, everyone is getting along. Everyone is really loose and not putting too much pressure on each other.”

In Toronto, the New York Yankees fell 3-0 to the Blue Jays, missing an opportunity to extend their four-game lead in the AL East and denying Mariano Rivera a shot at setting MLB’s career saves record.

In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers inched closer to clinching the Central division by capping a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds 8-1.

The Brewers have a seven-game lead over St. Louis with the Cardinals playing the Philadelphia Phillies late on Sunday.

The defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, trying to claw their way into the playoffs, beat Colorado 12-5 to move within four games of National League wild card-leading Atlanta who lost to the New York Mets 7-5.

San Francisco trails Arizona by five games in the NL West.

Tampa Bay’s post-season push took another step forward when they took advantage of Boston starter Tim Wakefield who allowed six runs in five innings.

Matt Joyce went 3-for-4 with three RBIs for the Rays, who went ahead 3-0 in the second inning and also tacked on two runs in the fifth and two in the seventh to claim an 8-2 advantage.

Starter David Price left the game with a 4-2 lead after four innings after being hit in the chest by a line drive, though it appeared to be a precaution.

Boston scored a two runs in the fourth and got a three-run home run from Mike Aviles in the bottom of the seventh but it was too little too late as the Red Sox slump continued.

The Red Sox but have lost 13 of 17 games and are now fighting for their playoff lives.

“I choose to believe, knowing the guys down in the clubhouse like I do, we’ll meet this challenge and it will make us stronger,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona told reporters.

“I guess that’s our best way to go about this.”

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)

The Tampa Bay Rays felt great after a three-game weekend sweep of the Boston
Red Sox cut their wild-card deficit to 3 1/2 games, but were left shaking their
heads after blowing a chance to pull closer this week.

Fortunately for Tampa Bay, it’s about to get another shot.

Four games behind the wild-card leading Red Sox with 14 to play, the Rays
will pull even if they can complete a four-game sweep at Fenway Park as this
critical series gets underway Thursday night.

It seemed like either Boston (86-62) or New York would run away with the
wild card, but after those two clubs paced the AL all season, the Red Sox have
come back to the pack.

Tampa Bay (82-66) went from 6 1/2 behind Boston to 3 1/2 back after last
weekend’s impressive sweep, but it heads to Fenway lamenting some missed
opportunities in Baltimore. After winning Monday’s opener and pulling within
three, the Rays fell four back with Tuesday’s 4-2 loss and a Red Sox win.

They had a chance to get that game back Wednesday after Boston fell 5-4 to
Toronto, but could only muster three hits in a 6-2 loss to the Orioles.

“This is typical of what’s happened to us this year, where we’ve played good
baseball, but our offense kind of goes away, and we just can’t have that happen
right now,” manager Joe Maddon told the Rays’ official website. “It’s just
happened way too often this year. We definitely missed an opportunity.”

Another one presents itself Thursday, and if anything, the Red Sox – 5-9
against the Rays – should be the ones who are nervous. Tampa Bay has held
Boston’s powerful lineup to a surreal-looking .177 average – the Red Sox are
hitting .290 against the rest of the majors – and 43 runs in 14 games.

The Rays have won four of five at Fenway this season, and were the last
visitor to pull off a four-game sweep there – April 16-19, 2010.

“Oh, it’s going to be raucous. Total playoff situation,” Maddon said.
“Please, they can’t deny that either. Listen, I admit it. I think it’s great. It
really should bring out the best in everybody.”

The Red Sox, already with a beat-up pitching staff, have some additional
injury concerns with their two biggest sluggers. David Ortiz(notes) missed the two-game
set against the Blue Jays with back spasms and is day-to-day, while first
baseman Adrian Gonzalez(notes) left Wednesday’s game with a tight calf.

Gonzalez expects to play Thursday.

“We’ve just got to find a way this next series to go out there and play good
baseball,” said Gonzalez, who’s hitting .163 against Tampa Bay this season.
“Splitting the series, winning three out of four or sweeping them, that’s what
we need to do.”

The Rays probably need to at least win three of four to have a realistic
shot at catching Boston, and they should have a decided edge on the mound in the
opener, a rematch of their 6-5, 11-inning win Saturday.

Kyle Weiland(notes) (0-1, 6.75 ERA) gave up six hits, three walks and three runs
while lasting just four innings in that start, and with Erik Bedard(notes) hurting and
left-hander Andrew Miller(notes) struggling, the rookie will get the call again
Thursday.

“I just think that the other day down in (St. Petersburg), that was pretty
tough circumstances for him,” manager Terry Francona told the Red Sox’s official
website. “It could have gone way against him, and he got through his first
inning. We just think he can rise to the occasion and give us a chance to win.”

Jeremy Hellickson(notes) (12-10, 2.96) counters for the Rays after giving up three
runs over six innings Saturday, two of which came on a homer by Gonzalez. That
was his worst outing in his last five, a stretch in which he’s posted a 2.00
ERA.

Hellickson is 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA in three starts versus Boston this season.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Tuesday, August 30, 2011

TORONTO — Seven pitches into Monday’s game, when Johnny Damon hit the first of his two homers, the Rays seemed like they could well have been headed to the repeat of Sunday’s powerful performance manager Joe Maddon wanted so much that he made the unusual move — for him, anyway — of starting the same lineup.

But with a struggling Wade Davis on the mound instead of David Price, the result was nothing like the same, an ugly 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays that was not much of an encore to Sunday’s 12-0 victory. “We just didn’t pitch well,” Maddon said.

The outcome wasn’t pretty, either, as with the Yankees winning in Baltimore, the Rays (73-60) — after winning three straight over the Jays — dropped back to 7½ games from the wild-card pace with 29 games left.

“It’s rough,” Davis said. “It’s tough on the team; it’s tough on me. We’re in a tough spot; we’re trying to battle uphill. We’ve just got to keep going.”

“Every game is big,” Damon said. “We just need to keep winning, keep winning series, and hopefully we’ll still be in good position come late September.”

Davis — winless for the month — was off from the start and lasted only 41/3 innings, the shortest start by a Ray since Jeremy Hellickson went 41/3 on Aug. 13 at New York. He allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks, throwing 108 pitches.

Staked to a 2-0 lead, he walked leadoff man Yunel Escobar then, after a fielder’s choice grounder, threw two wild pitches to No. 3 hitter Jose Bautista and ended up walking him, though a double play saved him from worse.

“Wade just had a hard time command-wise,” Maddon said. “The whole game he just could not find a rhythm with anything. Physically good stuff — high velocity number, decent break on the breaking ball — but overall just didn’t have command of what he was doing. And that pretty much hurt.”

What made it more frustrating, Davis said, was how strong he felt warming up: “I felt really good; I don’t know if that works against you. It’s just one of those things where you’re either going to dominate or you’re going to have a tough time.”

That 2-0 Rays lead was a 5-2 deficit by the time Damon hit his second homer in the fifth — his first multihomer game since Sept. 9, 2008, giving the Rays a team-record 10 for a series.

But — with the same lineup in consecutive games for just the eighth time all season — they couldn’t do much else offensively, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. There were their usual wasted opportunities, but the lack of production wasn’t all their own doing as three times — in the fifth, sixth and seventh — they hit, sharply, into double plays, Ben Zobrist twice and Sean Rodriguez once.

“They were all well-struck,” Maddon said. “That is just bad baseball luck right there.”

The defense wasn’t on, either, though again, the breaks didn’t go their way, such as the J.P. Arencibia fly to right that bounced over Matt Joyce’s head for a triple, an example, Maddon said, of flawed Astroturf.

“That’s the old-school, ’70s-Afro-blowing-in-the-wind bounce over the outfielder’s hair — and over his head, too,” Maddon said.

Just something else awry.

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com.

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TORONTO (AP)—David Price(notes) blew away the Blue Jays.

Price struck out a franchise-record 14 in seven dominant innings, Desmond
Jennings(notes) hit a pair of solo home runs and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Toronto 12-0
on Sunday.

“Hitting is hard enough already,” Rays catcher John Jaso(notes) said. “What
David brought today made it pretty much impossible.”

It wasn’t just Price’s stuff, but a stiff wind blowing out to center field
that made him so effective, giving his fastball extraordinary movement.

“I’ve never had that much movement before so it was pretty cool,” Price
said. “The wind kept blowing and it was making my eyes watery all game. I knew
it was blowing pretty good and I just kept throwing it.”

Jaso and Price felt strong gusts pushing them as they walked in from the
bullpen beforehand, but didn’t know how helpful the wind would be until the game
began, and Price’s two-seamer started drifting.

“It looks like a strike right out of his hand and then it’s just fading off
the plate,” Jaso explained. “It was moving about three feet. Once they start
to swing on his fastball, they can’t hold it back.”

Price (12-11) broke the team mark for strikeouts shared by Scott Kazmir(notes) and
James Shields(notes).

“He had everything working today, the changeup, the slider, the backdoor
cutter,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Everything was working off the fastball.
That’s why their hitters could not get comfortable at all.”

Price allowed only three singles and walked two. His first seven outs all
came by a strikeout, with two hits mixed in during that span.

“He’s got great movement,” Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu said. “You
can get down in the count right away.”

After leaving the game, Price wrote a birthday greeting for his mother on
his hand and flashed it for TV cameras. He’d sent her flowers and a card on
Friday, but figured she’d like the win even more.

Rays pitchers set a team mark by fanning 18 batters overall. Reliever
Brandon Gomes(notes) struck out two in 1 1-3 innings and Cesar Ramos(notes) struck out two to
end it.

“It’s fun to catch when you’ve got something like that going,” Jaso said.

Jennings homered on the first pitch of the game and got a career-high four
hits. He drove in three runs, scored three, drew a walk and stole a base from
the leadoff spot.

Sean Rodriguez(notes) added a two-run homer and Matt Joyce(notes) doubled twice during a
six-run ninth as the Rays improved to an AL-best 20-9 since July 28.

The Blue Jays lost their fourth straight. They finished with five hits.

Price quickly matched his career high, striking out 12 through five innings.
The left-hander didn’t fan anyone in the sixth, but finished his outing with two
more strikeouts in the seventh, matching and then passing Kazmir (2007) and
Shields (2011) for the Rays’ record.

Price improved to 9-1 with a 1.99 ERA in 11 career starts against Toronto.

Price didn’t give his defense much to do in the first three innings. He did
allow a pair of baserunners over that span: Mike McCoy(notes) led off the first with a
walk and Jose Molina(notes) hit a two-out single in the second. Neither runner
advanced.

McCoy was the first batter to make an out on a batted ball when he grounded
to second in the third. McCoy, who walked again in the sixth, was the only Blue
Jays batter not to strike out against Price.

Toronto’s 18 strikeouts were a season-high, two more they had in a 3-1 road
loss to the Los Angeles Angels on April 10. The franchise record is 19, set
twice previously, both times in extra-inning games.

Jennings put Tampa Bay ahead right away, connecting against Brandon Morrow(notes)
(9-9) for the first leadoff home run of his career.

“It’s an early run and gets the team up and the pitcher, especially David,
he doesn’t need many runs,” Jennings said.

After John Jaso’s RBI double in the second scored B.J. Upton(notes), Rodriguez hit
a two-run shot into the second deck in left. Jennings made it back-to-back
homers when he followed with another drive to left, his first multihomer game.

Morrow (9-9) allowed five runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings. The
right-hander has given up five homers in his past 10 innings. He lost for the
fourth time in five starts.

NOTES: Toronto LHP Wil Ledezma(notes) was designated for assignment after allowing
six runs in the ninth. … Blue Jays manager John Farrell (pneumonia) missed his
third straight game, with Wakamatsu continuing to run the team. … Rays RHP
Kyle Farnsworth(notes) (elbow) was available after missing the previous four games. …
Toronto 1B Adam Lind(notes), mired in a 3-for-21 slump, was held out of the starting
lineup. … Blue Jays RHP Jon Rauch(notes) (appendectomy) threw a bullpen session
before the game, his second in three days. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis(notes) (torn left
hamstring) has begun jogging and taking batting practice at the team’s minor
league complex in Florida and could return before the end of the season. …
Tampa Bay RHP Wade Davis(notes) (8-7) faces Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero(notes) (12-9) in
Monday’s series finale.

Updated Aug 28, 2011 6:29 PM ET

TORONTO (AP)

David Price blew away the Blue Jays.

Price struck out a franchise-record 14 in seven dominant innings, Desmond Jennings hit a pair of solo home runs and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Toronto 12-0 on Sunday.

”Hitting is hard enough already,” Rays catcher John Jaso said. ”What David brought today made it pretty much impossible.”

It wasn’t just Price’s stuff, but a stiff wind blowing out to center field that made him so effective, giving his fastball extraordinary movement.

”I’ve never had that much movement before so it was pretty cool,” Price said. ”The wind kept blowing and it was making my eyes watery all game. I knew it was blowing pretty good and I just kept throwing it.”

Jaso and Price felt strong gusts pushing them as they walked in from the bullpen beforehand, but didn’t know how helpful the wind would be until the game began, and Price’s two-seamer started drifting.

”It looks like a strike right out of his hand and then it’s just fading off the plate,” Jaso explained. ”It was moving about three feet. Once they start to swing on his fastball, they can’t hold it back.”

Price (12-11) broke the team mark for strikeouts shared by Scott Kazmir and James Shields.

”He had everything working today, the changeup, the slider, the backdoor cutter,” manager Joe Maddon said. ”Everything was working off the fastball. That’s why their hitters could not get comfortable at all.”

Price allowed only three singles and walked two. His first seven outs all came by a strikeout, with two hits mixed in during that span.

”He’s got great movement,” Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu said. ”You can get down in the count right away.”

After leaving the game, Price wrote a birthday greeting for his mother on his hand and flashed it for TV cameras. He’d sent her flowers and a card on Friday, but figured she’d like the win even more.

Rays pitchers set a team mark by fanning 18 batters overall. Reliever Brandon Gomes struck out two in 1 1-3 innings and Cesar Ramos struck out two to end it.

”It’s fun to catch when you’ve got something like that going,” Jaso said.

Jennings homered on the first pitch of the game and got a career-high four hits. He drove in three runs, scored three, drew a walk and stole a base from the leadoff spot.

Sean Rodriguez added a two-run homer and Matt Joyce doubled twice during a six-run ninth as the Rays improved to an AL-best 20-9 since July 28.

The Blue Jays lost their fourth straight. They finished with five hits.

Price quickly matched his career high, striking out 12 through five innings. The left-hander didn’t fan anyone in the sixth, but finished his outing with two more strikeouts in the seventh, matching and then passing Kazmir (2007) and Shields (2011) for the Rays’ record.

Price improved to 9-1 with a 1.99 ERA in 11 career starts against Toronto.

Price didn’t give his defense much to do in the first three innings. He did allow a pair of baserunners over that span: Mike McCoy led off the first with a walk and Jose Molina hit a two-out single in the second. Neither runner advanced.

McCoy was the first batter to make an out on a batted ball when he grounded to second in the third. McCoy, who walked again in the sixth, was the only Blue Jays batter not to strike out against Price.

Toronto’s 18 strikeouts were a season-high, two more they had in a 3-1 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels on April 10. The franchise record is 19, set twice previously, both times in extra-inning games.

Jennings put Tampa Bay ahead right away, connecting against Brandon Morrow (9-9) for the first leadoff home run of his career.

”It’s an early run and gets the team up and the pitcher, especially David, he doesn’t need many runs,” Jennings said.

After John Jaso’s RBI double in the second scored B.J. Upton, Rodriguez hit a two-run shot into the second deck in left. Jennings made it back-to-back homers when he followed with another drive to left, his first multihomer game.

Morrow (9-9) allowed five runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander has given up five homers in his past 10 innings. He lost for the fourth time in five starts.

NOTES: Toronto LHP Wil Ledezma was designated for assignment after allowing six runs in the ninth. … Blue Jays manager John Farrell (pneumonia) missed his third straight game, with Wakamatsu continuing to run the team. … Rays RHP Kyle Farnsworth (elbow) was available after missing the previous four games. … Toronto 1B Adam Lind, mired in a 3-for-21 slump, was held out of the starting lineup. … Blue Jays RHP Jon Rauch (appendectomy) threw a bullpen session before the game, his second in three days. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (torn left hamstring) has begun jogging and taking batting practice at the team’s minor league complex in Florida and could return before the end of the season. … Tampa Bay RHP Wade Davis (8-7) faces Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero (12-9) in Monday’s series finale.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Aug. 28, 2011

TORONTO — David Price blew away the Blue Jays.

Price struck out a franchise-record 14 in seven dominant innings, Desmond Jennings hit a pair of solo home runs and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Toronto 12-0 on Sunday.

“Hitting is hard enough already,” Rays catcher John Jaso said. “What David brought today made it pretty much impossible.”

It wasn’t just Price’s stuff, but a stiff wind blowing out to center field that made him so effective, giving his fastball extraordinary movement.

“I’ve never had that much movement before so it was pretty cool,” Price said. “The wind kept blowing and it was making my eyes watery all game. I knew it was blowing pretty good and I just kept throwing it.”

Jaso and Price felt strong gusts pushing them as they walked in from the bullpen beforehand, but didn’t know how helpful the wind would be until the game began, and Price’s two-seamer started drifting.

“It looks like a strike right out of his hand and then it’s just fading off the plate,” Jaso explained. “It was moving about three feet. Once they start to swing on his fastball, they can’t hold it back.”

Price (12-11) broke the team mark for strikeouts shared by Scott Kazmir and James Shields.

“He had everything working today, the changeup, the slider, the backdoor cutter,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Everything was working off the fastball. That’s why their hitters could not get comfortable at all.”

Price allowed only three singles and walked two. His first seven outs all came by a strikeout, with two hits mixed in during that span.

“He’s got great movement,” Blue Jays bench coach Don Wakamatsu said. “You can get down in the count right away.”

After leaving the game, Price wrote a birthday greeting for his mother on his hand and flashed it for TV cameras. He’d sent her flowers and a card on Friday, but figured she’d like the win even more.

Rays pitchers set a team mark by fanning 18 batters overall. Reliever Brandon Gomes struck out two in 1 1/3 innings and Cesar Ramos struck out two to end it.

“It’s fun to catch when you’ve got something like that going,” Jaso said.

Jennings homered on the first pitch of the game and got a career-high four hits. He drove in three runs, scored three, drew a walk and stole a base from the leadoff spot.

Sean Rodriguez added a two-run homer and Matt Joyce doubled twice during a six-run ninth as the Rays improved to an AL-best 20-9 since July 28.

The Blue Jays lost their fourth straight. They finished with five hits.

Price quickly matched his career high, striking out 12 through five innings. The left-hander didn’t fan anyone in the sixth, but finished his outing with two more strikeouts in the seventh, matching and then passing Kazmir (2007) and Shields (2011) for the Rays’ record.

Price improved to 9-1 with a 1.99 ERA in 11 career starts against Toronto.

Price didn’t give his defense much to do in the first three innings. He did allow a pair of baserunners over that span: Mike McCoy led off the first with a walk and Jose Molina hit a two-out single in the second. Neither runner advanced.

McCoy was the first batter to make an out on a batted ball when he grounded to second in the third. McCoy, who walked again in the sixth, was the only Blue Jays batter not to strike out against Price.

Toronto’s 18 strikeouts were a season-high, two more they had in a 3-1 road loss to the Angels on April 10. The franchise record is 19, set twice previously, both times in extra-inning games.

Jennings put Tampa Bay ahead right away, connecting against Brandon Morrow (9-9) for the first leadoff home run of his career.

“It’s an early run and gets the team up and the pitcher, especially David, he doesn’t need many runs,” Jennings said.

After John Jaso’s RBI double in the second scored B.J. Upton, Rodriguez hit a two-run shot into the second deck in left. Jennings made it back-to-back homers when he followed with another drive to left, his first multihomer game.

Morrow (9-9) allowed five runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander has given up five homers in his past 10 innings. He lost for the fourth time in five starts.

Notes

• Blue Jays manager John Farrell (pneumonia) missed his third straight game, with bench coach Don Wakamatsu continuing to run the team.
• Toronto LHP Wil Ledezma was designated for assignment after allowing six runs in the ninth. Rays RHP Kyle Farnsworth (elbow) was available after missing the previous four games.
• Toronto 1B Adam Lind, mired in a 3-for-21 slump, was held out of the starting lineup.
• Blue Jays RHP Jon Rauch (appendectomy) threw a bullpen session before the game, his second in three days.
• Toronto OF Rajai Davis (torn left hamstring) has begun jogging and taking batting practice at the team’s minor league complex in Florida and could return before the end of the season.
• Tampa Bay RHP Wade Davis (8-7) faces Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero (12-9) in Monday’s series finale.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Josh Willingham led off the 10th inning with a home run, helping the Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Sunday.

Willingham lined a pitch from Jake McGee (0-1) into the left field stands for his 17th homer this season. Fautino De Los Santos (1-0) threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his first major league win and Andrew Bailey allowed two singles in the 10th before getting his 13th save.

Hideki Matsui also homered for Oakland, which stopped a stretch of 12 consecutive non-winning road series by taking two of three from the Rays.

Tampa Bay got homers from Casey Kotchman and Evan Longoria.

Matsui extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a two-run homer off AL All-Star David Price during a three-run fifth that gave Oakland a 4-3 advantage. The designated hitter has 23 homers and 99 RBIs in 129 games against the Rays, his most against many team.

David DeJesus scored the go-ahead run in the fifth on J.P. Howell’s wild pitch.

Tampa Bay pulled even at 4 on Longoria’s solo shot off Grant Balfour during the seventh.

Price, coming off three straight losses, allowed four runs and seven hits over 4 2-3 innings. Oakland’s Trevor Cahill gave up three runs and six hits over six innings.

Kotchman had a solo homer and Desmond Jennings hit an RBI single as Tampa Bay went up 3-1 in the fourth. Johnny Damon put the Rays ahead 1-0 on a third-inning RBI grounder.

Ryan Sweeney was hitless in 19 at-bats against left-hander’s this season before getting Oakland even at 1 on a run-scoring single off Price in the fourth. The Rays lefty entered holding left-handed batters to a .154 average this year, lowest among major league starters.

Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist lost a double with two outs in the seventh after a reversal call. First base umpire Tim Welke, while attempting to get out of the way of a liner down the line, called the ball fair. Welke, after talking with Oakland manager Bob Melvin, checked with plate umpire Mike DiMuro and the call was changed to foul.

Zobrist then popped out to end the inning.

Oakland center fielder Coco Crisp (strained right calf) and first baseman Conor Jackson (back spasms) were both out of the starting lineup, but will likely return for the start of a three-game series at Toronto on Tuesday night.

NOTES: Tampa Bay placed rookie RHP Alex Cobb on the 15-day disabled list with a hand injury and recalled LHP Cesar Ramos from Triple-A Durham. … Oakland SS Cliff Pennington, who missed games last Tuesday and Wednesday because of Bell’s palsy, was rested. Melvin said Pennington would likely get another off day during the Toronto series. … Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (10-7) will face Kansas City RHP Luke Hochevar (8-8) in the opener of a four-game series Monday night. … Oakland will have RHP Rich Harden (2-2) take the hill Tuesday night against the Blue Jays, who are scheduled to have LHP Brett Cecil (4-4) pitch. … Athletics LHP Craig Breslow was unavailable due to soreness in the left upper back.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – If the Tampa Bay Rays are going to make a push for another playoff berth, they’ll likely need help from newcomers like Desmond Jennings and Robinson Chirinos.

The rookies were major contributors Thursday, helping the defending AL East champions rally twice in extra innings to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6.

Jennings’ solo homer in the 10th made it 4-all. Chirinos tied it again in the 11th with a two-out, pinch-hit single up the middle against Shawn Camp (1-2), then won it with another two-out single in the 12th.

A third rookie, right-hander Brandon Gomes (1-1), pitched one scoreless inning for his first major league win.

“Those guys are showing they definitely belong in the big leagues,” Rays designated hitter Johnny Damon said.

“It’s not like we have to wait for them to be good. I feel very confident in them,” manager Joe Maddon added. “Obviously, they lack experience. Obviously they need to be tested in even hotter moments than today. But I think they can achieve in those moments because their makeup is so good, combined with their skill level.”

Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the 12th on B.J. Upton’s one-out triple and a pair of intentional walks. One out later, Chirinos grounded a single off Camp past diving shortstop Yunel Escobar.

The Rays said Chirinos became the first rookie with separate tying and winning hits in extra innings of the same game since Nick Green did it for Atlanta against Boston on July 2, 2004.

Slumping slugger Evan Longoria, who entered the day on a 3-for-33 slide that dropped his batting average to .226, hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay. Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 33rd home run for Toronto, a solo shot off Wade Davis that made it 3-all in the eighth.

“It was a tough game. We jumped out quick, got a couple of runs but didn’t have many opportunities for six straight (innings),” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. Jose hit the home run to get the game back tied and … pump some life back into us.”

The Blue Jays took a brief lead in the 10th when Colby Rasmus delivered a RBI double for his biggest hit since being acquired from St. Louis in an eight-player trade on July 27. Reliever Jon Rauch blew a save chance in the bottom half when Jennings hit a leadoff homer.

Jose Molina’s two-run triple off Juan Cruz put Toronto ahead in the 11th. Matt Joyce’s RBI grounder pulled Tampa Bay within a run before Chirinos singled to extend the game once again.

In the 12th, Chirinos liked his chances.

“He was the one in trouble,” Chirinos said, describing the final at-bat against Camp. “He had to throw strikes. … You win and you see everybody smiling and happy, it’s just a great feeling.”

It was a difficult loss for the Blue Jays, who had a chance to win three consecutive series for the first time since mid-May.

“I think any time you lose a game late, those are tough to take,” Farrell said. “You work all day to get yourself into a position, you present yourself the position and it is not converted.”

Longoria homered off Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil to erase a 2-0 deficit in the fifth.

Davis, meanwhile, got off to a shaky start for the second straight outing. He gave up five first-inning runs at Oakland last week, then settled to not allow any more over the next five to give the Rays a chance to rally to beat the Athletics.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases with no outs in the first when Rasmus doubled and Davis walked Escobar and Bautista. Adam Lind’s single, snapping a career-worst 0-for-22 streak, drove in one run and another scored when Edwin Encarnacion grounded into a double play.

Cecil limited the Rays to one hit — Casey Kotchman’s two-out single in the fourth — until Justin Ruggiano and Jennings singled in the fifth. Damon kept the inning going by hustling up the first base to avoid grounding into a double play, setting up Longoria’s first-pitch homer that put the Rays ahead 3-2.

NOTES: The Rays have especially struggled offensively at Tropicana Field. While they lead the majors in runs scored on the road with 294, they’re 29th at home with 177. They matched their season high at the Trop with nine in a 9-1 victory over Toronto on Wednesday night, but remain one of two AL teams that have yet to score 10 or more in a home game this season. … Rays RHP Jeff Niemann starts the opener of a weekend series against Oakland on Friday night. He went 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts in July. His ERA during the month ranked second in the majors to CC Sabathia’s 0.92. Niemann is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and one shutout lifetime against the Athletics … LHP Brad Mills will make his second start of the season for Toronto when the Blue Jays continue their six-game road trip at Baltimore on Friday. He lost his season debut 3-0 to Texas, allowing two runs over seven innings. … The Blue Jays purchased the contract of INF Brett Lawrie from Triple-A Las Vegas. In addition LHP Luis Perez was recalled from Las Vegas, OF Travis Snider was optioned to the Triple-A club and RHP Carlos Villanueva was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right forearm strain.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—If the Tampa Bay Rays are going to make a push
for another playoff berth, they’ll likely need help from newcomers like Desmond
Jennings(notes) and Robinson Chirinos(notes).

The rookies were major contributors Thursday, helping the defending AL East
champions rally twice in extra innings to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6.

Jennings’ solo homer in the 10th made it 4-all. Chirinos tied it again in
the 11th with a two-out, pinch-hit single up the middle against Shawn Camp(notes)
(1-2), then won it with another two-out single in the 12th.

A third rookie, right-hander Brandon Gomes(notes) (1-1), pitched one scoreless
inning for his first major league win.

“Those guys are showing they definitely belong in the big leagues,” Rays
designated hitter Johnny Damon(notes) said.

“It’s not like we have to wait for them to be good. I feel very confident
in them,” manager Joe Maddon added. “Obviously, they lack experience.
Obviously they need to be tested in even hotter moments than today. But I think
they can achieve in those moments because their makeup is so good, combined with
their skill level.”

Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the 12th on B.J. Upton’s(notes) one-out triple and a
pair of intentional walks. One out later, Chirinos grounded a single off Camp
past diving shortstop Yunel Escobar(notes).

The Rays said Chirinos became the first rookie with separate tying and
winning hits in extra innings of the same game since Nick Green(notes) did it for
Atlanta against Boston on July 2, 2004.

Slumping slugger Evan Longoria(notes), who entered the day on a 3-for-33 slide that
dropped his batting average to .226, hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay. Jose
Bautista(notes) hit his major league-leading 33rd home run for Toronto, a solo shot off
Wade Davis(notes) that made it 3-all in the eighth.

“It was a tough game. We jumped out quick, got a couple of runs but didn’t
have many opportunities for six straight (innings),” Blue Jays manager John
Farrell said. Jose hit the home run to get the game back tied and … pump some
life back into us.”

The Blue Jays took a brief lead in the 10th when Colby Rasmus(notes) delivered a
RBI double for his biggest hit since being acquired from St. Louis in an
eight-player trade on July 27. Reliever Jon Rauch(notes) blew a save chance in the
bottom half when Jennings hit a leadoff homer.

Jose Molina’s(notes) two-run triple off Juan Cruz(notes) put Toronto ahead in the 11th.
Matt Joyce’s(notes) RBI grounder pulled Tampa Bay within a run before Chirinos singled
to extend the game once again.

In the 12th, Chirinos liked his chances.

“He was the one in trouble,” Chirinos said, describing the final at-bat
against Camp. “He had to throw strikes. … You win and you see everybody
smiling and happy, it’s just a great feeling.”

It was a difficult loss for the Blue Jays, who had a chance to win three
consecutive series for the first time since mid-May.

“I think any time you lose a game late, those are tough to take,” Farrell
said. “You work all day to get yourself into a position, you present yourself
the position and it is not converted.”

Longoria homered off Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil(notes) to erase a 2-0 deficit in
the fifth.

Davis, meanwhile, got off to a shaky start for the second straight outing.
He gave up five first-inning runs at Oakland last week, then settled to not
allow any more over the next five to give the Rays a chance to rally to beat the
Athletics.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases with no outs in the first when Rasmus doubled
and Davis walked Escobar and Bautista. Adam Lind’s(notes) single, snapping a
career-worst 0-for-22 streak, drove in one run and another scored when Edwin
Encarnacion(notes) grounded into a double play.

Cecil limited the Rays to one hit—Casey Kotchman’s(notes) two-out single in the
fourth—until Justin Ruggiano(notes) and Jennings singled in the fifth. Damon kept the
inning going by hustling up the first base to avoid grounding into a double
play, setting up Longoria’s first-pitch homer that put the Rays ahead 3-2.

NOTES: The Rays have especially struggled offensively at Tropicana Field.
While they lead the majors in runs scored on the road with 294, they’re 29th at
home with 177. They matched their season high at the Trop with nine in a 9-1
victory over Toronto on Wednesday night, but remain one of two AL teams that
have yet to score 10 or more in a home game this season. … Rays RHP Jeff
Niemann(notes) starts the opener of a weekend series against Oakland on Friday night.
He went 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts in July. His ERA during the month
ranked second in the majors to CC Sabathia’s(notes) 0.92. Niemann is 2-0 with a 1.59
ERA and one shutout lifetime against the Athletics … LHP Brad Mills(notes) will make
his second start of the season for Toronto when the Blue Jays continue their
six-game road trip at Baltimore on Friday. He lost his season debut 3-0 to
Texas, allowing two runs over seven innings. … The Blue Jays purchased the
contract of INF Brett Lawrie(notes) from Triple-A Las Vegas. In addition LHP Luis Perez(notes)
was recalled from Las Vegas, OF Travis Snider(notes) was optioned to the Triple-A club
and RHP Carlos Villanueva(notes) was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right
forearm strain.

Jennings’ solo homer in the 10th made it 4-all. Chirinos tied it again in the 11th with a two-out, pinch-hit single up the middle against Shawn Camp (1-2), then won it with another two-out single in the 12th.

A third rookie, right-hander Brandon Gomes (1-1), pitched one scoreless inning for his first major league win.

“Those guys are showing they definitely belong in the big leagues,” Rays designated hitter Johnny Damon said.

“It’s not like we have to wait for them to be good. I feel very confident in them,” manager Joe Maddon added. “Obviously, they lack experience. Obviously they need to be tested in even hotter moments than today. But I think they can achieve in those moments because their makeup is so good, combined with their skill level.”

Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the 12th on B.J. Upton’s one-out triple and a pair of intentional walks. One out later, Chirinos grounded a single off Camp past diving shortstop Yunel Escobar.

The Rays said Chirinos became the first rookie with separate tying and winning hits in extra innings of the same game since Nick Green did it for Atlanta against Boston on July 2, 2004.

Slumping slugger Evan Longoria, who entered the day on a 3-for-33 slide that dropped his batting average to .226, hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay. Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 33rd home run for Toronto, a solo shot off Wade Davis that made it 3-all in the eighth.

“It was a tough game. We jumped out quick, got a couple of runs but didn’t have many opportunities for six straight (innings),” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. Jose hit the home run to get the game back tied and … pump some life back into us.”

The Blue Jays took a brief lead in the 10th when Colby Rasmus delivered a RBI double for his biggest hit since being acquired from St. Louis in an eight-player trade on July 27. Reliever Jon Rauch blew a save chance in the bottom half when Jennings hit a leadoff homer.

Jose Molina’s two-run triple off Juan Cruz put Toronto ahead in the 11th. Matt Joyce’s RBI grounder pulled Tampa Bay within a run before Chirinos singled to extend the game once again.

In the 12th, Chirinos liked his chances.

“He was the one in trouble,” Chirinos said, describing the final at-bat against Camp. “He had to throw strikes. … You win and you see everybody smiling and happy, it’s just a great feeling.”

It was a difficult loss for the Blue Jays, who had a chance to win three consecutive series for the first time since mid-May.

“I think any time you lose a game late, those are tough to take,” Farrell said. “You work all day to get yourself into a position, you present yourself the position and it is not converted.”

Longoria homered off Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil to erase a 2-0 deficit in the fifth.