 allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings of relief. The left-hander walked one and struck out four.Chaz Roe went 1 2/3 innings and Colin Poche finished for his first major league save.The Rays, who had lost seven of nine, won back-to-back games for the first time since a three-game streak from July 13-15. Tampa Bay is 6-1 against Toronto this season.The Blue Jays, held to one hit by Cleveland starter Shane Bieber on Wednesday, managed four against four Rays pitchers. Three of them came consecutively in the fourth.Making his fifth big league appearance, Toronto right-hander Jacob Waguespack (1-1) permitted three runs and six hits in five-plus innings.Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the third on a two-out triple by Austin Meadows.The Blue Jays tied it in the fourth but believed they should have taken the lead. Toronto had runners at first and second with two outs when Freddy Galvis hit a ball toward the left field corner. The ball bounced off the wall in foul territory and back toward left fielder Tommy Pham, who accidentally knocked it into the stands with his glove.Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo argued that Randal Grichuk, who had been at first base, should score. Umpires reviewed the play and gave Grichuk only two bases from where he was at the time of the pitch on a batted ball deflected out of play.The threat ended when Yarbrough got Danny Jansen to fly out.The Rays took the lead on d'Arnaud's two-out single in the fifth. The former Blue Jays farmhand has 18 RBIs in 16 games this month.TRAINER'S ROOMRays: Tampa Bay recalled C Michael Hernandez from Triple-A Durham. He takes the roster spot of LHP Blake Snell (elbow), who went on the 10-day injured list Thursday and will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching arm. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, Snell is expected to be out until September. ... OF Kevin Kiermaier (left thumb) took swings and is expected to play again on or soon after his eligible return date, July 31. ... RHP Ryne Stanek (right hip) will throw a bullpen Saturday or Sunday. Stanek last pitched on July 19.Blue Jays: INF Eric Sogard was held out of the starting lineup.UP NEXTRays: Manager Kevin Cash said LHP Jalen Beeks (5-1, 3.69 ERA) will be ''a significant factor'' in Saturday's game, possibly following an opener. Saturday would have been Snell's next turn in the rotation.Blue Jays: LHP Ryan Borucki (0-1, 3.86) makes his second start after missing the first 101 games of the season because of a sore elbow. Borucki allowed four runs, two earned, in 4 2/3 innings against Cleveland on Monday.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Rays aim to continue success against Blue JaysFLMAfter a fast start to the season, the Tampa Bay Rays will try to reverse a downward spiral when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series that starts Friday night.The Rays opened the season 14-4 but are 44-43 since after avoiding a sweep by the Boston Red Sox with a 3-2 home victory Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series. Despite the victory, Tampa Bay is in a 2-7 drought.The Rays' fast start included winning two of three from April 12-14 in Toronto. The Blue Jays emerged from the series 5-11. The Rays swept a three-game series from the Blue Jays from May 27-29 at Tropicana Field."We've talked about, 'Let's find a way to make the big pitch, get the big hit and make the big play,'" Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We did those things (Wednesday), and we came out with a much-needed win." The Rays are 24-23 within their own division, the American League East, but are 13-5 combined against Toronto and the Baltimore Orioles."That was a big win," Rays second baseman Joey Wendle said after hitting an RBI single Wednesday against Boston. "If (the Red Sox) come in and sweep us at home, that's not what you're looking for at this time of the year, so to come out with a win in the last game was big for us." The Blue Jays, meanwhile, lost two of three to the Indians in Toronto earlier this week. Cleveland's Shane Bieber threw a one-hit shutout Wednesday in a 4-0 victory.As the Rays pursue an American League wild-card spot, the Blue Jays are rebuilding. Most of the interest around Toronto involves possible trades the club might make before the July 31 deadline.Toronto's biggest trade chip is right-hander Marcus Stroman, who took the loss Wednesday despite holding the Indians to one run in seven innings. It could have been his last home start as a Blue Jay."I feel like I've pitched pretty well in the best division in baseball," Stroman said after the game Wednesday. "There's been no willingness from the front office to sign me, so I've just come to terms with it, and I'm ready to dominate, wherever that may be, absolutely dominate." Both teams had Thursday off.Right-hander Jacob Waguespack (1-0, 5.68 ERA) will start Friday for the Blue Jays while the Rays will use right-hander Diego Castillo (1-6, 3.96) as their opener.Waguespack will be making his third career major league start. He made his major league debut May 27 at Tampa Bay and allowed three runs (two earned), three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in four innings of relief.The prospect of trading Stroman has left the Blue Jays' rotation plans in flux."There are so many things that can happen right now, that's why I don't want to go further than the day off (Thursday)," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said this week in discussing his rotation.However, he added that left-hander Ryan Borucki would start on Saturday.Confusion was added to the Rays' rotation plans when the team announced that reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, scheduled to start in Toronto on Saturday, will have elbow surgery to remove a loose body in his left elbow. He is slated to miss about four weeks.Castillo has pitched 38 2/3 innings in 38 appearances. This will be the first time he opens this season after doing so 11 times in 2018.The Blue Jays are 19-32 at home while the Rays are 30-21 on the road.--Field Level Media
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