(St. Petersburg) Jose Siri, Randy Arozaena and Luke Raley homered as the Major League-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4 on Monday night.
The Rays (35-14) lead the Major Leagues with 94 homers.
After Trevor Kelley pitched two runless innings, Josh Fleming (1-0) gave up two runs and five hits in six innings of work, helping the Rays improve to 22-4 at home. .
Blue Jays’ Chris Bassitt (5-3) pitched 28 straight innings without a run before the Rays scored three times in the second inning. He allowed six runs, two earned, and seven hits in six-and-a-third innings.
Whit Merrifield and Daulton Varsho hit long balls for the Blue Jays (25-23), who have lost seven of their last eight games and are nine and a half games behind the Rays.
Bassitt’s streak is the second longest in club history, behind Roger Clemens’ 33-inning streak in 1998. Dave Steib had a 34-inning streak in 1988-89.
The Blue Jays had recalled Quebecer Otto Lopez from their AAA school club in Buffalo.
PHOTO JASEN VINLOVE, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVE
Otto Ariel Lopez (72) during a previous recall with the Blue Jays
Lopez had already played a few games with the Jays, hitting six singles in nine at bats in addition to driving in three runs.
Lopez’s recall was made necessary after Santiago Espinal was placed on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right hamstring.