ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ So much of the news about Rays pitchers lately has been bad, including top reliever Nick Anderson on Sunday morning becoming the ninth to be sidelined by injury.
But by the end of the afternoon, they had something to celebrate, a winning major-league debut by Josh Fleming, whose five solid innings put them on a path to a 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays.
The win improved the Rays to 19-10 and extended their American League East lead to a full game over the idle Yankees.
Fleming, a 24-year-old lefty, was summoned from the Port Charlotte camp to make Sunday's start, as the Rays have been scrambling to adjust to the loss of six relievers, two starters and their top replacement.
Fleming gave them what they needed, which was a chance to win the game by keeping the Jays to two runs over his five innings. The timing of the Rays' rally was fortuitous for Fleming.
He walked off the mound after the top of the fifth as the potential loser. But after his mates scored three runs and took the lead, he was instead positioned for the win.
Not that the rest of the afternoon was without drama, as the Rays' revamped bullpen tried to get the final 12 outs.
The Rays scored two in the seventh to expand the lead to 5-2, but Diego Castillo _ one of the few experienced relievers still healthy _ allowed a two-run homer to Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
The Jays got one run off Fleming on a leadoff homer by Teoscar Hernandez in the second, and the other when Vlad Guerrero Jr. tripled in the fourth and scored on Travis Shaw's single. Fleming did a good job escaping further trouble as the Jays had the bases loaded with one out.
The Rays took the lead in the fifth, the rally set up by a Joey Wendle single and a Willy Adames walk. With one out and a full count on pinch-hitter Jose Martinez, manager Kevin Cash sent the runners, and Martinez delivered an RBI single to right. Adames went to third and scored on an Austin Meadows sacrifice fly. And after Martinez moved up to second on the errant throw home, Brandon Lowe knocked him in.
The Rays added two in the seventh, with Kevin Kiermaier sparking the rally. Meadows knocked him in, and a Ji-Man Choi sacrifice fly made it 5-2.
Pete Fairbanks and Aaron Loup followed Fleming with scoreless outings. After Castillo allowed the homer, John Curtiss finished for his first save.
