Yandy Diaz and Richie Palacios each drove in two runs Wednesday, helping the Tampa Bay Rays post a 7-6 victory over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
Drew Rasmussen (13-5) extended his personal career-best six-game winning streak. He threw five innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, while striking out five and walking two for Tampa Bay, which had dropped four of its last five entering the game. Closer Bryan Baker tossed a scoreless ninth to secure his 36th save in 39 tries.
Max Scherzer (1-6) allowed seven runs on five hits across four innings in the loss. The veteran walked three and struck out one for Toronto, which had won six of its last eight. Alejandro Kirk homered and drove in two, while rookie Charles McAdoo went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
Tampa Bay struck first in the opening inning. Junior Caminero laced a ground-rule double and Diaz connected on his 19th home run of the season to give the Rays a 2-0 edge.
Toronto sliced the deficit in half in the top of the fourth, as Kirk hit a solo homer — his second in as many games — to put the visitors on the board.
Diaz walked to begin the bottom of the fourth, before Liam Hicks singled and Cedric Mullins walked to load the bases. After Scherzer struck out Ryan Vilade, Palacios blooped a two-run double to shallow left to give the Rays a 4-1 lead.
Taylor Walls then drove in the Rays’ fifth run with a fielder’s choice on a bunt that scored Mullins. Chandler Simpson extended the lead with an RBI bunt single. After Scherzer’s wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, Caminero had a run-scoring groundout to complete the five-run inning and make it 7-1.
Josh Smith, Brandon Valenzuela and McAdoo hit consecutive singles in the fifth to trim the Rays’ lead to 7-2.
Myles Straw then walked to load the bases, before Lukes hit a sacrifice fly, Kirk singled and Kazuma Okamoto singled to pull the Blue Jays within two.
Cam Booser replaced Rasmussen in the sixth, allowed Daz Cameron’s leadoff single and retired the next two batters. Kevin Kelly then entered for Tampa Bay and surrendered McAdoo’s RBI double, Toronto’s final hit of the night.
