Tampa Bay Rays shutout Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 in series finale – MLB Update
Tampa Bay Rays used their home conditions superbly as they toppled the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 on Sunday, September 23 in the finale of their three match series. With this win, the Rays also completed a memorable series sweep against their American League
East Division rivals.
Manager Joe Maddon will be extremely pleased with what he saw from the players in all three games of the series. Rays secured a comfortable 12-1 win in series opener and they continued to play aggressively in Game 2 to take a decisive 2-0 series lead.
Credit should be given to Maddon and company for maintaining their superb form over a long period of time. Although Tampa Bay Rays are five games behind the New York Yankees, they can still make it to the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if they extend
their winning streak to grab one of the Wild Card spots.
"That's the play of the year," said manager Joe Maddon after the Rays' fifth straight win. "It's an impossible play to make and (Howell) did it."
"I wrestle with my dog a lot so that's good; it gets me that angle to just throw it," relief pitcher J.P. Howell said. "The position guys do it all the time so I probably made it look harder than it really is. It's one of those things where the timing was
good; if the guy's a little faster he beats that out so everything worked out. A little luck was included."
Starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson grabbed his ninth win of the season after allowing just five hits in five scoreless innings. Striking-out six batters, he used his fastballs and sliders very effectively. Relief pitcher Fernando Rodney made his 44th
save of the year after tossing up a scoreless ninth.
Rays’ batting line-up also made the most of available opportunities. B.J. Upton smacked a solo home-run to left in the first inning to put his side on the board. Evan Longoria also played a key role in deciding the outcome of the clash as he doubled to deep
right in the eighth.
The Rays will definitely be happy with their performance against the Blue Jays as they managed to dominate and take a decisive victory.
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