Nick Fortes and Yandy Diaz hit three-run home runs and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays clobbered the Toronto Blue Jays 12-2 on Tuesday night.
Fortes finished with three hits and four RBIs as the Rays posted a season-best 21 hits.
Chandler Simpson and Ben Williamson each added four hits while Junior Caminero had two hits and three walks for the Rays, who took a 2-0 lead in the four-game series. Tampa Bay is 7-1 against Toronto this season to clinch the season series.
The Rays took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Kevin Gausman (4-9) with a two-out rally.
Caminero walked and took third when Cedric Mullins doubled to right. Jonny DeLuca blooped a two-run single to right, stole second and scored on Simpson’s looping single to center.
Toronto, which has lost six of its last seven games, loaded the bases with one out in the first on three singles against Drew Rasmussen (8-5) but failed to score.
Diaz, playing in his 1,000th career game, led off the fourth with a single and Caminero walked with one out before Mason Fluharty replaced Gausman.
Mullins’ grounder to first forced Caminero at second. Catcher Brandon Valenzuela’s throwing error when Mullins stole second allowed Diaz to score. Mullins continued to third and scored on DeLuca’s single to left.
Gausman allowed five runs (four earned), nine hits and two walks with one strikeout in 3 1/3 innings.
Tampa Bay increased the lead to 8-0 against Lazaro Estrada in the fifth. Simpson bounced an infield single to shortstop, Williamson singled to right and Fortes homered for the second straight game with a blast to left-center on a 1-2 fastball.
Toronto scored twice in the sixth. Ernie Clement blooped a single to right and took third on George Springer’s double to left-center. Clement scored on Daulton Varsho’s infield hit to first. Cole Sulser replaced Rasmussen and induced a double-play grounder from Kazuma Okamoto that scored another run.
Rasmussen allowed two runs, seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts in five-plus innings.
Patrick Corbin allowed an RBI single to Fortes and a three-run homer to center by Diaz in the ninth before left fielder Myles Straw took over and recorded the final two outs.
–Field Level Media
