Jax pitches 6 strong innings, Mesa Jr. drives in 2 as Rays down Blue Jays 4-2

TORONTO (AP) — Griffin Jax allowed one run in six strong innings, Victor Mesa Jr. drove in two runs and the Tampa Bay Rays used a three-run sixth to top the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Jax (6-7) gave up three hits and walked one while striking out five in his second quality start of the season. Bryan Baker earned his 26th save with a hitless ninth.

Mesa drove in the Rays’ first run in the second with a single that tied it at 1.

Tampa Bay took the lead on Chandler Simpson’s sacrifice fly in the sixth. Mesa hit another RBI single and Ben Williamson walked with the bases loaded to drive in Cedric Mullins to make it 4-1.

The Rays had batters reach on a bunt single, walk, an error and a hit by pitch in the sixth — the first time in franchise history they had all four in the same inning.

Jeff Hoffman (5-7) allowed all three runs — all unearned — in the sixth while pitching two-thirds of an inning.

George Springer gave Toronto a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI groundout. Alejandro Kirk hit his third home run of the season in the seventh, but that was all the Blue Jays mustered offensively.

The Rays won their 52nd game this season with a lead of at least three runs at some point in the game, the second-most of any team in baseball, behind the Nationals’ 53.

Toronto is 1-5 since the All-Star break and 10 games under .500 at 46-56.

Up next

Rays’ LHP Ian Seymour (6-2, 4.79 ERA) faces off against Blue Jays’ RHP Shane Bieber (1-1, 5.70) in the series finale Thursday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb