ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- Jake Faria pitched three-hit baseball into the sixth inning, while four different hitters drove in a run as the Tampa Bay Rays clinched their third straight home series with a 5-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday at Tropicana Field.
RAMOS KEYS EARLY PRODUCTION: Catcher Wilson Ramos got Tampa Bay on the board early, as his ground ball in the first inning off Aaron Sanchez allowed Matt Duffy, who had walked with two out and moved into scoring position on a walk to Brad Miller, to come around and give the Rays a run without the benefit of a hit in the inning.
The Rays catcher would extend his hitting streak to a American League-leading 13 streaight games with an RBI single in the third that pushed the advantage to 2-0
BULLPEN HELPS FARIA KEEP GEM: Faria (3-1) allowed just a single run on a Teoscar Hernandez solo home run leading off the fourth after having faced the minimum through three innings of work. The right-hander allowed just two other hits before exiting with one out in the second. Chaz Roe worked out of the sixth and got the first two outs of the seventh, leaving Jose Alvarado to retire Kendrys Morales to end the frame.
Sergio Romo's struggles on the mound continued Saturday, as he was able to only get a single out in the eighth, and allowed a solo home run to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and an RBI single by Hernandez to cut the lead back to a single run. Manager Kevin Cash was then forced to bring in Alex Colome to get the final five outs of the game, which he did in order to sew up his sixth save of the year.
The win gets Tampa Bay back to just one game under .500 at 15-16.
SUNDAY'S MATCHUP
Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 1:10 p.m. first pitch, pregame coverage on WDAE begins at 11:00 a.m. with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars.
Rays starter - RHP Chris Archer (2-2, 6.05 ERA)
Blue Jays starter - RHP Marco Estrada (2-2, 6.19 ERA)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Monday - OFF
Tuesday - Rays vs. Atlanta Braves, 7:10 p.m. first pitch
Wednesday - Rays vs. Atlanta Braves, 7:10 p.m. first pitch
Thursday - OFF