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Price nearly goes the distance, Rays down Jays

May 5, 2011 - 8:30 PM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Johnny Damon went 2-for-4 with a run batted in to help back 8 2/3 solid innings from David Price, as the Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 3-1 win over Toronto in the rubber match of a three-game set at Tropicana Field.

John Jaso added an RBI double and scored a run, while Matt Joyce had a sacrifice fly for the Rays, who have won three of their last five overall.

Price (4-3) was sensational, allowing one unearned run and scattering four hits, while striking out 10 without issuing a walk. Kyle Farnsworth retired Adam Lind on a ground out to end the game and pick up his sixth save of the season.

Corey Patterson provided the only offense with an RBI ground out for Toronto, which has dropped four of five.

Kyle Drabek (2-2), starting in place of Ricky Romero, who was scratched with a left oblique sprain, surrendered three runs on six hits, walked four and fanned three over 5 2/3 innings. Romero is expected to start on Saturday against Detroit.

Starting pitching dictated the first 2 1/2 innings, before Tampa Bay broke through for a three-spot in the third.

Consecutive doubles by Sean Rodriguez and Jaso plated a one. Then with runners on the corners and one out, Damon's infield single scored another and later in the inning, a bases loaded sacrifice fly by Joyce made it 3-0.

Price was cruising through his outing, but ran into a little trouble in the ninth. John McDonald reached on a two-base error by Rodriguez to start the inning and moved to third on a fly ball by Rajai Davis. Patterson plated McDonald with a ground out to second and Price was lifted for Farnsworth, who gave up a single to Yunel Escobar before getting Lind to bounce out to first to preserve the win.

Game Notes

Tampa Bay took two of three contests from Toronto at Rogers Centre from April 22-24 and has won seven of the last 10 meetings in this series...Toronto went 5-5 on its 10-game road trip.