TORONTO

Chirinos delivers winning hit as Rays beat Jays

The Associated Press Published Thursday, August 4, 2011 8:45PM EDT

Tampa Bay Rays' Robinson Chirinos, center, is congratulated by teammates including Casey Kotchman, left, and Ben Zobrist after hitting the game-winning RBI single in the 12th inning of their 7-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Robinson Chirinos hit a tying pinch-single in the 11th inning, then delivered a two-out single in the 12th that sent the Tampa Bay Rays over the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 Thursday.

The Rays twice rallied in extra innings. Desmond Jennings' solo homer in the 10th made it 4-4 and Chirinos tied it again the next inning with his two-out single up the middle against Shawn Camp (1-2).

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.

Evan Longoria 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 3-3 in the eighth.

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 and Chirinos to extend the game once again.

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. Johnny 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.