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Romero wins again as Jays top Rays

Aug 30, 2011 - 6:09 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Jose Bautista and Adam Lind homered to back six effective innings from Ricky Romero, and the Blue Jays avoided being swept with a 7-3 victory over the Rays at Rogers Centre.

Romero (13-9) gave up three runs on six hits and four walks, and a strong output from the Toronto offense allowed him to win his sixth consecutive decision. The left-hander has not lost since July 16.

J.P. Arencibia had three hits and drove in two runs for the Blue Jays, who snapped a four-game slide overall. They lost the first three games of this series by a combined score of 24-6.

Rays starter Wade Davis (8-8) allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings -- his second- shortest outing of the season -- to take the loss.

Johnny Damon had two home runs, but they weren't enough to lift Tampa Bay to its first four-game sweep of Toronto.

Damon hit his first homer in the opening inning, after Desmond Jennings led off with a walk. Romero threw a fastball down and in, and Damon slapped a line shot over the right field wall.

The Rays had a chance to tack on another run in the third, when Evan Longoria tripled to left. But Ben Zobrist followed by tapping a slow grounder back to the mound, and Romero caught Longoria in a rundown after seeing him dangling too far off third base.

Toronto took the lead in the bottom half, when the top of its order provided a scoring opportunity. Yunel Escobar hit a one-out single and Eric Thames sent him to third with a double.

After Bautista plated a run with a groundout, Lind slugged a low fastball to right-center field for his 23rd homer of the season and a 3-2 edge.

Arencibia made it a 4-2 game with an RBI double to the left field corner in the fourth, and scored later in the inning on Escobar's base hit to left.

Damon's leadoff shot in the fifth -- he pulled another ball to right -- narrowed the Rays' deficit to two again, but Arencibia singled in a run in the bottom half.

Bautista made it a 7-3 game in the sixth, when he launched a high and deep blast to left for his 38th homer of the year to tie the Yankees' Curtis Granderson for the major league lead.

"We just came out and put together good at-bats," Bautista said.

Toronto's bullpen held on to the advantage. Jesse Litsch, Casey Janssen and Frank Francisco each pitched a scoreless inning to secure the victory.

"We feel every time we step on the field, we have a chance to win, especially with our pitching staff and our defense," Damon said. "We came up a little short."

Game Notes

Davis lasted just 2 2/3 innings against the Rangers on May 30, when he allowed seven runs on 12 hits...Janssen has thrown 15 2/3 scoreless innings in his last 13 appearances...Damon recorded his 13th multi-homer game and first since September 9, 2008, when he was a member of the Yankees facing the Angels...The Jays haven't been swept in a four-game series at home since May 31-June 3, 2003 by Boston...The Blue Jays activated pitcher Brian Tallet from the 15-day disabled list Monday, while designating left-hander Wil Ledezma for assignment. They acquired the left-handed Tallet from St. Louis on July 27, when he was already on the DL because of a right intercostal strain. He suffered the injury while sneezing.