Toronto Blue Jays dent Tampa Bay Rays’ title ambitions with a 10 runs stint in 6th innings
It only takes one innings to change the game on its head and that sums up the match from Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The Tampa Bay Rays were hosting the series against the Toronto Blue Jays but there was something amiss. The fact that the bout between the two Easter Division sides extended beyond the league conflict was apparently known to everyone in attendance last night.
The Rays had a title on stake. They were tied up on top of the Division table with the New York Yankees and it came as no surprise that the ball club had to win the contest. Being at home was thought to be considerable advantage for the squad. However, the low show up rate of the fans was something to be wary of and that did seem to draw quite a focus by game analysts.
Jeff Niemann who possesses an Earning Run Average of 3.97 went into the match with 10 wins and 4 losses. Keeping in mind his recent form, many expected the ball thrower to be exceptionally adept at handling the inconsistent Blue Birds. However, that assumption was left dismembered as their opponents surprised the home team in stellar fashion. The pitcher was able to throw the ball 80 times, striking out 3 hitters in his 5 innings of play. On the other hand, he conceded 7 hits, 7 runs and 2 walks in the night.
The Blue Jays had lacked consistency in their recent matches and it was Ricky Romero who brought the team the much needed stability in defence. As the team piled up the runs, the ace pitcher converted 103 deliveries for 5 strike outs in his 7.1 innings of play. In the process, he conceded 3 hits, 5 runs and 5 walks, ending his night on an ERA of 3.60
John McDonald opened the scoring for the Blue Jays in the top 1st as the power hitter smashed Niemann for a 358 feet homer to the left. The scoring initiative finally got a hold on the match and the Rays were put under pressure to react soon. They got their hits to register a result in the bottom 5th when superstar Evan Longoria ran home for the equalizing run, off second baseman Aaron Hill’s error.
With the scores levelled, Sean Rodriguez and Ben Zobrist became the next two players to score for the Tampa Bay side as the team now pounced on the Jays with 2 runs for the lead. The top 6th however, changed the situation for the fixture entirely because the blue birds’ batting faction went berserk on the Rays in almost primitive fashion. Dewayne Wise first started the scoring tirade as his single to the centre got Fred Lewis through the last base for the 2nd run. Vernon Wells then got a RBI (Runs Batted In) double as he doubled to the left and got Wise and Jose Bautista through the last checkpoint for 4 runs and a lead over the opponents.
Wells then scored the 5th when Adam Lind doubled to the deep centre. Lind followed up on the scoring through John Buck’s double to the deep centre. Aaron Hill then converted on the Rays’ horrendous pitching for the game’s second homer, which went 397 feet to the left. The hit got Buck to score and 8 runs were brought on the table. The action did not end there as the bases were loaded with McDonald and Wise. In came Jose Bautista and the star hitter blasted the opponents off their shoes when he banged a 391 feet homer to the left. The Jays were now 11 runs on top.
In the top 8th McDonald scored the 12th for the team when Wise grounded out to the second. The final Toronto run came with Lewis scoring the 13th for the team when Bautista singled to the right. The score was 13 Blue Jays – 3 Rays and it was the bottom 8th. Reid Brignac brought the last two runs on the board for the Tampa Bay side as Zobrist and Dan Johnson got through with 2 runs on the board. The hosts, at the end of the game, lost the math and the first place on the league.
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