ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- Jake Bauers hit his first big-league home run, and combined with Willy Adames to drive in four runs as the Tampa Bay Rays began their three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays with a 8-4 victory Monday at Tropicana Field.
The Rays trailed 1-0, 3-1, and 4-3 in the game before Bauers finally gave Tampa Bay the lead for good in the fourth, taking a 1-1 fastball from Sam Gaviglio that backed up over the plate and top-spinning it into the seats in right field for a two-run blast and a 5-4 advantage.
Tampa Bay would not look back from there, adding on in the seventh loading the bases against reliever John Axford, with Bauers walking, moving to third on a base hit by Wilson Ramos, and C.J. Cron getting hit for the second time in the game by a pitch. Joey Wendle then hit a comebacker to the mound, which Axford could not field cleanly for an error, when threw past catcher Russell Martin for a second error, allowing both Bauers and Ramos to score for a 7-4 lead.
Adames followed with a sacrifice fly against Seung-Hwan Oh to set the score at 8-4.
Toronto jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first off Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough thanks to a Kendrys Morales single that plated Yangervis Solarte, but Tampa Bay evened the contest in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Wendle that scored Matt Duffy.
The Blue Jays regained the lead in the third with a two-run homer by Teoscar Hernandez off Yarbrough, but RBI singles by Adames and Mallex Smith again brough the game back even.
An RBI single by Ryan Grichuk gave Toronto a 4-3 lead in the fourth before Yarbrough (5-2) shut the door on the Blue Jays' offense, finishing the first six innings, with Diego Castillo, Jonny venters, and Sergio Romo each working a scoreless inning of relief.
TUESDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (30-35) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (30-36), 7:10 p.m. first pitch, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars.
Rays starter - RHP Ryne Stanek (1-1, 3.14 ERA)
Blue Jays starter - LHP Jaime Garcia (2-4, 5.57 ERA)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wednesday - Rays vs. Blue Jays, 1:10 p.m. first pitch
Thursday - Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. first pitch
Friday - Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. first pitch
Saturday - Rays at Yankees, 1:05 p.m. first pitch
Sunday - Rays at Yankees, 2:05 p.m. first pitch