Ben Williamson’s go-ahead single in eighth inning lifts Rays past Blue Jays 4-3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Ben Williamson drove in the winning run with a single after Yandy Díaz tied it with an RBI single and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied in the eighth inning to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Tuesday night for the their fifth straight victory.

Tampa Bay won for the 11th time in 12 games and ran their winning streak at home to nine. They haven’t allowed more than three runs in 12 straight games, tying a team record set in 2013.

Jonathan Aranda had a one-out double off Tyler Rogers (1-2) to get the rally started. Díaz singled to tie it 3-3. He took second on Jake Fraley’s single before Williamson drove him in.

Drew Rasmussen threw 85 pitches and allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings for Tampa Bay. Hunter Bigge and Casey Legumina (1-1) each pitched a scoreless inning, and Cole Sulser added a perfect ninth for his second save this season. The Rays’ bullpen has surrendered one run in its last 30 innings.

Kevin Gausman gave up two runs on six hits in six innings for Toronto and left with a lead after throwing 96 pitches.

Kazuma Okamoto hit his 10th home run — a two-out, 409-foot solo shot to right-centre field in the first to give Toronto the lead — and Andrés Giménez had an RBI single in the second to make it 2-0.

Aranda singled to centre in the third to cut it to 2-1 with his league-high 29th RBI.

Fraley singled and later scored on Hunter Feduccia’s double-play grounder to tie it 2-2 in the fourth.

Giménez singled and stole second leading off the fifth. Toronto rookie Yohendrick Piñango had a two-out RBI single for a 3-2 lead.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays LHP Patrick Corbin (1-0, 3.65 ERA) closes out the series Wednesday opposite Rays LHP Shane McClanahan (3-2, 3.10).

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The Associated Press