Junior Caminero's ninth inning grand slam lifts Rays over Jays 11-9
Junior Caminero's ninth inning grand slam bounced off the scoreboard on the third deck of Rogers Centre to hand the Tampa Bay Rays a 11-9 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.
Chandler Simpson's RBI single earlier in the ninth tied the game 7-7 for Tampa Bay (19-22) and helped set the stage for Caminero's first grand slam in Major League Baseball.
Brandon Lowe had a two-run single and Jonathan Aranda smashed a two-run homer as the Rays jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third. Danny Jansen added a home run in the seventh and Kameron Misner scored in the sixth when the Blue Jays caught Taylor Walls stealing but first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dropped the ball.
Shane Baz struck out six over 4⅔ innings but allowed three runs on four hits and two walks. Manuel Rodriguez, Garrett Cleavinger, Edwin Uceta (3-1), Pete Fairbanks and Mason Montgomery came on in relief.
Daulton Varsho's three-run blast in the eighth inning, his second home run of the night, gave Toronto (20-21) a 7-6 lead. Varsho also had a solo shot in the fourth as the Blue Jays had their four-game win streak snapped.
Bo Bichette's two-run homer in the third barely made it over the wall but kept the Blue Jays in the game. Ernie Clement's solo shot to lead off the seventh was his first home run of the season.
Bichette and Guerrero had back-to-back RBI doubles in the bottom of the ninth to cut Tampa Bay's lead to two runs but Toronto could not complete the comeback.
Jose Berrios gave up six runs over 5⅓ innings, striking out four but giving up five hits and three walks in a no decision. Mason Fluharty, Chad Green, Jeff Hoffman and Braydon Fisher came out of the Blue Jays bullpen.
Hoffman (3-2) took the loss after giving up the grand slam to Caminero.
Rays: Jansen was cheered by fans at Rogers Centre when Tampa's lineup was announced and again with each at bat. He spent his first six years in Major League Baseball with Toronto before the Blue Jays traded him to the Boston Red Sox midway through last season. The crowd was relatively quiet as he rounded the bases following his home run in the seventh.
Blue Jays: Varsho missed the first 28 games of Toronto's season as he recovered from shoulder surgery in September. Although he's hitting just .229 in his 10 games this season, he has five home runs and has driven in 11 runs.
Initially a ground-rule double, the umpires sent Bichette home, calling his hit to deep left a homer. Although the Rays asked for a video challenge, the call on the field stood.
Jansen's home run was the first hit Fluharty had ever given up to a right-handed hitter.
Chris Bassitt (3-2) will take the mound for Toronto in the second game of its series with Tampa Bay. The Rays will counter with Ryan Pepiot (2-4).
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