ST.PETERSBURG, Fl.– Mark Buehrle pitched into the ninth inning, Jose Bautista hit two solo home runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays for the second straight night 3-0.
The win ends a winless road series streak against Tampa Bay for Toronto. The Blue Jays have not won a road series against the Rays since 2007.
From the start Buehrle was masterful, allowing just four hits and striking out 11. He allowed one walk and missed his 29th complete game by one out. It was just the second time in 430 major league starts, Buehrle has had double digit strikeouts.
“It was a tremendous game for him,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “A great effort, I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Ray starter Matt Moore allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, on six hits. He walked three and struck out four. Logan Forsythe went 2-for-3 with a double, the lone extra-base hit of the game for Tampa Bay.
Just like last night the Blue Jays scored first, this time on a long home run by Bautista in the fourth. Dioner Navarro made it 2-0 later in the inning with an RBI single.
Toronto went up 3-0 on Bautista’s second homer, a towering solo drive to left off Josh Lueke during the seventh.
“For the most part their offense was centered around one guy. He can do that kind of stuff,” Rays manager Joe Maddon.
For this game it was all the offense the Jays would need.
Ben Zobrist singled in the ninth prompting Jays manager to make a pitching change. After walking Evan Longoria, Brett Cecil came on to strike out Matt Joyce.
