Adam Lind hits 2-run homer as Morrow, Toronto Blue Jays beat Tampa Bay Rays 3-2

Adam Lind hit a two-run homer, Brandon Morrow pitched into the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Lind connected in the first inning and finished with four hits. He has five homers and 16 RBIs in his last 12 games.

Morrow (1-1) allowed one run and five hits in 6 1-3 innings. He struck out seven and walked four. Frank Francisco yielded Sam Fuld’s RBI single in the ninth before finishing for his first save.

Both managers were ejected in the bottom of the seventh, and Tampa Bay centre fielder B.J. Upton was kicked out in the ninth.

Blue Jays manager John Farrell was thrown out by plate umpire Chad Fairchild during a pitching change.

Farrell’s counterpart, Joe Maddon, was tossed by Joe West after the umpires got together and reversed West’s safe call on a tag play by first baseman Lind on Fuld, completing an inning-ending double play. Lind was pulled off the bag by Edwin Encarnacion’s throw after the third baseman recorded a forceout.

Upton was ejected by Fairchild after striking out for the fourth time leading off the ninth. Upton slammed his bat and helmet to the ground, and had to be restrained by third base coach Tom Foley. Upton also threw several other items, including his arm guards, toward the plate area while heading toward the dugout.

Tampa Bay starter Jeff Niemann (1-4) left after four innings with back tightness. The right-hander gave up three runs and six hits during a 62-pitch outing.

Since returning from a strained right shoulder last August, Niemann has allowed 56 earned runs over 63 2-3 innings in 13 starts.

The Blue Jays could get slugger Jose Bautista and second baseman Aaron Hill back Sunday.

Bautista rested for the second consecutive game because of neck spasms, but may be ready to swing a bat on Friday. Hill, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring, played in an extended spring training game Wednesday.

David Cooper doubled in a run in the fourth for Toronto, but Matt Joyce cut the deficit to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. He has seven RBIs in his past six games.

Upton struck out in all three at-bats against Morrow. He has one hit in 13 at-bats — including nine strikeouts — overall against the Blue Jays starter.

Upton hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning of the Rays’ 3-2 win over Toronto on Tuesday night.

Fuld’s two-out single in the ninth got the Rays within one, but Francisco got Ben Zobrist to ground out with runners on the corners to end the game.

NOTES: The Rays will wear Navy SEAL Team 6 T-shirts as the theme for a road trip that starts Friday. The team wants to honour the naval unit that killed Osama bin Laden. “Tribute to their teamwork that enabled them to carry out their mission,” Maddon said. “It’s really picked everybody up. Everybody’s got that good feeling about themselves right now.” … Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday due to a mild left oblique strain.

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