by: Jay Recher
@jayRecher
All it takes is one pitch to change the complexion of the entire game.
That pitch came in the bottom of the 3rd inning as Kendrys Morales deposited a Blake Snell fastball deep into the stands for a grand slam to give the Blue Jays a lead they would not relinquish. Toronto went on to defeat the Tampa Bay 5-1 on Thursday night at Tropicana Field.
Snell (0-1) struck out three over the first two innings, but it was the 3rd that really got him in trouble.
Darwin Barney singled with one out and after a Steve Pearce strikeout, Snell walked Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista to load the bases with two away for Morales. On an 0-1 count, the Blue Jays DH drilled a shot to left to put Toronto up 4-0.
The Rays southpaw went 6 2/3 innings giving up four hits, five runs, and five walks while striking out five.
Snell's counterpart, Marcus Stroman (1-0), was masterful for Toronto.
Fresh off of a brilliant performance in the WBC Final for Team USA, the righthander went 6 1/3 innings giving up six hits, one run, two walks and striking out five. He also induced double plays on three separate occasions to wiggle himself out of trouble.
The Blue Jays picked up their 5th run on an RBI bunt single by Darwin Barney in the top of the 7th and the Rays scored their only run on a Logan Morrison RBI single in the bottom half of the 7th.
Tampa Bay tried to mount a rally in the 9th, picking up a run when Brad Miller scored on a wild pitch, but Toronto reliever Jason Grilli struck out Rickie Weeks to end the game to pick up the save.
What's Next For the Rays : The Rays are back in action tomorrow night as they welcome the Blue Jays to Tropicana Field for the second game of a four-game set. Tampa Bay will send RHP Matt Andriese (8-8, 4.37 ERA in 2016) to the mound and Toronto will counter with LHP Francisco Liriano (8-13, 4.69 ERA in 2016). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm with our coverage kicking things off with the Inside Pitch at 6pm ONLY on 620WDAE and 95.3FM, Home of the Rays!