Brandon Lowe delivered yet another big hit for the Rays, belting a ninth-inning homer Sunday that led to a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays in the completion of Saturday's suspended game in Buffalo, N.Y.
Lowe homered for the fourth straight game, and seventh time overall this season. He now has 16 extra-base hits, most in the majors, with at least one in seven straight games.
Nick Anderson closed it out for his third save of the year as the Rays improved to 13-9 going into Sunday's second, and regularly scheduled, game, which was shortened to seven innings.
The Rays resumed the game in the bottom of the fourth with a 1-0 lead from Saturday. After some early action Sunday, the score was tied at 2 by the fifth and stayed that way until the ninth.
The Rays opted to start the day with Jalen Beeks on the mound to protect their lead, but it didn't last long.
Randal Grichuk blooped a ball down the rightfield line that dropped in between first baseman Ji-Man Choi and rightfielder Manuel Margot. He went to third on a passed ball by catcher Mike Zunino, his major-league-most fifth. Grichuk then scored when lefty swinger Rowdy Tellez bounced a grounder through the Rays' shifted and drawn-in infield.
Tampa Bay went back ahead in the fifth with a two-out rally aided by a Toronto error. Yandy Diaz singled and later came around to score when Choi doubled to right and second baseman Cavan Biggio mishandled the incoming throw. The Rays had a chance for more after Mike Brosseau walked, but Willy Adames grounded out.
The Jays came right back to tie it. Joe Panik, who stepped in when shortstop and Lakewood High product Bo Bichette was sidelined with a right knee issue, singled with one out in the fifth off Beeks. With two outs, Teoscar Hernandez slashed a ball to left that got by leftfielder Austin Meadows, allowing Panik to score from first.
Both teams had opportunities to go ahead.
Two Jays singles and a bunt to open the sixth ended Beeks' afternoon, but Pete Fairbanks provided some key relief. He got a ground ball from Brandon Drury that Diaz made a good stop on at third and started a rundown play, then struck out Biggo.
The Rays loaded the bases with one out in the seventh on a double by Lowe _ his 15th extra-base hit, tying him for the major-league lead _ an intentional walk to Diaz (after Ryan Borucki fell behind 3-1) and a walk by pinch-hitter Jose Martinez.
The Jays switched to hard-throwing right-hander Rafael Dolis, who struck out pinch-hitter Joey Wendle and got Adames to fly out.
Right-hander Yonny Chirinos was activated off the injured list to start the regularly scheduled game, which was shortened to seven innings as a result of the league coronavirus protocols, similar to doubleheader games. The Jays were starting Matt Shoemaker.
Saturday's game was suspended after 3{ innings due to heavy rain in Buffalo, with the Rays leading 1-0 thanks to a third-inning homer by Meadows. The teams sat through a nearly two-hour delay before the decision to call it at 9:56 p.m.
The Rays gathered in the stadium's first-base concourse and suites area as there was lightning in the area and the visitor's clubhouse at Sahlen Field, the Triple-A stadium that was renovated to host the Jays, is in a metal-framed tent structure.
"Today's not that big of a deal," Cash said Sunday morning. "It was more last night was a little unique that we're sitting up in the suites in the stadium. Today just feels like a normal doubleheader that's going to be a little bit shortened. We've got a 1-0 lead. I guess you don't get to start many games like that, so that's a good thing."
Ryan Yarbrough, who had two good starts and two not-so-good, worked the first three innings for the Rays on Saturday, allowing four hits but no walks.
"I thought he was good," Cash said Saturday night. "I thought he was better at getting in the zone, established strikes early on and throughout. He made some big pitches with some guys on base, got out of a first-and-third jam. It's always unfortunate when you're counting on hopefully between 80-100 pitches and that gets shaved off. But he'll be that much fresher next time we call on him.
It was the third suspended game in Rays franchise history.
The most recent was April 16, 2010, at Boston. Play was suspended due to rain with the score tied at 1 in the ninth, then resumed the next day, with the Rays getting a two-run homer in the 12th from Pat Burrell and the win.
The other was a little more memorable, as Game 5 of the 2008 World Series in Philadelphia was halted with the scored tied at 2 in the sixth due to miserable weather, then resumed two days later. The Phillies won the game, after just 1 hour and 18 minutes of play, and the championship.
