By Canadian Press

Rays erase 6-run deficit, beat Blue Jays on wild pitch in 10

Aug 6, 2019 | 9:47 PM

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Kevin Kiermaier scored the winning run on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning Tuesday night and the Tampa Bay Rays came back from a six-run deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6.

Kiermaier led off the 10th by stretching a hit into a double off Buddy Bosher (0-2), and scored the game-ending run after a walk and Willy Adames’ bunt. First baseman Brandon Drury fielded the bunt and threw to third in an unsuccessful attempt to force Kiermaier. After two strikeouts, Bosher’s pitch to Austin Meadows bounced through catcher Danny Jansen and Kiermaier scored.

Diego Castillo (2-6) got the win after one inning of relief.

Avisail Garcia, Willy Adames and Meadows hit two-run homers off Blue Jays starter Trent Thornton in the fourth inning, quickly erasing a six-run Toronto lead.

Meadows’ homer was his 19th of the season, and his third homer and sixth hit in seven career at-bats against Thornton.

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It was the third time in the last four Blue Jays-Rays meetings in which a team came back from a deficit of six or more runs to win.

The Blue Jays came back from 9-2 down to beat the Rays 10-9 in 12 innings on July 27. The Rays came back to win 10-9 the following day after trailing 8-1.

The Blue Jays led 6-0 on Tuesday after Drury’s three-run homer off Rays opener Andrew Kittredge in the second, Cavan Biggio’s solo homer off reliever Ryan Yarbrough in the third, and two additional runs aided by errors in the fourth. Drury’s homer was his 13th and Biggio hit his 10th.

Kittredge pitched two innings, getting all six of his outs on strikeouts, including the first five batters he faced.

Thornton gave up six runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

BICHETTE’S HITS KEEP COMING

Bo Bichette set a franchise record with a third-inning single, becoming the first Blue Jay to get a hit in each of his first nine games. Jesse Barfield (1981) and Ryan Goins (2013) hit in their first eight games.

Bichette, who has 17 hits in his first nine games, tied another Toronto record with a double in the seventh, marking the seventh straight game in which he has doubled.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Rays manager Kevin Cash’s uniform nickname for Players’ Weekend later this month is “Rocco’s Seat Warmer,” a reference to former Tampa Bay coach and current Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli. Cash said he doesn’t know where it came from and added with a smile that “I won’t be wearing it, so I’m not overly concerned.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Ken Giles will not pitch in back-to-back games until further notice, manager Charlie Montoyo said. … The Blue Jays are awaiting an evaluation by Dr. James Andrews before determining a plan for LHP Ryan Borucki, who is back on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. Borucki has appeared in only two games in 2019.

Rays: All-Star 2B Brandon Lowe, out since July 3 with a bruised right shin bone, started agility drills and ramped up his defensive work. … INF Joey Wendle (right wrist inflammation) added throwing after fielding grounders. … 3B Yandy Diaz (bruised left foot) resumed taking grounders. … LHP Jose Alvarado (right oblique strain) (added stats) for Triple-A Durham in his second rehab game and is scheduled to pitch again Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Rookie LHP Brendan McKay will make his sixth start for the Rays in the series finale against a Blue Jays starter to be named. McKay (2-1) survived a 27-pitch first inning to get his second win Thursday at Boston.

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Dick Scanlon, The Associated Press