Toronto Blue Jays lose to Tampa Bay Rays 0-3 – MLB Update
Toronto Blue Jays were beaten by the inform Tampa Bay Rays 0-3 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida on Sunday, September 23 in the finale of their three match series of the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season.
Starting pitcher Chad Jenkins had a decent time on the mound as he gave up just two hits and one run in five solid innings to keep Blue Jays in the contest. However, the offence could not live up to the expectations and the Rays secured a deserving series
sweep. Relief pitcher Brandon Lyon had a forgettable outing as he gave up the tie breaking double to Evan Longoria in the eighth inning.
"You see it land and you know the second baseman doesn't have a prayer," Rays’ starter Jeremy Hellickson said, "and then he made an incredible play on it."
For the Rays, B.J. Upton displayed some top quality hitting skills as he homered to left in the first inning to put his side on the board. Evan Longoria also made his presence felt with a double to deep right in the eighth.
"This road trip is pretty important, but we're not going to put any pressure on ourselves," said Upton. "We're going to have some fun with it and see what happens."
"That's the play of the year," said manager Joe Maddon after the Rays' fifth straight win.
In some ways, the running season has turned out to be a disaster for the Blue Jays. The biggest problem for them has been their inability to win road games. Manager John Farrell will be extremely disappointed with what he saw from his team in all three games
against the Tampa Bay Rays.
"We had opportunities in the fifth, sixth and seventh," said Toronto manager John Farrell. "A two-out hit was elusive, and in the end we're sitting there with a goose egg on the board."
The pitching rotation in particular failed to adjust to the conditions, allowing 26 runs in three games against the Rays. It will be interesting to see if Farrell and company can learn from their mistakes to turn things around in the next season.
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