Brandon Lowe powers Rays past Blue Jays 8-3

Brandon Lowe had a two-run homer in the first and the ninth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays routed the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 Thursday afternoon.

TORONTO – Brandon Lowe had a two-run homer in the first and the ninth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays routed the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 Thursday afternoon.

They were Lowe’s sixth and seventh home runs of the season. He has 24 runs batted in this year.

Kameron Misner and Josh Lowe hit home runs in the fourth and fifth innings respectively for Tampa Bay (20-23). Former Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen had an RBI single in the second and Chandler Simpson drove in another run in the sixth.

Zack Littell (3-5) allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk, fanning two, over 7 1/3 innings. Relievers Manuel Rodriguez and Cole Sulser preserved the win.

Addison Barger, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Nathan Lukes each had a solo home run as Toronto (21-22) lost two of three games against the Rays.

Kevin Gausman (3-4) gave up six hits on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings, but struck out six. Mason Fluharty, Braydon Fisher and Jose Urena came on in relief, with Urena giving up Brandon Lowe’s second two-run homer.

Takeaways

Rays: Tampa Bay’s offence was relentless, racking up 14 hits, reaching base by contact in seven innings. The Rays’ speed was apparent on the basepaths and in the field too, with Misner making several impressive catches in centre.