Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi struck out nine over six innings and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Toronto has won the first two games of the three-game set. The Rays entered the series having won their first 13 games of the season.
Taylor Walls hit a solo homer for Tampa Bay, and Wander Franco had three hits.
Kikuchi (2-0) allowed one run, four hits and one walk.
Rays right-hander Calvin Faucher allowed one run, two hits and one walk in 2 2/3 innings as the opener.
Danny Jansen led off the third with an infield single to shortstop and was forced at second on Kevin Kiermaier’s grounder. George Springer walked. After a double steal, Bo Bichette’s groundout to second scored Kiermaier.
Walls hit his first home run of the season with one out in the top of the fourth.
Reliever Trevor Kelley (0-1) hit Alejandro Kirk with a pitch with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Whit Merrifield followed with an RBI double and Jansen had an RBI single.
Josh Fleming walked Matt Chapman and Kirk to start the bottom of the sixth. They moved to second and third on Merrifield’s groundout to the pitcher. Jansen was intentionally walked, and Fleming struck out Kiermaier. Springer walked to force in a run. The inning ended on Bichette’s fielder’s choice grounder.
Erik Swanson replaced Kikuchi and pitched around two one-out walks in the top of the seventh. The inning ended when pinch hitter Brandon Lowe flied out to the wall in right, and Yandy Diaz flied out to left.
Toronto added a run in the bottom of the seventh on singles by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Chapman and Kirk.
Franco led off the eighth with a double against Adam Cimber. Franco came around to score when Guerrero made a good play on Randy Arozarena’s grounder to first and led Cimber to the base with his throw to get a close out.
Josh Lowe and Manuel Margot led off the ninth with singles against Jordan Romano. Brandon Lowe blooped a one-out single to load the bases. Romano got the final two outs on a strikeout and a comebacker to earn his sixth save of the season.
–Field Level Media