ST. PETERSBURG (WDAE) -- After opportunities in the ninth and tenth innings to walk-off, Willy Adames finally got the job done for Tampa Bay.
Adames' RBI single off Justin Shafer in the bottom of the eleventh inning scored Andrew Velazquez to break a 3-3 tie and give the Rays a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday at Tropicana Field.
The Rays shortstop got the opportunity in the inning after Ji-Man Choi drew a leadoff walk, and after Brandon Lowe, Avisail Garcia singled Choi to third base, where he would be replaced by Velazquez as a pinch-runner. Kevin Kiermaier was intentionally walked to load the bases for Adames, and with Charlie Montoyo employing the five-man infield, Adames lifted a fly ball to center for a base hit.
Toronto jumped on Blake Snell in the first inning, scoring a pair of run in the first three pitches of the game, as Eric Sogard singled and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a two-run homer into the seats in left.
Tampa Bay cut the deficit in half in the third, as Avisail Garcia singled in Austin Meadows against Trent Thornton, and in the fifth a two-run double by Brandon Lowe gave Tampa Bay the lead.
Snell would leave after six full innings, and Chaz Roe and Adam Kolarek worked a scoreless seventh before Toronto would tie the game off Jose Alvarado in the eighth. Gurriel singled to begin the inning, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and scored on a base hit by Justin Smoak. Walks to Rowdy Tellez and Randal Grichuk loaded the bases still with nobody out, and manager Kevin Cash turned to Hunter Wood to get out of the jam. Freddy Galvis grounded into a 4-2-3 double play and Brandon Drury's fly ball to center kept the game even..
Wood would also work a scoreless ninth and tenth innings, before giving way to Diego Castillo, who gave up a leadoff double to Drury and a walk to Danny Jansen before striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr., getting Sogard to line out and getting a ground ball from Gurriel to set up the heroics in the bottom of the inning.
Tampa Bay gets their first series sweep at home in five opportunities, and sets a new high-water mark at 15 games over .500.
THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (34-19) vs. Minnesota Twins (37-17), 7:10 pm first pitch, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch.
Rays starter: RHP Charlie Morton (5-0, 2.54 ERA)
Twins starter: LHP Martin Perez (7-1, 2.95 ERA)