TORONTO _ Getting early three-run homers from Willy Adames and Travis d'Arnaud to take a seven-run lead into the sixth inning against a Blue Jays team that is one of the worst in the American League should have made for a good day for a Rays team that considers itself a legit playoff contender.
Instead the Rays watched it all slip away into one of their biggest bullpen blowups and arguably one of their worst losses of the season, falling 10-9 in 12 innings.
Teoscar Hernandez hit a homer off Emilo Pagan to win it.
What was still a 9-5 margin disappeared in the ninth when Oliver Drake allowed the first two to reach and gave up a three-run homer to Vlad Guerrero Jr. that cut the margin to one.
Manager Kevin Cash called for Adam Kolarek, who struck out lefty Cavan Biggio. Then Cash made a left-for-left move and brought in rookie Colin Poche, who saved Friday's game. Poche struck out righty Danny Jansen but then allowed a game-tying homer to Brandon Drury, his second of the day.
Emilio Pagan escaped a bit of a jam in the 11th, but couldn't get through the 12th.
And the Rays hitters didn't do much to help as their last 21 went down in order.
The Rays dropped to 59-48 with the loss and likely back out of the second wild-card spot, pending later action.
D'Arnaud, the former Mets starter acquired from the Dodgers for $100,000 in May, has seven homers and 21 RBIs in 17 July games, and 12 and 35 in his last 33 games.
Adames had been at the polar opposite of things, homerless in a month while piling up the most strikeouts in the majors over that span and coming into play Saturday 1 for his last 16.
But after Mike Brosseau doubled to open the second, Guillermo Heredia singled and Mike Zunino struck out, Adames delivered a three-run blast.
With two outs, the Rays added on as Tommy Pham walked, Austin Meadows singled and d'Arnaud had his latest blast. The Rays added on and led 9-2 in the sixth.
Andrew Kittredge worked three innings as the opener and Jalen Beeks four innings in the middle as the Rays built a 9-2 lead. But the Jays got one in the sixth off Beeks, then hit two homers off Wood in the eighth with two outs, by Drury, the No. 8 hitter, and then No. 9 Hernandez.
Though d'Arnaud started his 11th game at first base on Saturday, the Rays consider his primary position to be catcher and announced his seven July homers and 21 RBIs as team records for catchers in any month, surpassing the six homers hit by Curt Casali in July 2015 and J.P. Arencibia in September 2015. He had already broken the RBI mark held by John Flaherty of 17 in May 1999.
Rays right fielder Avisail Garcia left the game after hitting in the fourth for what the Rays said was an illness.
The series concludes on Sunday with Yonny Chirinos starting for the Rays and 14-game loser Aaron Sanchez for the Jays.
