Lowe and Mead homer, Rays beat Blue Jays 3-1 for third straight win
Brandon Lowe and Curtis Mead homered, Drew Rasmussen pitched six scoreless innings in a four-hitter and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Friday night for only their third three-game winning streak this season.
Lowe put the Rays ahead in the third against Eric Lauer (1-1) with his team-leading ninth home run, a two-run drive. Mead homered in the fourth.
Rasmussen (3-4) allowed four hits and two walks. Mason Montgomery, Manuel Rodriguez, Edwin Uceta and Pete Fairbanks combined for hitless relief, with Fairbanks working around a walk for his ninth save in 10 chances.
Rays pitchers walked a season-high eight. The Rays won three straight games from March 30 to April 1 and five in a row from April 23-27.
Lauer had allowed one home run in 12 innings previously this season. He gave up three runs and six hits in 4⅓ innings.
Toronto entered following a three-game sweep of San Diego by a combined score of 24-6.
The game drew 10,046, the Rays' 30th sellout in 32 games at Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home for this season.
After Montgomery walked the bases loaded in the seventh, Rodriguez got Jonatan Clase to ground into a run-scoring double play, then retired Nathan Lukes on a flyout.
Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho, the top three hitters in Toronto's batting order, went 0 for 11 with a walk.
Rays RHP Shane Baz (3-3, 5.33 ERA) and Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios (1-1, 4.19 ERA) start Saturday.
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