Late-game home runs for Tampa Bay helped the Rays defeat the Toronto Blue Jays twice on Sunday afternoon at Sahlen Field in Buffalo. The visitors belted their way to a pair of victories after Saturday night's game between the two teams was suspended due to torrential downpours in Buffalo halted the game through three-and-a-half innings. The second game of the day went to extra innings before Tampa Bay scored the decisive runs.
Saturday night saw Chase Anderson make his Sahlen Field debut for Toronto and lasted three innings. An Austin Meadows solo home run to lead off the top of the third inning was the only run allowed by the starter, and the lone run scored before the rains came and halted play. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough made the start for the Rays and went three frames as well in the no decision. The southpaw bent but did not break, surrendering four hits but no runs, while striking out two batters along the way. Yarbrough was able to strikeout Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the first inning to end the threat, and also left a base runner stranded at third base in the third inning.
Wilmer Font pitched the fourth inning for the Blue Jays on Saturday night, and following the last out of the top of the frame a heavy rain caused a delay of 1:57 before the game was officially suspended due to rain and wet field conditions.
The contest was picked up on Sunday afternoon with the Blue Jays trailing 1-0, but were able to erase the deficit quickly. Randal Grichuk's one-out double to right field was promptly followed up by a Rowdy Tellez RBI single to tie the score at 1-1. Left-hander Jalen Beeks took the mound for Tampa Bay when the game resumed on Sunday, lasting two and two-third innings.
Bo Bichette began Saturday's game at shortstop and batting second for Toronto, but was replaced by Joe Panik due to a right knee sprain. Panik made an immediate impact on Sunday with a base hit off of Beeks in his first at-bat in the fifth inning. The veteran infielder scored two batters later when Teoscar Hernandez hit an RBI double that tied the game once again, this time at 2-2.
Bichette was placed on the 10-day injured list in-between games, and Santiago Espinal was added from the taxi squad in the corresponding move.
Both bullpens would keep the game tied at 2-2 for the next several frames. Five different Blue Jays relievers would pitch on Sunday, with Thomas Hatch lasting a pair of innings before Ryan Borucki would take over on the mound. Rafael Dolis added a scoreless inning and one-third before Jordan Romano pitched to start the ninth inning for Toronto. The young right-hander allowed a lead-off home run to Brandon Lowe to open the ninth inning that gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead. The homer was Lowe's seventh of the season and second of the series against Toronto at Sahlen Field. Reliever Nick Anderson worked a one-two-three bottom of the ninth inning, getting Panik to fly out for the final out, and preserving the 3-2 victory over the Jays.
Ex-Blue Jays relief pitcher Aaron Loup was credited with the win after collecting the final two outs of the eighth inning for Tampa, while Romano was charged with his first loss of the season. Anderson's scoreless ninth allowed him to collect his third save of the season.
Toronto did not waste any time jumping out to an early lead in the seven-inning nightcap, even after a 30-minute break in-between games. Starter Matt Shoemaker struck out the side to start the game against the Rays, and Grichuk belted a two-run home run that gave the Jays a 2-0 lead after a frame.
The first trouble of the game for Shoemaker came in the top of the fourth inning. After facing the minimum batter through three innings of work, Lowe and Joey Wendle reached base in back-to-back at-bats. A borderline pitch to Yoshi Tsutsugo two batters later allowed Tampa Bay's left fielder to extend his at-bat and clobber a three-run homer that gave the visitors a short-lived 3-2 lead. Shoemaker would be ejected in-between innings by home plate umpire Vic Carapazza for arguing after getting the final out in the top of the inning, along with Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo.
A pair of homers by Toronto in the bottom of the inning got all three runs right back and put the team in front 5-3 through four innings. Guerrero Jr. hit a lead-off homer to begin the rally, while former Bisons outfielder Anthony Alford hit a two-run shot with Danny Jansen aboard that allowed the Jays to regain the lead. However, those would be the last runs of the game for the home team.
Meadows' sixth RBI of the season was thanks to a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning that plated Kevin Kiermaier and cut the Tampa Bay deficit to 5-4. They would score again in the top of the seventh inning after Teoscar Hernandez misplayed a Yandy Diaz base hit to right field. Kiermaier came around from first to score and tie the game at 5-5 on the miscue. Diaz's base hit came with two outs in the final inning off of right-hander A.J. Cole, who was charged with a blown save.
Willy Adames' opposite field home run in extra innings was the only scoring by either team in the Rays victory. The shortstop's second homer of the season came off of Wilmer Font while Ji-Man Choi was in scoring position. Right-hander Aaron Slegers preserved the win with an inning of scoreless relief to notch the save. Loup pitched once again on the day and scored the victory to move his record to 3-0 on the 2020 campaign. Font was saddled with the loss in his inning of relief work for Toronto.
The defeats drop Toronto's record to 7-11 on the year, six games back of the New York Yankees in the American League East, while Tampa improved their record to 14-9.