Lost in the hubbub of the slow start for the Red Sox and the recent slump of the Yankees, Jose Bautista and the Toronto Blue Jays have been winning. The Tampa Bay Rays have also been winning, taking over first place after an abysmal start of their own, despite not having Bautista on their roster. On Thursday night, Bautista took four at-bats and played nine innings in right field as Toronto edged out Tampa Bay at Rogers Centre, 3-2.
Rays Vs. Blue Jays: Jose Bautista Bats Four Times, Toronto Holds On For 3-2 Victory
After Bautista ended the first inning with a majestic fly ball to center field, Juan Rivera opened the scoring with a solo home run just right of the 375 sign in left-center, close to where Bautista hit his first home run of the season, though Bautista’s traveled much farther.
After B.J. Upton hit a solo shot for his seventh homer of the season, putting him nine behind Bautista for the major-league lead, the Rays tied the game 1-1. Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia untied the game with a two-run homer. This graphic shows where Arencibia's homer went:
Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero threw seven strong innings, striking out six and walking two, though it should be noted that because Jose Bautista was on his team, he did not have to face Major League Baseball's best hitter. Rays starter Wade Davis, who had to face Bautista four times, was also exceptional, going 7-2/3 innings and allowing three earned runs. Frank Francisco locked down the ninth to move Bautista (and the Blue Jays) to 22-21, just two-and-a-half games back of the AL East-leading Rays
Bautista went 0-for-4 on the night.
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