Robbie Ray fans 13; Bo Bichette drives in five as Blue Jays beat Rays 6-3
Bo Bichette knocked in five runs, and starter Robbie Ray struck out 13 to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-3 win in the rubber match against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
Bichette slammed a three-run homer in the first inning to provide the cushion Ray required to pitch Toronto (82-64) to its second win in the three-game set against the Rays (90-56), who have the best record in the American League.
The win was the Blue Jays 16th in their last 19 outings and allowed them to keep pace in the AL wild-card race.
Ray (12-5) hasn't lost since a 7-4 defeat to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 21. That was 10 starts ago.
The Toronto lefty has been particularly powerful in his last six outings, striking out a total of 66 opponents. He allowed only four hits in his seven innings of work on Wednesday and did not walk a Tampa Bay batter.
His lone blemish was a full-count slider that Rays catcher Mike Zunino knocked over the left-field fence to lead off the fifth inning.
Bichette already had provided his teammates with a 4-0 lead by the time Zunino belted his 30th homer of the season.
After Ray struck out two in a one-two-three first inning, Blue Jays infielder Marcus Semien was issued a one-out walk from Tampa Bay starter Michael Wacha (3-5). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then doubled to left. Bichette knocked them in with a homer to left -- his 25th of the season.
In the third inning, a Semien single to left and a Guerrero double to left centre put runners, once again, on second and third. Semien scored on Bichette's sacrifice fly to right.
Bichette's infield bouncer up the middle for a hit scored designated hitter George Springer in the fifth inning. Springer singled to centre with one out and exhibited good hustle going from first to third on a Wacha wild pitch with Guerrero at the plate.
The big offensive day for Bichette came on Roberto Clemente Day, which celebrates the late Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Hall of Famer. On Tuesday, it was revealed that the 23-year-old Bichette was the Blue Jays nominee for the Clemente Award, given annually to the player who "best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field."
Guerrero, who reached base for a third time with a walk in the fifth, scored on Teoscar Hernandez's single to centre.
Joakim Soria relieved Ray to start the eighth. He got into trouble with a lead-off single to Taylor Walls and a two-run Brett Phillips to centre field.
But Soria settled down to finish the inning with a three-run advantage, and Jordan Romano finished off Tampa Bay with his 18th save in a one-two-three ninth inning.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.