Luis Patino couldn’t save the Rays either.
The 17-inning scoreless streak at Durham didn’t mean a thing. Nor did the rave reviews from Triple-A pitching coach Rick Knapp.
The hard-throwing right-hander was called up to boost the Rays rotation and help halt their latest losing streak, but Patino’s return to the majors was like pretty much everything else about the team right now — a mess.
The ugly 11-1 loss Friday to the Blue Jays in Buffalo, N.Y., was the Rays’ fourth in a row overall and their ninth straight on the road, their longest such skid since 2018 and four shy of the team record. Tampa Bay dropped to 47-35 and potentially 4 1/2 games back in the American League East, pending the Red Sox’s late result.
Patino was charged with the first seven runs (five earned) while working into the sixth, allowing seven hits and a walk, striking out five. Reliever Jeffrey Springs allowed three. As if that wasn’t bad enough, outfielder Brett Phillips pitched the eighth, giving up only a run.
Just about all the damage came early, as Patino allowed a two-out, two-run homer to George Springer in the first, then four in an eight-batter, 30-pitch second. After that, he retired 10 straight Jays before allowing two singles to open the sixth, which led to the seventh run.
Complicit in the loss were the Rays’ positions players, who didn’t do much hitting. Jays rookie starter Alek Manoah — the 6-feet-6, 260-pound rookie — took a no-hitter into the sixth. He ended up surrendering only three hits over seven innings while striking out 10.
He gave up his first when catcher Francisco Mejia dropped a fly ball in front of center fieder Randal Grichuk, who charged in, dove and got his glove on it but couldn’t hang on. Wander Franco and Joey Wendle singled in the seventh.
Rays batters finished the night with five hits and 12 strikeouts, with at least one from each spot in the order.
