Ninth-Inning Error Spoils Jays Comeback
Posted September 10, 2010 10:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Jose Bautista blasted a pair of two-run homers but a ninth-inning error by Yunel Escobar allowed the winning run to score as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-8 on Friday.
The Rays opened up an 8-1 lead in front of a crowd of 14,305 at Rogers Centre before the Blue Jays could get their bats swinging.
Adam Lind also hit a two-run homer and John Buck added a solo shot for the Jays.
Bautista’s game-tying homer came against reliever Joaquin Benoit (1-2) to tie the game 8-8 in the seventh inning. It was his 46th of the season, which leads the majors and is one short of George Bell’s club record set in 1987. It earned Bautista a curtain call.
But it wasn’t enough as Tampa Bay scored a run in the top of the ninth on an error by Escobar during an attempted double play to take a 9-8 victory.
Kevin Gregg (1-5) had walked two batters but induced a grounder from Sean Rodriguez to first baseman Lyle Overbay who threw to Escobar for the force at second. Escobar’s bad throw allowed a run to score.
Rafael Soriano picked up his 42nd save.
Left-hander Brett Cecil had a short night, appearing in just two innings in which he allowed eight hits and seven runs, including Ben Zobrist’s two-run homer in the six-run Tampa Bay first.
Tampa Bay starter James Shields, who gave up six home runs and eight runs in four innings the last time he faced the Blue Jays, a 17-11 loss on Aug. 7, had a little better luck this time but his bullpen couldn’t hold his lead.
Shields still gave up two-run homers to Lind and Bautista. He lasted five innings this time, allowing five runs, four earned, and seven hits.
Tampa Bay scored six runs in the first. B.J. Upton singled but was forced at second. Carl Crawford tripled in the first run and scored the second one on Evan Longoria’s single.
Cecil gave up a two-out walk to Rodriguez and Rocco Baldelli lined a two-run double to left. Three pitches later, Zobrist hit his 10th homer of the season for a 6-0 lead.
Blue Jays scored an unearned run in the first, set up by Longoria’s error on Escobar’s grounder to third. A wild pitch and a single by Vernon Wells scored a run.
Cecil gave up Jason Bartlett’s one-out double in the second, Crawford’s infield single and Longoria’s single to make the score 7-1.
Josh Roenicke replaced Cecil after a leadoff walk to Baldelli in the third. Roenicke, just up from triple-A Las Vegas, finished the inning with a double play and a strikeout.
The Blue Jays threatened in the home third after Travis Snider doubled and took third on Escobar’s one-out single. But after a 15-pitch at-bat, Bautista hit a fly out to shallow right. Snider tried to score but was thrown out at home by Zobrist to end the inning.
Upton hit the first pitch of the fourth to left for his 17th homer.
Lind’ two-run homer, his 21st, in the fourth made the score 8-3. Bautista homered with two out in the fifth after Escobar singled to bring the Blue Jays back to 8-5.
Buck hit his 18th homer to lead off the seventh against left-hander Randy Choate. It equalled his career best in homers.
