TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Lowe and Curtis Mead homered, Drew Rasmussen pitched six scoreless innings in a four-hitter and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Friday night for only their third three-game winning streak this season.
Lowe put the Rays ahead in the third against Eric Lauer (1-1) with his team-leading ninth home run, a two-run drive. Mead homered in the fourth.
Rasmussen (3-4) allowed four hits and two walks. Mason Montgomery, Manuel RodrÃguez, Edwin Uceta and Pete Fairbanks combined for hitless relief, with Fairbanks working around a walk for his ninth save in 10 chances.
Rays pitchers walked a season-high eight. The Rays won three straight games from March 30 to April 1 and five in a row from April 23-27.
Lauer had allowed one home run in 12 innings previously this season. He gave up three runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Toronto entered following a three-game sweep of San Diego by a combined score of 24-6.
The game drew 10,046, the Rays’ 30th sellout in 32 games at Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home for this season.
Key Moment
After Montgomery walked the bases loaded in the seventh, RodrÃguez got Jonatan Clase to ground into a run-scoring double play, then retired Nathan Lukes on a flyout.
Key Stat
Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho, the top three hitters in Toronto’s batting order, went 0 for 11 with a walk.
Up Next
Rays RHP Shane Baz (3-3, 5.33 ERA) and Blue Jays RHP José Berrios (1-1, 4.19 ERA) start Saturday.
3 players Toronto Blue Jays fans are already fed up with in 2025
The Toronto Blue Jays are a far cry away from where they thought they would be at the beginning of the season, and three players stand out.
The Toronto Blue Jays are second in the American League East after Thursday’s win over the San Diego Padres. However, the Blue Jays are one game over .500 just before the season hits the two month mark. Manager John Schneider is applying last year’s lessons to 2025, but it hasn’t worked so far. While some of that can be attributed to players across the lineup missing time, there are some players who have underperformed, including new addition Andres Gimenez and young outfielder Jonatan Clase.
Toronto made headlines when they extended Vladimir Guerrero Jr. earlier this season. The 26-year-old star continues to lead his team at the plate, but not everyone is playing up to their standards. The Blue Jays have a core four of Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Anthony Satander, and George Springer. Outside of them, Daulton Varsho is the only one who has shown any kind of pop at the plate.
