Rays Settle For Split With Blue Jays After Late-Game Meltdown in Nightcap

TORONTO — It was a long day of baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. So many good things happened, too, but when it was all said and done, they had to settle for a split with the Toronto Blue Jays in their day/night doubleheader.

In the midst of 18 games in 17 days and with a bullpen that's gassed, the Rays needed their starters to come through in a big way on Tuesday, and they both did. Jeffrey Springs pitched six scoreless innings in the opener, leading the Rays to a 4-2 victory, and Yonny Chirinos was effective in the nightcap, too. He pitched four scoreless innings in just his second appearance after two-plus years away from baseball with injuries, allowing just three hits.

That's 10 massive innings of scoreless baseball.

But the bullpen couldn't hold a lead for him, and the Rays lost the nightcap 7-2. The Rays are now 79-62 on the season, and have 21 games to go. They are 6 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East race, and are a half-game behind the Jays for the top wild-card spot, tied with the Mariners.

Probably most importantly, the Rays are still five games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for that final postseason spot, and their magic number to clinch is now just 16.

In the opener, Springs was terrific when they needed him the most, which is something he's done often for Tampa Bay since joining the rotation in early May. He's 8-4 now with a tidy 2.41 earned run average in a career-high 115 2/3 innings. 

Randy Arozarena drove in a run in the second, and was part of a three-run rally in the fourth that was all the Rays needed. They had nine hits.

In the nightcap, Toronto started ace Alek Manoah, and he was tough. The Rays took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a Ji-Man Choi home run and Jonathan Aranda hit his first career home run in the seventh to put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1.

But the two solo homers were all they could muster all night, and once Toronto's bats finally got hot against Colin Poche in the seventh, the rout was suddenly one.

Poche, who had allowed only one run and five hits in his last 12 outings dating back to Aug. 18, struggled with his command. He walked two batters and then gave up a two-run double to Whit Merrifeld and a two-run homer to George Springer to blow the game open.

Kevin Herget then came on, making his major-league debut at age 31. He got the final two outs in the eighth inning, but gave up two more runs in the ninth for the 7-2 final score.

The two teams meet again on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre. Drew Rasmussen, the American League Pitcher of the Month in August, will start for the Rays. The game starts at 7:07 p.m. ET. Rasmussen is 10-4 on the season with a 2.57 ERA, good for eighth in the AL among pitchers with more than 100 innings.

Ross Stripling (7-4, 3.03 ERA) will start for the Toronto. The series concludes with a Thursday afternoon game at 3:07 p.m. ET and the likely return of Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan. He's been on the injured list with a shoulder injury, but feels better and seems good to go.

On Friday, the Rays return home for their final home stand of the season. It starts with three games with the Texas Rangers, three more with the AL-leading Houston Astros and then four more with these Blue Jays.