Longoria talks with Rays and Mikolas signing show Cardinals are making splashes

The St. Louis Cardinals have been in contact with the Tampa Bay Rays about closer Alex Colome, "those talks could shift or expand to include third baseman Evan Longoria," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday, citing an unidentified source.

The Rays are also reportedly looking to trim payroll, and Longoria, a Gold Glove winner, is due $86 million through 2022, $94 million if an option is exercised for 2023. Less than two weeks into the coming season Longoria, 32, would achieve “10/5” no-trade rights after 10 years of service time, including the past five with one team.

The Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants continue to await word on Giancarlo Stanton’s decision and whether he would waive his no-trade rights from Miami to accept to go to a new oganization. Both teams met with Stanton and his representatives last week in Los Angeles.

The Cardinals signed pitcher Miles Mikolas to a two-year contract Tuesday that will guarantee the righthanded starter $15.5 million. A native of Jupiter, Fla., who came to Cardinals spring training games as a boy, Mikolas, 29, returns to the majors for the first time since 2014 and after three great seasons in Japan’s top league. He went 14-8 this past season for Yomiuri with a 2.25 ERA and eight strikeouts for every walk.

“Our scouts have watched him as he refined his repertoire, improved his velocity and became one of the most effective pitchers in Japan the last couple (of) seasons,” wrote general manager Michael Girsch in an email.

The Cardinals are coming off their worst season in a decade, going 83-79 They finished a distant third in the NL Central.

Odorizzi's nine strikeouts highlight Rays' win over Orioles

(TSX / STATS) -- BALTIMORE -- Jake Odorizzi struck out a season-high nine batters and Lucas Duda matched his career high with his 30th home run of the season, as the Tampa Bay Rays eliminated the Baltimore Orioles from playoff contention with a 9-6 victory Saturday night at Camden Yards.

Odorizzi (10-8, 4.26 ERA) kept the Rays' long-shot playoff hopes alive with his second straight dominant performance. Earlier in the week, he held the Boston Red Sox to a pair of earned runs on one hit to go along with six strikeouts over six innings.

Tampa Bay (76-79) remained five games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second American League wild-card spot with seven games to play.

Before an announced crowd of 42,802, the Orioles (74-82) fell out of playoff contention with their sixth loss in the last seven games. They made things interesting by scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth before an out was recorded, but still fell for the 14th time in their last 17 games.

Duda gave the Rays a 3-1 lead with two outs in the top of the third by lining a 3-2 pitch from Orioles starter Jeremy Hellickson over the right-field wall.

The homer followed back-to-back singles by No. 9 hitter Adeiny Hechavarria and leadoff man Kevin Kiermaier. Hellickson had retired the first eight batters prior to that flurry of hits.

The Rays added two more runs in the seventh off reliever Richard Bleier on an RBI single by Wilson Ramos and a sacrifice fly to right by Hechavarria that scored Steven Souza Jr. They added four more in the ninth, including designated hitter Logan Morrison's 37th home run of the season.

That was more than enough for Odorizzi, the 27-year-old who was making his 27th start of the season for the Rays. Over six innings, he allowed one unearned run on three hits and walked only two.

Since the start of 2016, Odorizzi has allowed three hits or fewer in 18 starts, the most in the American League over that span.

Hellickson pitched well other than the one brief rough patch in the third inning. But that was enough to send him to his third consecutive loss and sixth in his last nine starts.

Facing his former team for the first time, Hellickson (2-6, 6.97 ERA) allowed the three earned runs on four hits, in addition to striking out four and walking one.

Hellickson, who pitched for the Rays from 2010-2014, has not won since an Aug. 25 road start against the Boston Red Sox.

The Orioles jumped on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first. Jonathan Schoop ripped a double down the left-field line and then scored on a throwing error.

Adam Jones put a ball in play on the right side of the infield. Odorizzi ran over to cover first, but the throw over missed him by a wide mark. Jones was credited with an infield single and hustled over to third base on the error.

NOTES: The Rays improved to 8-7 against the Orioles this season with four games remaining between the teams. ... Rays DH Logan Morrison hit his 27th home run of the season on the road to extend his American League lead and team record. ... Orioles RHP Jeremy Hellickson surrendered his 35th home run of the season, which is a career high. ... With one home game remaining, the Orioles fell to 45-35 this season at Camden Yards.

Adrianza, Escobar propel Twins past Rays

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Minnesota Twins needed contributions from the top and bottom of the order to avoid a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field.

Ehire Adrianza hit a three-run homer and Eduardo Escobar was 3-for-5 with three RBIs to lift the Twins to a 10-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon.

The Twins (72-67) climbed back into a tie with the Los Angeles Angels for the American League's second wild-card spot by scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to break a 6-6 tie.

"Every time we'd pull ahead, they'd get right back to even," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "It's frustrating, and a little bit of a test to see how you can persevere through a game like that after you've lost a few in a row. We stayed after it and some guys stepped up big late in the game."

Tampa Bay (70-71) received home runs from Evan Longoria, Lucas Duda and Kevin Kiermaier but made a crucial defensive mistake late in the game.

Minnesota took a 7-6 lead in the seventh on a throwing error by Rays reliever Steve Cishek that allowed Brian Dozier to score from first base. After Dozier walked, Jorge Polanco laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Cishek fired the ball past first baseman Duda and into the right field bullpen. Polanco ended up on third with the two-base error.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish off a series," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We won a series, which was important. I liked the way the guys competed. We get down, they came back, we get down again and they come back again. Frustrating loss just because it got separated there in the seventh."

Escobar made it 8-6 with a bloop single to right-center that plated Polanco. He would eventually score on a bases-loaded fielder's choice by pinch hitter Max Kepler.

The Twins added an insurance run in the ninth when Escobar had a one-out triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Robbie Grossman.

"I think the important thing here is that the offense woke up," Escobar said through a translator. "We didn't hit as well in the first few games. We leave here with a positive mind. Knowing that we won and that the offense woke up again, I think it gives us good momentum to go into Kansas City."

The Rays tied the game at 6 in the fifth on Kiermaier's 11th home run of the season, a two-run blast to right-center.

Dozier led off the game with a home run to left field off Rays starter Blake Snell. Longoria tied it in the bottom of the first with a solo shot off Twins starter Blake Snell.

Adrianza gave the Twins a 4-1 lead in the second with his blast to left. Duda tied the game in the bottom of the third with a three-run homer to dead center.

"Sweeping is hard in the big leagues," Rays outfielder Steven Souza Jr. said. "We just had so many opportunities to win this ball game and everybody was fighting. We know we gained a game, could've gained three and that would have been an enormous swing."

Minnesota scratched across two runs in the top of the fifth on Escobar's two-run single.

Neither starter factored into the decision. Snell gave up six runs in four-plus innings while Slegers surrendered five runs and walked two in four-plus frames.

"The walks are always something I pride myself on not doing," Slegers said. "When I give up runs like that, I can always look back to the walks as the rally starter for the opposing team."

Taylor Rogers (6-3) struck out two in 1 1/3 innings to get the win. Cishek (3-2) took the loss.

NOTES: Rays RHP Chris Archer played catch again and will start Friday against the Red Sox, according to Rays manager Kevin Cash. The originally scheduled starter, RHP Austin Pruitt, pitched in relief Wednesday. ... Twins OF Miguel Sano did some light running Wednesday in Minnesota and is likely to take batting practice Thursday. ... Rays 1B Logan Morrison (stomach flu) was scratched from the lineup for a second consecutive day but performed pinch hit duties in the ninth. ... Twins 1B/C Joe Mauer entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1 with a walk, snapping his 14-game hit streak.

Dickerson's bat, Kiermaier's glove lifts Rays past Jays

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Kevin Kiermaier is known as "The Outlaw" to many Tampa Bay Rays fans because of his ability to steal extra-base hits from opponents.

His latest victim -- the Toronto Blue Jays.

Kiermaier made two impressive defensive plays and Corey Dickerson added a late home run to lift the Rays to a 2-0 win against the Blue Jays on Thursday at Tropicana Field.

Kiermaier robbed Steve Pearce and Justin Smoak of potential extra-base hits as the Rays (63-66) closed out their six-game home stand by winning three of the final four games.

Toronto (60-67) has lost five of its last six games.

Despite the low score the game was not a pitcher's duel as Rays' starter Alex Cobb didn't get out of the fifth inning thanks in part to a high-pitch count. Cobb gave up four hits and struck out five but threw 94 pitches (53 strikes) in 4 1/3 innings.

The Rays bullpen, however, came through strong as Steve Cishek, Brad Boxberger, Sergio Romo and Alex Colome combined to give up two hits in 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

Cishek (2-0) pitched two-thirds of an inning to get the win and Colome struck out two in the ninth for his major-league leading 38th save.

"Really good performance from all of our pitchers," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I thought Alex did a good job of competing. He felt good, which was most important. We needed to manage his workload given that he had 18-19 days off. The bullpen came in and stepped up in a huge way."

Blue Jays starter Tom Koehler did make it through five innings and took the loss (1-6), giving up four hits and one run while striking out seven.

"I felt good, I definitely threw more pitches earlier than I would like to," Koehler said. "After five innings you don't really want to be pushing 100 pitches and you're asking a lot from your bullpen. Early in the game I had a lot of adrenaline, it had been a while since I pitched so there was definitely some excitement. I was able to settle down late and get some quick outs."

Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead when it loaded the bases against Koehler in the second inning and Dickerson scored on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Robertson.

Dickerson made it 2-0 in the eighth inning with a solo home run to straight-away center field off Blue Jays reliever Danny Barnes.

Toronto's best opportunity to score came in the top of the fifth when Miguel Montero and Ryan Goins got on base with no outs. Darwin Barney failed to bunt them over and instead grounded into a fielder's choice that got Montero out at third.

Kiermaier robbed Pearce of an extra-base hit with an amazing running, diving catch in the right-center gap.

"Any time you can take away hits like that, especially in a game like this, where runs are limited, it's huge. It was quite crazy. That's why it can be a game of inches."

The next batter, Donaldson, appeared to hit a two-run double down the left-field line but the Rays challenged the call and it was determined that the ball did not clip the chalk.

"Yeah, that foul ball...they must have better cameras up there," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Because that looked like it caught something. But that's why they have replay."

After Donaldson walked, Justin Smoak hit a bloop to short center field and Kiermaier made another diving catch.

"Kiermaier, unbelievable," Gibbons said. "The first one and then of course to come in and get Smoak's ball the last time. That's what he does. We get the same stuff out of (Kevin) Pillar. Those guys win you games."

NOTES: Blue Jays RHP Tom Koehler hit Rays 2B Brad Miller with a 94-mph fastball between the shoulder blades. Miller, however, jogged to first base and stayed in the game until the fifth inning when he left with a right shoulder contusion). ... Blue Jays manager John Gibbons confirmed that RHP Marco Estrada is pitching Saturday against the Twins. ... Gibbons also said RHP Aaron Sanchez is throwing again after having problems with blisters on his finger. .. Rays RHP Jake Faria (left abdominal strain) was scheduled to do soft-toss catch Thursday after being shut down for three days.

Pillar's late homer lifts Jays past Rays

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Hit enough home runs, and even if they are solo shots, they will carry the Toronto Blue Jays to a streak-ending victory.

Toronto hit a season-high six home runs, five of them solo, including Kevin Pillar's shot in the eighth inning that gave the Blue Jays a 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.

"It was one of those games with a lot of home runs hit on both sides," Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We got some key outs late that we had to have, especially after they came back and tied it. Big home run from Pillar. Nice win."

The teams combined for nine home runs, matching the most in a Rays game.

Tampa Bay (62-66) came back from a 5-0 deficit to tie the score in the seventh, only to leave the bases loaded and see Toronto (60-66) snap a four-game losing streak.

Tampa Bay reliever Tommy Hunter (2-5) took the loss. Toronto's Ryan Tepera (7-1) picked up the win despite allowing the tying run to score in the seventh. Roberto Osuna secured the final four outs for his 33rd save.

"Tommy's had a tremendous year. You don't run away from somebody that's had as much success in our bullpen as Tommy's had," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Two weeks ago, we were all clamoring that he's the MVP of the bullpen. That hasn't changed in a couple of outings."

Tampa Bay got back in the game by scoring in five straight innings -- two in the third, then a run in each inning from the fourth to the seventh.

The Rays tied the score in the seventh, starting with a walk to Kevin Kiermaier, who stole second and took third on a throwing error by catcher Raffy Lopez.

A second walk put runners at the corners for Evan Longoria, whose infield single deep to shortstop evened the score at 6. The Rays had two on and no outs with their 4-5-6 hitters up, but Tepera got out of the jam. He got two outs, walked the bases loaded and got Wilson Ramos to ground out to third.

Rays starter Austin Pruitt was in trouble from the start, giving up a double off the wall by Steve Pearce, then a two-run homer to Josh Donaldson.

"Looked like the velo (velocity) might have been down a little bit," Cash said. "If we don't keep the ball in the ballpark, we are not going to win."

The Jays followed with three solo home runs in the second -- Ryan Goins hit his sixth, Lopez his first and Pearce his 13th, for a 5-0 lead. Pruitt had as many home runs allowed (four) as outs, and he was done after 3 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs and seven hits.

The Rays started chipping into the lead in the third as Ramos singled and scored on Kiermaier's two-run homer, his ninth of the season.

Toronto's Justin Smoak countered with a solo shot in fifth -- his 34th of the year -- for a 6-3 lead. Kiermaier answered with his second home run of the night to cut the lead 6-4 in the fifth.

Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman allowed five runs and eight hits (three of them homers) in 5 1/3 innings.

"It was a battle for him tonight -- I don't think his ball was sinking like it normally does," Gibbons said. "It was cutting more, and that's where he ran into trouble."

NOTES: LF Steve Pearce, DH Kendrys Morales and 2B Darwin Barney each had two hits for Toronto. Tampa Bay got three hits from CF Kevin Kiermaier and two apiece from RF Steven Souza Jr., LF Corey Dickerson and C Wilson Ramos. ... The Rays designated INF Trevor Plouffe for assignment and recalled RHP Andrew Kittredge from Triple-A Durham. Kittredge pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief out of the bullpen. Plouffe was batting .178 with two RBIs in 31 games and 73 at-bats with the Rays. The addition of Lucas Duda at the trade deadline lessened the need for help at first base. ... Tampa Bay's announced attendance was 8,264, a season low at Tropicana Field.

Kiermaier helps Rays slay Blue Jays

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays are breaking out of their offensive slump at the right time thanks to the recent return of Kevin Kiermaier.

Kiermaier had two hits, including a two-run triple in the second inning, to help the Rays earn a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.

Wilson Ramos had three hits while Lucas Duda and Corey Dickerson had solo home runs as the Rays (62-65) won their second consecutive game. Toronto (59-66) lost its fourth straight.

Chris Archer (9-7) posted the win, giving up three runs (one earned) and striking out 10 in six innings. He yielded four hits and one walk.

"It was really nice for our offense to put up a bunch of runs early," Archer said. "I think that kind of relaxed the rest of the team."

The Blue Jays rallied against the Rays' bullpen but came up short.

Josh Donaldson hit a solo home run in the eighth off Rays reliever Tommy Hunter to make the score 6-4.

Kendrys Morales singled and Steve Pearce doubled off Alex Colome to give Toronto runners at second and third with no outs in the ninth. Miguel Montero hit a sacrifice fly to score Morales but Darwin Barney grounded to first and Ryan Goins lined out to right to leave Pearce stranded at third.

Colome earned his MLB-leading 37th save.

"I was just trying to keep the man on third," Colome said. "Just trying to get a pop up or a ground ball and I did."

Toronto got on the board in the first inning when Norichika Aoki hit the second pitch of the game over the right field wall for his fourth home run of the season and a 1-0 lead.

Tampa Bay tied the score at 1 in the bottom half of the inning on a home run by Lucas Duda -- his 23rd of the season and sixth with the Rays.

Tampa Bay touched up Blue Jays starter Chris Rowley (1-1) for three runs in the second inning. Corey Dickerson hit his 23rd home run -- a solo shot to deep right center.

Ramos followed with a single and Brad Miller drew a walk to put runners on first and second before Kiermaier delivered a triple to right-center to make it 4-1.

Rowley struggled with his control and left the game after giving up four runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out one.

"That was a tough one," Rowley said. "I was a little bit up in the zone. The Rays did a good job of capitalizing on the pitches that I missed. I was working the corners a little bit and a got behind."

The Blue Jays battled back in the fifth against Archer.

Montero reached base on a dropped third strike, and Ezequiel Carerra followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Ryan Goins singled to score Montero, and Carerra scored on a sacrifice fly by Aoki to cut the deficit to 4-3.

"The guys battled back," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We had a chance to tie it there in the ninth."

Ramos pushed the Rays' lead to 5-3 when his infield single scored Evan Longoria from third base in the fifth. Longoria also had an RBI triple in the sixth.

"It was nice to get some early runs out the gate," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "They hit the home run to lead off the game and we answered right back. We had some better at-bats than we had against Rowley up in Toronto."

NOTES: Blue Jays CF Kevin Pillar was ejected in the third inning by plate umpire Chad Fairchild. Pillar was going back to the dugout after grounding out to first and said something to Fairchild. He was ejected immediately and replaced by Ezequiel Carrera. "I didn't get an explanation, he just threw me out," Pillar said. "As I ran by home plate I offered my opinion on what I felt the first pitch of the at bat was. All I said was the first pitch was terrible. I didn't raise my voice. I didn't use any profanity.". ... Rays RHP Matt Andriese (hip) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Durham on Wednesday. ... Blue Jays C Russell Martin (left oblique) has missed nine games and is not close to returning, according to manager John Gibbons. ... Blue Jays RHP Nick Tepesch is off on a three-day paternity leave. He is expected to return Friday.

Mariners keep Rays in spiral

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- When Nelson Cruz gets hot, it's the kind of record-setting hot that is measured in ridiculous distances.

Cruz launched a 482-foot home run in the ninth inning Friday, the longest ever recorded at Tropicana Field, punctuating the Seattle Mariners' 7-1 win over the slumping Tampa Bay Rays.

"It's great when he gets hot, because they're not just singles, they're doubles and home runs," Seattle manager Scott Servais said after Cruz hit not only his 30th home run of the season but two doubles as well. "The ones he hit in Minnesota last year were pretty far too. He's just seeing the ball really good right now, in a rhythm at the plate. We certainly need him."

A return home did little to slow down Tampa Bay's recent slump.

Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez (5-4) faced the team that traded him away last month and held them to one run on three hits. Seattle (62-61) stayed in the American League wild-card chase while the Rays (60-64) dropped to a season-high four games under .500, having lost 11 of their last 14 overall and eight of their last 10 at home.

"We knew the guy on the mound pretty well," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He's done it multiple times for us, and it stings probably a little more when you have it done to you. He was sharp and he was good."

Tampa Bay starter Austin Pruitt (6-4) found himself down 3-0 in a 33-pitch first inning, but helped the bullpen by lasting seven innings. He threw 107 pitches, 77 for strikes. Those strikes too often turned into Mariners hits -- they had 11, four more than Pruitt had allowed in any previous start. That included six doubles, with two each from Cruz and Mike Zunino.

"It's huge," Cruz said of starting a 12-game road trip with a win. "Every time, it starts with the pitching. Erasmo and the bullpen did the job today."

The Rays, blanked five times in their previous eight home games, managed to avoid the shutout, thanks to Lucas Duda's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. They have scored a total of 24 runs in their 3-11 slide, less than two runs per game. Catcher Wilson Ramos had three of Tampa Bay's four hits on Friday.

A day after the Rays left 14 runners on base, they didn't have many opportunities to strand anyone. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, but Adeiny Hechavarria could only pop out to shallow center -- not deep enough to send the runner at third -- and Daniel Robertson popped out to right field to end the inning.

Former Rays pitcher Ramirez, acquired by the Mariners last month, followed with three straight 1-2-3 innings before Kevin Kiermaier doubled to lead off the sixth.

Seattle's bats had no such trouble, however, as they tagged Pruitt for three runs in the first inning. Cruz stroked an RBI double past Rays center fielder Kiermaier -- back for the first time in more than two months. Kyle Seager followed with an RBI groundout and Danny Valencia made it 3-0 with an infield single.

The Mariners added two more runs in the fourth. Ben Gamel walked, Guillermo Heredia doubled and Zunino brought both in with a two-run double for a 5-0 lead.

Gamel added another run in the fifth with an RBI single.

"All that matters is to win ballgames right now, and we didn't, so that's the main storyline tonight," Kiermaier said. "I felt good out there. I felt good in the box, defensively and on the bases."

NOTES: Before the game, the Rays activated OF Kevin Kiermaier from the 60-day disabled list. He'd been sidelined since June 9 with a fractured hip, and the Rays optioned Mallex Smith to Triple-A Durham to make room. ... RHP Matt Andriese, making a rehab start in Class A Charlotte as he recovers from a hip injury, took a comebacker off his ankle in the first inning and left the game. ... Seattle not only came in at 61-61, but is 30-30 since starting the season 31-31. They went into the Rays series with an 8-8-2 record in road series. ... Friday's game kicks off a 14-day, 12-game road trip, Seattle's longest of the season and longest since 2010.

Blue Jays' Rowley soldiers on with career, faces Rays

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(TSX / STATS) -- TORONTO -- Chris Rowley made history Saturday, becoming the first graduate of West Point to pitch in the major leagues.

The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander won the game, holding the Pittsburgh Pirates to one run in 5 1/3 innings.

Rowley (1-0, 1.69 ERA) makes his second start Thursday in the finale of a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Centre.

Tampa Bay will start right-hander Chris Archer (8-7, 3.84 ERA).

The Rays showed signs of emerging from an offensive slump when they defeated the Blue Jays 6-4 on Tuesday in the second game of the series.

They reverted to their recent ways Wednesday, though, with a 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays. Tampa Bay needs a win Thursday to escape with a split against its American League East rival.

The Rays stranded nine baserunners Wednesday.

"Tight ballgame," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We had our opportunities but just weren't able to capitalize."

The Rays (60-62) have been held to two or fewer runs eight times over their past 12 games, going 3-9 in that span.

The Blue Jays (58-62) are 9-5 in their past 14 games and have allowed two or fewer runs in five of their past seven contests.

The Rays adjusted their lineup for the Wednesday game, moving Corey Dickerson from the leadoff spot to sixth in the order with Brad Miller batting first.

"Maybe just a change of scenery for both the guys that got flip-flopped will do some good," Cash said. "I like the way that Brad has gotten on base. That helps. And Corey, to be able to drop him down, give him a blow in some of those big pressure situations, might help get him going also."

Miller is not likely to remain in the leadoff spot, but Dickerson is likely to remain lower in the order for a while.

"Giving him some time to get some stuff in order," Cash said.

Miller was 1-for-4 with one RBI on Wednesday while Dickerson was 2-for-4 with a double.

It was Dickerson's first multi-hit game since Aug. 3. In his 10 previous games, he was 4-for-44.

Archer ended a run of 15 consecutive starts in which he had pitched at least six innings when he lasted 5 1/3 frames against the Cleveland Indians on Saturday. He allowed seven hits, two walks and three runs while striking out eight in a 3-0 loss.

He will be making his 23rd career start against the Blue Jays.

Archer is 6-4 with a 3.13 career ERA against the Blue Jays, his most frequent opponent. In three starts against Toronto this season, he is 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA. He has made 10 career starts at the Rogers Centre, going 3-2 with a 2.98 ERA.

Rowley allowed five hits and one walk while striking out three against the Pirates.

"Awesome, really, and we've been looking for that," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He looked very confident out there. He had good life on his fastball, good sink to his fastball. Threw some good breaking balls. A debut is never easy, but I thought he did a tremendous job. He ought to feel proud of himself and excited."

Rowley received a standing ovation at Rogers Centre when he was replaced in the sixth inning.

"That was really, really cool," Rowley said. "Having my family here to share it with me, walking off and all those people standing, that was something that was really special for me. I don't think anybody really expects to experience that in their life, but it was pretty special."

Pearce, Stroman lead Blue Jays past Rays

(TSX / STATS) -- TORONTO -- Marcus Stroman has been stingy most of this season.

He has held opponents to three or fewer runs in 20 of his 25 starts this season, including the two he allowed in 6 1/3 innings in a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.

"He's got the stuff to get through a lineup three or four times," said Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale, who took over when manager John Gibbons was ejected in the seventh inning. "He can attack either side of the plate with different pitches. He keeps guys off-balance when he's down in the zone and you know he's working when he gets the ground balls."

Steve Pearce hit a solo homer for the Blue Jays (58-62), who have won two of the first three games of the four-game series. The Rays (60-62) will try for the split Thursday afternoon.

Stroman (11-6) allowed six hits and three walks while striking out seven.

"Stroman is tough." Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We knew that coming in. He's having a good year. He keeps the ball on the ground. He's a very tough guy to get anything up in the air. We just weren't able to piece together big enough innings."

Roberto Osuna pitched around a leadoff single by Mallex Smith in the ninth for his 31st save of the season.

A key play was made by shortstop Darwin Barney, who moved from second base to shortstop when Ryan Goins was injured in the sixth. He made a diving stop on a grounder by Adeiny Hechavarria up the middle. He flipped to second baseman Rob Refsnyder to get the force out.

"That was a huge play by Darwin Barney," Stroman said.

Rays starter Jake Faria (5-4) allowed six hits, two walks and three runs in 5 1/3 innings. He hit a batter and struck out three.

"I don't think Jake was at his best, at his sharpest," Cash said. "Saying that, though, he pitched a pretty good ballgame. We didn't really help."

Pearce, who homered in the fourth, led off the bottom of the sixth with a double that deflected off the glove of left fielder Corey Dickerson. He moved to third on Kevin Pillar's groundout to shortstop, and Dan Jennings replaced Faria.

Goins grounded an RBI single up the middle to give Toronto 3-1 lead.

One batter later, Goins was out trying to advance to second on a ball in the dirt, and left the game after Rays shortstop Daniel Robertson stepped on his left wrist.

Stroman exited in the seventh after loading the bases on a one-out walk to Smith, a single by Jesus Sucre and a walk to Brad Miller.

Aaron Loup replaced Stroman and walked pinch hitter Steven Souza Jr. to force in a run and cut the lead to 3-2.

Gibbons was ejected for arguing the calls as he brought in Dominic Leone to replace Loup. Leone ended the inning by putting a called third strike past Evan Longoria and inducing a popup to second from Logan Morrison.

"You can't say enough good things about (Leone)," catcher Raffy Lopez said. "He just comes right at you with a hard fastball, his stuff is just so good it's hard to hit. He comes at you, he's not scared."

Toronto's Ryan Tepera pitched a perfect top of the eighth.

Jose Bautista lined an RBI double to right-center field in the third inning to give Toronto a 1-0 lead. Lopez, who had walked with one out, scored the run. After Bautista's hit, Faria hit Josh Donaldson with a pitch before retiring Justin Smoak on a popup to third and striking out Kendrys Morales.

Pearce led off the bottom of the fourth with a first-pitch homer to right to make the score 2-0.

Tampa Bay got a run back in the fifth. Smith led off with a double, took third on groundout to second by Sucre and scored on a groundout to second by Miller.

NOTES: Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was ejected for the fifth time this season. ... INF Ryan Goins will be re-evaluated Thursday, but bench coach DeMarlo Hale said his injured left wrist showed no fractures. ... C Miguel Montero (right groin strain) was activated from the 10-day disabled list, and RHP Dominic Leone was activated from the bereavement list. LHP J.P. Howell and C Mike Ohlman were designated for assignment to make room for them on the roster. ... Tampa Bay RF Steven Souza Jr. did not start to give him a break from the artificial turf at the Rogers Centre. He entered as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1 with a walk. ... Blue Jays RHP Chris Rowley (1-0, 1.69 ERA) will make his second career major league start Thursday afternoon in the series finale when he faces Rays RHP Chris Archer (8-7, 3.84).

Rays hope to build on breakout game vs. Jays

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(TSX / STATS) -- TORONTO -- After a prolonged team slump, the Tampa Bay Rays suddenly were hitting again Tuesday in a 6-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

They produced 13 hits, and they hope the offense continues into the third game of a four-game series Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre.

The Rays had scored only 12 runs in their previous 10 games, eight of them losses, including a 2-1 defeat to Toronto on Monday.

"It was outstanding to get some runs on the board," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "The guys felt really good. I think there was a genuine feel like a little bit of relief. They know what they've gone through, and they haven't changed the way they've gone about it.

"I think I was most impressed at the looseness we had throughout the game. The hope is it gets us going, for sure. There's a lot of smiles, a lot of cheering going right now. That's important. ... We're all aware of what we've gone through over the last 10 games."

The teams are 7-7 in the season series.

The Rays will start right-hander Jake Faria (5-3, 3.19 ERA) Wednesday against Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman (10-6, 3.00).

In ending their four-game losing streak Tuesday, the Rays managed their biggest hit total since they had 14 knocks against the Texas Rangers on July 15. They had not scored six runs since Aug. 1 against the Houston Astros.

Tampa Bay once again had success against Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada, who allowed 10 hits and six runs. He is 0-4 with a 10.61 ERA against the Rays this season and is 0-7 with a 7.75 ERA in his past eight starts against them.

"Just one of those teams that has my number, I haven't been able then figure them out," Estrada said. "I felt OK today and thought I did make some decent pitches, and next thing you know, I'm down six runs."

The Rays figure to have a more difficult time with Stroman.

Stroman is 3-2 with a 1.94 ERA over his past nine starts overall. He took his first loss since July 3 on Friday when he allowed four unearned runs in eight innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with his defense betraying him. The damage was done in a four-run third inning when the Blue Jays committed two errors.

"I just did my best job to battle," Stroman said after the game. "The defense has had my back all year. They've made unbelievable plays for me all year. I felt like I should have done a better job in that situation of buckling down and getting my team out of that. Just a tough inning, but my stuff felt great."

Stroman will be trying for his second win of the season against Tampa Bay. He is 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts against the Rays this season and is 4-4 with a 4.17 ERA in nine career starts against them.

Faria will try for his second win in two starts against the Blue Jays. His only previous appearance against Toronto Jays came June 13 when he allowed six hits, one walk and one run while striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings in his second career start.

It was the second of three straight starts in which he had pitched six innings or longer and allowed one or no runs to begin his career.

Faria gave up a career-high five runs Friday against the Cleveland Indians, the second time in 12 career starts that he allowed more than three runs.

Snell gets rare win as Rays top Jays

(TSX / STATS) -- TORONTO -- The struggling Tampa Bay Rays needed that.

They needed the first win of the season by Blake Snell. They needed the return of a long dormant offense that provided two home runs.

With Snell winning for the first time since Sept. 22, Lucas Duda hitting a two-run homer and Wilson Ramos adding a solo shot, the Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Tuesday night.

"We needed that win," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Looking at all (Snell's) starts, you could probably make the argument that that might have been his best one. I thought his stuff was really good. It was outstanding to get some runs on the board. The guys felt really good."

The Rays had scored only 12 runs in their previous 10 games, losing eight of them.

Snell (1-6) allowed seven hits, one walk and four runs while striking out four in six innings.

"Everyone was hitting well and having good at-bats," Snell said. "It's been tough."

Alex Colome earned his 35th save with a perfect ninth, striking out two.

The Rays (60-61) ended a four-game losing streak as the teams split the first two contests of a four-game series.

Josh Donaldson hit a three-run homer for the Blue Jays (57-62), who had a three-game winning string stopped.

Marco Estrada (5-8) allowed six runs, 10 hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three.

He has an ERA of 7.75 and is 0-7 in his past eight starts against Tampa Bay.

"Just one of those teams that has my number," Estrada said. "I haven't been able to figure them out. I felt OK today and thought I did make some decent pitches and next thing you know I'm down six runs."

The Blue Jays scored a run in the second inning when Steve Pearce singled and came home on a double by Kevin Pillar that took a big bounce over right fielder Steven Souza Jr.

Duda hit his 21st homer of the season -- his fourth since joining the Rays in a trade with the New York Mets on June 27 -- two batters after Daniel Robertson singled in the third to put the Rays into a 2-1 lead.

Ramos led off the fourth with his fifth homer of the season, his second of the series. Adeiny Hechavarria blooped a double down the right field line that fell among three fielders and scored on Corey Dickerson's single to give the Rays a 4-1 lead.

Tampa Bay built its lead to 6-1 in the fifth on singles by Logan Morrison, Souza and Ramos, the latter a fly ball that center fielder Pillar lost in the twilight, and bases-loaded walks to Hechavarria and Robertson.

The Blue Jays failed to get the double play on a line drive to second by Mallex Smith. Second baseman Rob Refsnyder flipped to shortstop Darwin Barney, who failed to control the ball, when Morrison appeared to be doubled up at second. At first it was ruled a double play but a video review overturned the call and Morrison was safe.

"I'm upset at myself for letting it get to me," Estrada said. "I know everybody's trying hard, I'm trying hard. Everybody knows that team has given me a hard time and when some of those plays aren't made, it's hard to let it go sometimes. Normally, I don't really think about that stuff, I let it go... today it obviously affected me and I walked the next two guys, walked two guys in. There's no excuse for that."

"I thought he had pretty good stuff tonight," Gibbons said. "But, for whatever reason, it's been a tough matchup. We had a tough inning. We didn't turn two on that ball, the line drive. And Kevin (Pillar) lost (the single) in the twilight, it's a tough sky, it happens. Overall it didn't look good, but his stuff was good."

Matt Dermody replaced Estrada to get the final two outs of the fifth.

The Blue Jays scored three on Donaldson's 18th homer in the bottom of the fifth. The blast also scored Barney, who singled with one out, and Jose Bautista, who followed with a double.

"That's what they do, they work, they grind," Snell said. "You can't shut them out forever."

NOTES: Rays OF Steven Souza Jr. has 25 homers this season, all against right-handed pitchers. He is the first right-handed hitter in the expansion era (starting in 1961) to hit his first 25 homers of the season against right-handers. Souza went 2-for-4 with a double Tuesday. ... Toronto 3B Josh Donaldson hit his ninth first-inning homer of the season Monday. ... Toronto RHP Nick Tepesch earned the win Monday without striking out a batter in six-plus innings. It was the first time a Blue Jays starter had won without a strikeout while pitching at least six innings since RHP R.A. Dickey did it May 14, 2015, against the New York Yankees. ... Rays RHP Jake Faria (5-3, 3.19 ERA) opposes Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman (10-6, 3.00) on Wednesday.

Donaldson, Tepesch lead Blue Jays past Rays

(TSX / STATS) -- TORONTO -- It has been a long time between major league wins for Nick Tepesch.

Before he pitched six-plus innings to earn the decision in the Toronto Blue Jays' 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night, he had not won since Sept. 16, 2014, when he was with the Texas Rangers.

It came at the right time for the Blue Jays, who have won eight of their past 12 games.

"It's huge for any ballclub when your starter is able to give you some depth and also put up a lot of zeroes," said Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning. "He did a great job of battling all throughout the game, wiggled his way out of some trouble there. I thought it was a huge start for us."

It was the second start for Tepesch with the Blue Jays. He allowed three home runs in taking the loss against the New York Yankees Wednesday.

"I thought his command was a little better tonight," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He stayed on the attack. We got some breaks, we ran some balls down. He hung in there. We had a depleted bullpen tonight."

Tepesch (1-2) allowed only one homer Monday and that was to Wilson Ramos in the second inning, although at least four Tampa Bay outs against him were caught at the warning track.

"We hit some balls really hard, we hit some balls really high," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "It looked like we had four or five just-misses."

The Rays (59-61) have lost four in a row.

Tepesch gave up four hits and three walks. The right-hander hit two batters and had no strikeouts as the Blue Jays (57-61) won their third game in a row.

Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect 1 1/3 innings to earn his 30th save of the season.

Rays starter Jake Odorizzi (6-6) allowed three hits, three walks and two runs while striking out four in six innings.

"After the first inning, everything felt really great," Odorizzi said. "Just something to build on."

Tepesch did not get an out in the seventh, hitting Peter Bourjos with a pitch and walking Daniel Robertson before being replaced by Aaron Loup.

Corey Dickerson's short-hop grounder to second forced Robertson at second. Bourjos, who returned to the bag at second, was declared safe after a video review that took 3:07.

Lucas Duda struck out looking and Evan Longoria hit a bloop to second to end the inning.

"I just felt like I made some better pitches at some critical times," Tepesch said. "I let the one inning get away from me and left Loup in a tough spot at the end but he bailed us out of it and did a great job."

Tampa Bay's Sergio Romo pitched around a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh.

After Loup gave up a walk and struck out two in the top of the eighth, he was replaced by Osuna, who ended the inning on a groundout to shortstop by Ramos.

Tampa Bay's Brad Boxberger allowed a leadoff double to Donaldson and issued an intentional walk in two-thirds of an inning in the bottom of the eighth before Dan Jennings finished the inning.

Toronto led 2-0 in the first inning when Donaldson belted his 17th homer of the season, following Jose Bautista's leadoff walk.

"Just a high fastball," Odorizzi said. "He put enough on it that it was able to get out. I was trying to elevate and he got enough of it. It's a game of inches. If that's a couple of inches shorter, we might have had a 1-0 game."

Ramos cut the lead to 2-1 with two outs in the second when he ended an 0-for-10 drought with his fourth home run of the season.

The Rays loaded the bases in the fourth inning on two walks and a hit batter with two outs. The inning ended when Dickerson flied out to the warning track in right field.

"(Tepesch) really gave us just what we needed and Loup, you can't say enough about the job he came in and did," Gibbons said.

NOTES: Rays RHP Chase Whitley was recalled from Triple-A Durham Monday after the team sent LHP Jose Alvarado down on option on Sunday. ... Toronto LHP Tim Mayza was selected from Triple-A Buffalo Monday, and RHP Leonel Campos was returned to the Bisons on option. RHP Taylor Cole (fractured right toe) was given his unconditional release to clear space on the 40-man roster. ... Toronto RHP Chris Smith cleared waivers Monday and was assigned outright to Buffalo. He had been designated for assignment on Saturday. ... Rays LHP Blake Snell (0-6, 4.69 ERA) will face Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (5-7, 4.85) on Tuesday.

Late Jackson homer pushes Indians over Rays

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays' dreadful homestand is over, with one more tough loss Sunday as Cleveland's Austin Jackson hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to give the Indians a 4-3 win at Tropicana Field.

"Good riddance to the Indians and their pitchers," Rays manager Kevin Cash said after dropping three of four to Cleveland, including two shutouts. "We are sick of seeing them."

The Indians (63-52) saw a 3-1 lead disappear on Steven Souza's two-run home run in the sixth, but Jackson's fourth home run of the season, off reliever Tommy Hunter (2-3), put Cleveland back ahead.

Tampa Bay (59-60) found some offense after five shutouts in the previous eight games, but its bullpen couldn't keep the score tied late.

Corey Kluber (11-3) got the win, striking out nine batters in seven innings of four-hit baseball, continuing a dominant three-game run for Indians pitchers. Cody Allen pitched the ninth for his 21st save of the season. The Rays got the tying run to second base with two outs, but Adeiny Hechavarria struck out to end the game.

"It's nice to pick (Kluber) up -- not that he pitched bad, he gave up three," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "When they got that two-run homer, it was nice to see our offense, for two games in a row now, come back and score when he was out of the game. If anybody deserves it, it's him."

Neither team had a hit until the third inning, when the Rays had three, with Evan Longoria's RBI single scoring Jesus Sucre for a 1-0 lead.

Cleveland jumped ahead in the fourth on RBI doubles by Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana for a 2-1 lead, then added a solo home run by Edwin Encarnacion -- his 24th -- to make it 3-1 in the sixth.

"It's great having Bruce behind me," Encarnacion said. "We played for almost a year together (with the Cincinnati Reds), and of course to have a player with the makeup and the quality that he has has been tremendous."

Souza tied the game in the sixth with his 25th home run, off Kluber. The Indians nearly went ahead in the bottom of the seventh, but a perfect throw from Souza in right field off a Francisco Lindor single got home in time to tag Santana out at the plate.

The Rays had come in fresh off the worst eight-game stretch in franchise history, scoring only eight total runs, with five shutout losses within the current homestand.

"We played probably our worst baseball down the stretch and we were in almost every game we played," Souza said. "It's going to turn the corner, we believe it's going to turn the corner. There's still a lot of time left. We're going to be all right."

The Rays now go to Toronto for a four-game series, while the Indians go to Boston on Monday for a single game that was postponed by rain Aug. 2, then to Minnesota for a three-game series to continue an 11-game road trip.

NOTES: The Rays made a roster move after Sunday's game, sending LHP Jose Alvarado from the bullpen to Triple-A Durham, with a corresponding move to be announced later. Alvarado has a 4.76 ERA in 26 relief appearances, holding opponents to a .214 average. ... Rays 3B Evan Longoria, who left Friday's game with a left thumb contusion and sat out Saturday's game, was back in the lineup at third Sunday. He drove in the game's first run in the third inning and scored after a walk in the sixth. ... OF Kevin Kiermaier went 0-for-4 with a run scored on Saturday in his first rehab game with Class A Charlotte. He has missed two months with a hip injury. ... The Indians now have 11 shutouts this season, most in the American League and one behind the Dodgers for the most in the majors.

Bruce, Clevinger propel Indians over sputtering Rays

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Jay Bruce is quickly making his presence felt with his new team.

Bruce had the Cleveland Indians' only RBIs in their second straight shutout, a 3-0 win over the slumping Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night at Tropicana Field.

Bruce had an RBI bloop double in the first inning and an RBI single in the sixth, accounting for the only RBIs for the Indians (62-52).

"He's got a presence about him in the batter's box," Indians manager Terry Francona said of his new outfielder. "He watches and you can see him make adjustments. His production, not just the last two days, for the rest of the way out is going to be really welcome."

Tampa Bay (59-59) dropped to .500 for the first time since June 16, and the Rays were shut out for the second straight night and the fifth time in eight games. They've scored just eight runs in those eight games, the lowest-scoring eight-game stretch in the franchise's 20-year history.

Cleveland starter Mike Clevinger (6-4) held the Rays to four hits in seven innings, striking out nine batters while walking only one. His gem came a night after Carlos Carrasco took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as part of a shutout win.

"He worked ahead so much," Francona said of Clevinger. "I think we've set the bar high for him, but that was so encouraging. We get three, but it makes it look like it's enough because of the way he pitched."

Bruce had been 2-for-5 before the game since being acquired from the New York Mets this week, but Saturday marked his first RBIs since the trade.

Cody Allen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 20th save of the season.

Rays pitcher Chris Archer (8-7) struck out eight batters but continues to build up a pitch count quickly, lasting only 5 1/3 innings before leaving with 111 pitches. He has just one win in six starts since he was selected to the All-Star Game, and the Rays are 2-4 in those starts.

"Frustrated about the loss more than anything," said Archer, who had gone at least six innings in his previous 15 starts. "All we can do is our best. We feel like we're doing that. It's not going to be seven shutout every single night, but we feel like for the most part we're giving our team a chance to win. That's all we can do."

The eight runs in eight games trumps the nine runs scored in an eight-game stretch during Tampa Bay's first season in July 1998.

The Rays failed to score a run for the fifth time on the nine-game homestand with Clevinger in control early.

"Hopefully, we can turn the page (Sunday)," Archer said. "Baseball's beautiful. There's opportunity every day to do something special and hopefully we can do that tomorrow."

Cleveland jumped ahead in the first inning. Archer issued a two-out walk to Jose Ramirez and gave up an infield single to Edwin Encarnacion. Bruce's bloop to left field dropped between third baseman Trevor Plouffe and left fielder Corey Dickerson, allowing a run to score on what ended up an RBI double.

The Indians added a run in the third. Francisco Lindor ripped a double down the right-field line, advanced to third on a groundout and scored with two outs on a wild pitch by Archer, just beating the tag after the return throw to the plate.

Clevinger pitched well -- he induced a double play after a leadoff single in the first and struck out the side after a leadoff single in the second. He had retired nine straight when Brad Miller doubled to lead off the fifth but then was thrown out by catcher Roberto Perez with one out trying to steal third.

The Indians added a run in the sixth inning when Ramirez doubled and scored on an RBI single by Bruce to make it 3-0.

The Rays played without third baseman Evan Longoria, who left Friday's game with a left thumb contusion. X-rays were negative, but he was not in the starting lineup.

NOTES: Rays OF Kevin Kiermaier, out two months with a hip injury, was scheduled to be designated hitter in a rehab game Saturday and again Sunday for Class A Charlotte, his first rehab appearance since July 28. ... Rays RHP Matt Andriese, also recovering from a hip injury, starts Sunday for Charlotte, his first rehab appearance since he was injured June 10. ... Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco took a no-hitter into the seventh against the Rays on Friday night.

Dickerson homers to power Rays past Indians

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Two long slumps came to an end Thursday night, and the Tampa Bay Rays broke out in a big way with Corey Dickerson's three-run homer with two out in the eighth to give them a 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Tropicana Field.

Dickerson broke out of an 0-for-21 slump with his home run, and even with four runs, the Rays (59-57) had mustered four runs in their previous five games, including three shutout losses. They were mired in a 1-1 tie with two runners on base, and with one swing, Dickerson got himself and his team out of respective slumps with his 22nd home run of the season.

"Huge. We needed it. He needed it," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Any time you're going through a funk like that, to have it be such a huge impact on the game is pretty special."

Alex Colome pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 34th save.

Cleveland (60-52) has had its own struggles at the plate, losing four of the last five and scoring a combined five runs in those four losses.

"We're kind of going through one of those where we had four hits, so when we had opportunities, which were few, you have to cash in, and we didn't," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

Nick Goody (1-2) took the loss after serving up Dickerson's homer, while Tampa Bay's Tommy Hunter (2-2) got a well-deserved win after recording five outs in a tie game.

The Rays ended a team-wide 0-for-31 slump with runners in scoring position when Logan Morrison got an RBI single to level the score in the fifth inning.

The Rays had a runner at third with one out in the eighth after Adeiny Hechavarria singled, stole second and took third on an errant throw by catcher Yan Gomes. Twice, the Rays tried a squeeze bunt with Mallex Smith. He popped the bunt up the first time, avoiding a double play only when the ball just fell out of a diving Giovanny Urshela's glove. The second time, a pop was again dropped, but Smith was out for a foul-ball bunt with two strikes.

Jesus Sucre was hit by a pitch, setting up Dickerson's huge home run.

"It's been a pretty tough couple of weeks. The whole team, not just me, had to battle," Dickerson said. "I think a lot of the energy has been coming back. It means a lot. That's what I'm expected to do. It's why I play this game."

The Indians had a chance to go ahead in the seventh when Dickerson misplayed a would-be single by Austin Jackson into a triple, putting the go-ahead run at third with one out. Hunter came in for Snell, got newly acquired pinch hitter Jay Bruce to pop out on the first pitch of his first Indians at-bat, then struck out Yan Gomes to end the inning and preserve the tie.

Hunter came back for a 1-2-3 eighth, with two more strikeouts.

Both starting pitchers had to settle for dominant no-decisions. Cleveland's Danny Salazar struck out eight batters while holding the Rays to one run in 5 1/3 innings, while Tampa Bay's Blake Snell lasted 6 1/3, holding the Indians to four hits and one run.

"You can see him getting better," Francona said of Salazar. "The velocity was pretty consistent. He spun the breaking ball at times. Just got it past our barrel pretty consistently."

Snell held Cleveland to three hits in the first five innings -- two of them among the first three batters as Francisco Lindor led off with a double and scored on Jose Ramirez's single for a 1-0 lead.

In the fifth, Tampa Bay's Lucas Duda walked and Evan Longoria singled to put two on for Logan Morrison, who hit an RBI single to tie the game. The Rays still had two on and no outs, but Salazar struck out Steven Souza and got Brad Miller to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis left the game in the sixth inning because of right hamstring tightness. He was replaced by third baseman Giovanny Urshela, with Jose Ramirez moving to second.

NOTES: Indians OF Jay Bruce, acquired from the Mets on Wednesday, made his debut as a seventh-inning pinch hitter, popping out on the first pitch he faced. He arrived too late to get in the starting lineup. ... The Rays allowed eight runs in their Wednesday loss to the Red Sox on only three RBIs -- two runs scored on errors, two on wild pitches and one on a passed ball. It was the first time in Rays history an opponent's runs exceeded its RBIs by five or more runs, and the first time that happened in any American League game since an Athletics-Twins contest in 2013. ... Rays DH Lucas Duda was back in the lineup he was a late scratch Wednesday, having taken a ground ball off his thumb before the game. He went 0-for-3 with two walks and three strikeouts Thursday.

Red Sox top Rays for 8th straight win

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Boston Red Sox have baseball's longest win streak at eight games thanks to an 8-2 victory Wednesday night over the slumping Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Boston (65-49) used a five-run fifth inning to break open a close game, with three runs scoring on wild pitches and passed balls.

The Rays (58-57) have lost four of their last five, scoring a total of four runs in that span as they try to stay in the American League wild-card chase.

Boston's win streak is its longest since September 2016, when the Red Sox won 11 straight.

"We continue to pitch consistently, and that will be the key for us," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "Our starters are now stringing together (quality outings), and the run the bullpen has been on, really for all year and more so currently, we set the tone, and we're going to have to continue to do that."

Red Sox starter Rick Porcello (6-14) took a 6-0 lead into the sixth inning before giving up home runs to Adeiny Hechavarria, his second of the season, and Brad Miller, his fifth.

Porcello yielded two runs on four hits and two walks in six-plus innings. He walked two and struck out seven.

Tampa Bay added two runs in the eighth, first on a throwing error by first baseman Trevor Plouffe, then on a wild pitch by reliever Sergio Romo.

Three Boston relievers each pitched a perfect inning, retiring every batter they faced for the final nine outs.

"I don't necessarily think he was getting tired, but the way that seventh inning started to unfold, (Matt) Barnes comes in and makes a great pitch to get the ground-ball double play," said Farrell, who was able to pull Porcello after only 82 pitches with a safe lead. "Each guy that we've called upon from that group continues to come to the mound, throw strikes ... our bullpen has done an outstanding job."

The trouble started in the fifth, when Rays starter Jake Odorizzi (6-5) took a line drive off his right ankle and had to leave the game. X-rays came back negative, and he is listed as day to day with a right foot contusion. Odorizzi said he believes he'll be able to make his next start.

It's a far better prognosis than he feared in the seconds after being hit.

"I guess I have good bones," he said. "It was a weird sensation. As soon as it hit me, I felt a burning, then I had no feeling. I was kind of expecting the worst, but we got the best news. I'll be all right, and if all things go as they should, I should be good to go for my next start."

The Red Sox's two-game sweep gives them a 7-6 edge in the season series with six games remaining in September.

Boston has Thursday off before going to New York for a three-game series with the Yankees. The Rays play host to the Cleveland Indians for four games starting Thursday.

The Rays' offensive woes continued after being shut out in three of their previous four games and scoring just two runs in a span of 42 innings.

Odorizzi kept the Rays within a run until the fifth inning, allowing only a single run in the third.

An infield single by Eduardo Nunez started a five-run inning, with reliever Dan Jennings struggling after taking over for the injured Odorizzi. He gave up a single to Andrew Benintendi -- his third in five innings -- and then an RBI single to Mookie Betts to extend the lead to 2-0.

Twice the Rays intentionally walked a batter, only to let two runners in, first with a wild pitch, then a passed ball for a 4-0 score.

The Rays got Hanley Ramirez caught between third and home for a second out, but Sandy Leon came through with a two-run, two-out single to make it 6-0.

Porcello held the Rays to one hit in the first five innings -- a first-inning double off the wall in left field from Miller.

The news that Odorizzi likely won't miss significant time is a huge relief for a Rays team that just put Alex Cobb on the disabled list Tuesday.

"We dodged a big bullet," Odorizzi said.

NOTES: The Rays had a late lineup scratch, with 1B Lucas Duda pulled with a left thumb bruise. He was replaced by Trevor Plouffe, who was involved in two errors on throws to first, one credited to him, the other to the pitcher. ... To make room for starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi, the Rays optioned RHP Ryne Stanek to Triple-A Durham before the game. Stanek has a 6.39 ERA in 13 appearances this season. With Odorizzi leaving with a foot injury, the Rays could make another bullpen move Thursday. ... The Rays had two runs in four games coming into Wednesday, matching their lowest-scoring four-game stretch in team history. Tampa Bay has scored four runs in its last 47 innings, with three of the four on home runs.

Rays look to keep season-series edge vs. Red Sox

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(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The up-and-down Tampa Bay Rays continue to hover just above .500, very much in the thick of the American League wild-card chase, but they have their hands full as the Boston Red Sox come to Tropicana Field for a two-game series.

The Rays (58-55) won their last two series against the Red Sox, including taking three of four just before the All-Star break. However, Boston (63-49) comes in with considerable steam, having won six games in a row, including a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

Eduardo Nunez, acquired from the San Francisco Giants as the Red Sox's main trade-deadline upgrade, has been superb since coming to Boston. He is hitting .400 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and three stolen bases in nine games with his new club.

"We're getting pitches on the plate and not missing them," Boston manager John Farrell said. "Since Eduardo's been here, he's been part of that surge."

The Rays, too, are benefiting from their recent acquisitions. Designated hitter Lucas Duda is proving reliable hitting second in the order; shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria is shining on defense; and three new relievers are stabilizing a struggling bullpen.

Tampa Bay relies on its power bats, as seen in two shutout losses and a walk-off 2-1 win Sunday on Steven Souza's ninth-inning home run. The Rays have struck out 1,085 times -- second in the majors -- but manager Kevin Cash likes the formula.

"We have a bunch of guys that are going to strike out ... but the tradeoff is pretty good when you have guys that can hit 2-irons out of the ballpark like (Souza) did," Cash said after Tampa Bay's first walk-off home run in more than three years.

The Tuesday pitching matchup favors the Red Sox.

Boston's Chris Sale is 13-4 with a 2.70 ERA, and in each of his three starts against the Rays this year, he struck out 12 in seven innings. The Rays scrapped a 4-1 win against him in his last outing against them, on July 6, and for his career, he is a mere mortal 6-5 with a 3.67 ERA.

Sale is tied for the league lead in wins and ERA, and he is first with 216 strikeouts and a 0.91 WHIP.

On the other side is Rays rookie Austin Pruitt, who has moved from the bullpen and could stick in the rotation down the stretch. Pruitt is 6-2 despite a 5.65 ERA. He struggled in two relief appearances against Boston in April, with a 13.50 ERA and a 3.60 WHIP, thanks to an eight-hit, four-run outing in which he only got seven outs.

Pruitt was sharp in his most recent outing, when he threw 6 1/3 shutout innings in a 3-0 win at Houston on Wednesday. However, in his previous outing, he yielded five runs in five innings during a July 28 loss at Yankee Stadium.

The Rays are tied with the Kansas City Royals for the second AL wild card. They have the confidence of knowing they are 6-5 against Boston this season. The two teams will meet again for a final six games between Sept. 8 and Sept. 17, and much more could be on the line.

Souza's walk-off homer lifts Rays over Brewers

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For the first time in more than three years, the Tampa Bay Rays got a walk-off home run to celebrate.

Knotted in a 1-1 tie and facing a potential sweep, Rays outfielder Steven Souza Jr. sent a solo shot to left field for a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday at Tropicana Field.

"We were just trying to piece together some good at-bats," said Souza, who recorded his first career walk-off home run. "Unfortunately, this series, we couldn't get that big knock, but it was great right there to come through."

Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson held the Rays in check for eight innings, but Souza took the second pitch from reliever Jacob Barnes (3-3) and sent it over the wall in left field. It is the first career walk-off home run for Souza, and the Rays' first walk-off homer since May 2014, which was the longest active streak in baseball at 277 home games.

"That's what it was going to take," Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Souza's game-winning home run. "We weren't piecing together anything, I can promise you that. We tried that for three days and failed, so it was going to take somebody leaving the ballpark."

The Rays (58-55) avoided a series sweep after being shut out on Friday and Saturday. Tommy Hunter (1-0) got the win in relief after getting out of a two-on, no-out jam in the top of the ninth.

The Brewers (59-54) continued their batting woes and fell just short of the sweep. The home run was Souza's 24th of the season and just the sixth hit of the game for the Rays.

"It was a tough game. Their guys pitched well, too," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "I wouldn't say it's a wasted start. It's a great start. He pitched really well. These guys have been pitching in situations where they've got no room for error. He executed it beautifully."

Rays starter Chris Archer held the Brewers to one hit in the first five innings, clinging to a 1-0 lead until Orlando Arcia, continuing a strong series, hit a solo home run to left to tie the game. Arcia had a triple and home run and scored both runs in a 2-0 win Friday, and drove in the first run in a 3-0 win Saturday.

Archer followed the home run with a walk to Travis Shaw and single by Ryan Braun, putting two on with one out. He struck out Jesus Aguilar, misplayed a comebacker for an error to load the bases, then struck out Hernan Perez with the bases loaded to end the inning.

"We had a couple of opportunities, and like a lot in this streak, we're missing the opportunities and not getting the big hit," Counsell said.

The Rays, shut out by Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday, ended a 21-inning scoreless streak in the second inning Sunday. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with no outs, and a run scored as Wilson Ramos hit into a double play. Nelson struck out Mallex Smith with a runner at third to end the inning with only one run allowed.

Milwaukee lost a starter early for the second straight game -- right fielder Domingo Santana was hit by a pitch in the first inning and had to leave the game with a right wrist contusion. Perez replaced him in right field, and Shaw, who left Saturday's game after a throw from home hit him in the neck as he stole second, replaced Perez at third.

NOTES: The Rays made a minor trade during Sunday's game, sending RHP Ryan Garton and C Mike Marjama to Seattle in exchange for two prospects, LHP Anthony Misiewicz and INF/OF Luis Rengifo. Garton has pitched in 44 games over the last two seasons with a 1-3 record and 5.26 ERA. Marjama was hitting .272 with nine home runs for Triple-A Durham. Misiewicz, 22, is 8-5 with a 4.75 ERA and 117 strikeouts as a starter at Class A Modesto and Double-A Arkansas, while Rengifo, 20, hit .250 with 11 home runs for Class A Clinton. ... Brewers 3B Travis Shaw, who left Saturday's game after a throw from home hit him in the neck as he was stealing second, returned to the lineup Sunday, taking over at third in the first inning after another mid-game injury, this time to RF Domingo Santana. Hernan Perez moved from third base to right field.

Davies, Brewers keep Rays under wraps

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Stellar pitching is keeping the Milwaukee Brewers right on the Chicago Cubs' tail in the National League Central.

Zach Davies threw seven dominating innings of one-hit baseball and the Brewers shut out the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight night, winning 3-0 on Saturday at Tropicana Field.

"Zach was really flawless. He was outstanding," Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said after the Brewers got back-to-back road shutouts for the first time since 2010. "He got through seven innings in a really efficient way ... He pitched beautifully. He had four pitches working, four real weapons he can use to get outs with."

Hernan Perez hit a solo home run in the ninth for separation in what had been a 1-0 game, and Milwaukee (59-53) handcuffed Tampa Bay's hitters as it did in Friday's series opener. The Rays (57-55), held scoreless in their last 20 innings, were shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since April 2016, against the Indians and White Sox.

"Needless to say, the offense has gone a little bit quiet," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "(Davies) had a feel for every single thing he threw out of his hand and made it challenging."

The Cubs also won Saturday, so the Brewers remain a half-game back of the division leaders.

Davies (13-5) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and when Lucas Duda finally broke through with a single. Davies immediately followed by getting Evan Longoria to ground into a double play.

The Rays had a runner at third with one out in the fifth after a throwing error by Perez, but catcher Jesus Sucre lined out to center to end the inning.

Rather than use closer Corey Knebel on back-to-back nights, Milwaukee had Anthony Swarzak pitch the ninth for his first save with the Brewers and his second this season.

The Rays had a chance in the eighth inning against reliever Jacob Barnes, with Adeiny Hechavarria leading off with a single and Sucre following with a one-out bloop single. A throwing error by catcher Manny Pina put runners at second and third with one out, but Corey Dickerson struck out.

"He made a huge pitch to get the strikeout right after it," Counsell said. "Dickerson's a hitter that is able to put his bat on a lot of balls. He got one down and nasty enough to get a swing and miss."

Duda was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Longoria, but he popped out to center field to end the inning.

The Rays spoiled a quality start by Alex Cobb (9-8), who pitched six innings, holding the Brewers to one run. Reliever Ryan Stanek had four strikeouts in the seventh and eighth, but stayed in too long, giving up the home run to Perez -- his 12th of the season.

Stanek then gave up a single and walk to put two on with no outs, but Jose Alvarado -- who struck out the side in nine pitches in the ninth Friday -- fanned Jonathan Villar and Orlando Arcia. He was a strike away from getting out of the inning, but his wild pitch allowed Aguilar to score to make it 3-0.

For the second night in a row, the Brewers held to a 1-0 lead in a pitchers' duel.

Davies allowed only one baserunner in the first four innings -- a second-inning walk to Brad Miller. Miller reached on an error in the fifth, and the Rays had runners at first and third after a walk, but Davies got Sucre to line out to center to end the inning.

Milwaukee's only run off Cobb came on an RBI double by Arcia in the third inning, scoring Keon Broxton, who had singled.

Milwaukee had five hits, but Cobb kept the Rays close, striking out six batters in the first five innings.

"Alex grinded his way through six innings, one run," Cash said. "That's funny to say, because you'll take that start any day of the week. Alex wasn't as sharp, but credit him a lot for keeping it right there. We just couldn't get the big hit."

Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw, who leads the team with 74 RBIs, had to leave Saturday's game after he was hit in the side of the neck by a throw from home as he tried to steal second base.

Shaw stole second base, but Sucre's throw knocked his helmet off as he slid into the base. Shortstop Hechavarria's glove also hit him in the side of the face as the throw came in. Shaw stayed down for several minutes as trainers attended to him. He walked off the field slowly but on his own, and was replaced by Perez, who pinch-ran for him and took over at third base.

Counsell said that tests were all clear for Shaw, who has a neck contusion, feeling a little stiff and is considered day-to-day.

NOTES: Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi, on the disabled list since July 25 with a lower back strain, will be activated and rejoin the rotation to start Wednesday when the Rays face the Red Sox. ... Rays rookie RHP Austin Pruitt, who picked up the win in Wednesday's shutout victory against the Astros, will start Tuesday's game against Boston. ... Brewers RHP Brandon Woodruff, who won in Friday's series opener, became the 19th pitcher in franchise history to win in his major league debut, and just the fifth Brewer to throw a scoreless start in his debut. The last? Chris Saenz in 2004. ... Counting Saturday's game, the Brewers have played the Rays only 11 times, the fewest times Milwaukee has faced any major league team.

Arcia scores twice; Brewers blank Rays 2-0

(TSX / STATS) -- ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Rookie pitcher Brandon Woodruff was superb in his major league debut, and Orlando Arcia did everything else for the Milwaukee Brewers, scoring both runs in a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Tropicana Field.

"He had a heck of a game -- he was the offense tonight, and he was the defense tonight," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after Arcia -- No. 9 hitter in his lineup -- had three of Milwaukee's five hits, including a triple and home run.

Woodruff (1-0) got out of early jams and threw 6 1/3 shutout innings against a team that had just won three straight against the Houston Astros.

"He certainly worked hard for the first two innings, but the composure and the way he went about it, making pitches in stressful situations early in the game in your first big-league start is something that leaves me really impressed," Counsell said.

Milwaukee (58-53) won without much help from their bats for the second straight game and Tampa Bay (57-54) spoiled a solid start from rookie Jake Faria (5-2).

Brewers closer Corey Knebel pitched a scoreless ninth for his 21st save, getting all three outs by strikeout.

Arcia added an insurance run in the eighth with a home run -- his 10th of the season -- off reliever Sergio Romo, extending the lead to 2-0.

Milwaukee won despite being held to five hits by Tampa Bay pitching, but the Rays left 11 runners on base.

The Rays nearly tied the score in the seventh with a two-out rally against rookie reliever Josh Hader.

Corey Dickerson, who had walked, tried to score on a double to left field by Evan Longoria, but the throw and Arcia's relay home got there first and catcher Manny Pina tagged him out to preserve the 1-0 lead.

Friday's win was Milwaukee's sixth shutout of the season. The Rays have been blanked six times this year.

"Their guy, he was impressive. He got in some jams early on, made some pitches where we couldn't get that big hit for some reason," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.

The Brewers led 1-0 after five innings thanks to Woodruff. He was scheduled to make his debut in June but was scratched with a hamstring injury and spent six weeks on the disabled list.

Woodruff got himself into and out of trouble in the early innings -- the Rays had the bases loaded in the first two innings -- but he got a comebacker from Brad Miller to end the first and a groundout by Longoria to escape the second unscathed.

The Rays had runners at the corners with no outs in the third but again couldn't convert, with Steven Souza caught in a rundown between first and second to end the inning.

Tampa Bay got the leadoff man on again in the fourth, but Mallex Smith was picked off by Woodruff to erase another runner.

Milwaukee couldn't muster much at the plate against Faria, who held them to four hits and struck out nine in six innings. Arcia led off the third with a triple and scored on Eric Thames' single to right field, providing the only run through five innings.

"He did everything he could to keep it right there close," Cash said of Faria. "That's the way it goes. The bats went a little bit quiet tonight."

Woodruff's solid debut came after a rough patch in the minors -- he had gone 1-5 in his last 10 starts with a 6.69 ERA, winning only once since May 7 while missing about half of that time with injury.

NOTES: The Rays made several roster moves, activating INF Daniel Robertson from the 10-day disabled list (neck spasms). The optioned INF Taylor Featherston and LHP Blake Snell to Triple-A Durham and recalled LHP Jose Alvarado to help the bullpen, which was used extensively in three straight wins against the Astros. Snell, winless in 14 starts in two stints with the Rays, is at risk of losing his spot in the rotation in the final two months of the season. Robertson gave SS Adeiny Hechavarria a night off, batting ninth. ... The Brewers placed C Jett Bandy on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured rib, recalling C Andrew Susac from Triple-A Colorado Springs. They also optioned top prospect and OF Lewis Brinson to Colorado Springs to make room for starter Brandon Woodruff, who made his major-league debut.