Toronto’s Chris Bassitt moved into a tie for the American League lead in victories, and the Blue Jays benefited from a four-run sixth inning in a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Bassitt (15-8) tossed 6 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on six hits. He fanned eight without a walk.
His 15 wins tied him with Tampa Bay’s Zach Eflin for the most in the AL.
Daulton Varsho was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs, and George Springer had two hits and an RBI as the Blue Jays (86-68) won for the sixth time in seven games.
Jordan Romano notched his 36th save with a scoreless 1 1/3 innings.
Clinging to a wild-card spot by a half game entering Friday, Toronto is 13-7 in September after Friday’s victory.
For the Rays (94-61), rookie Curtis Mead went 2-for-4 with his first career home run. Harold Ramirez had two hits and an RBI.
All-Star left fielder Randy Arozarena doubled and scored a run, but he left the game with right quad tightness.
After Arozarena legged out a one-out double into left-center in the first inning, Ramirez singled for the game’s first run one out later for the 1-0 Rays lead.
The towering Tyler Glasnow (9-7) began with five scoreless innings, but became unglued in the sixth as the Blue Jays sent 10 batters to the plate.
Following a leadoff popout by Santiago Espinal, seven consecutive batters reached base — only three with hits. Springer and Bo Bichette each singled and stole a base, with Bichette’s hit plating Springer for a tie.
Glasnow then walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and Alejandro Kirk – the latter scoring Bichette and chasing the right-hander. Reliever Kevin Kelly then hit Matt Chapman to force in the third run. Varsho’s single then made it 4-1.
In the seventh against Bassitt, third baseman Mead stroked his first career homer just beyond the very low wall in left field — a ball that Statcast estimated would have been a homer only in Tropicana Field.
That long ball landed in the same place as the one famously hit by Tampa Bay’s most famous third baseman — Evan Longoria — to walk off against the New York Yankees in the 12th inning of Game 162 in 2011, a win that sent the Rays to the playoffs.
In the ninth, Varsho slugged his 18th homer to right on the first pitch he saw, a fastball, from Jason Adam, who later left the game with injury. Springer later added an RBI single.
–Field Level Media